the mouth of the St. John's to Jupiter Inlet, a distance of more than two hundred and fifty miles. The St. Mary's River, forming the common boundary between Northeastern Florida and Georgia, is navigable for steamers to the town of St. Mary's. The principal rivers flowing into the Gulf from this State are the Caloosahatchee, Suwannee, Appalachicola, Ocklockonnee, and Perdido, each of them navigable for a considerable distance. There are, in addition to the rivers above mentioned, numerous lesser streams, navigable for small boats, coursing through almost every section of the State, so that there are few localities remote from water transportation.

A chain of lakess extend through the middle of the peninsula, the largest of which are Orange, Apopka, Cypress, Istopoga, and Okechobee; the last named extending over an area of more than six hundred and fifty square miles.

The southern portion of the peninsula of Florida consists mostly of an extensive swamp or marsh, called the "Everglades," which, with the exception of some tracts elevated above the general level, is subject to inundation during the greater part of the year. North of the Everglades the country is generally level, the most elevated point in the central portion of the peninsula being considerably less than two hundred feet above the level of the sea; from this point the surface slopes gradually toward the coast on either side. Between the Suwannee and the Appalachicola the surface is more elevated and occasionally diversified with hills; west of the Appalachicola the surface is generally level.

Four-fifths of the entire State is covered with heavy forests, consisting of yellow and pitch pine, live and white oak, cypress, hickory, ash, birch, cedar, magnolia, and other timber. On the dry lands the yellow and pitch pine attain great size, and furnish the finest quality of pine lumber. Large quantities of turpentine and rosin are made from the pitch pine, furnishing employment to a great number of persons. It is estimated that there are thirty thousand square miles of heavy pine forest in the State. The different varieties of oak, the hickory, ash, and birch, are found on the moist lands along the streams or on the margins of swamps, and the swamps are densely covered with cypress, magnolia, and sweet-bay. The timber of the cypress resembles the basswood of the North, is as easily worked, and is especially adapted for fork, rake, and broom handles, and for pails and tubs. The timber of the magnolia is similar to basswood in color and fineness of grain, it is susceptible of a fine polish and adapted to a variety of uses. The sweet-bay furnishes a handsome quality of lumber and is suitable for cabinet work. The abundance of material, at the cheapest rates, and the accessibility by water communication, offer great inducements for the manufacture of lumber, wooden-ware, and all kinds of tools made of wood.

The lands of Florida are variously designated as high and low hummock, swamp, savanna, and the several qualities of pine lands. The high hummocks, elevated above the general surface and gently undulating, are celebrated for their great fertility. The soil is formed of a fine vegetable mould, combined with sandy loam, and is, in many places, two feet in depth, with a substratum of limestone, clay, or marl. This soil is not as much affected by drought as other lands and rarely suffers from too much moisture, and, owing to the small amount of labor required to work it and its extraordinary productiveness, is, for general purposes, held in higher estimation than any other description of land in the State. These lands are usually heavily timbered with oak, magnolia, laurel, and other valuable timber. The low hummocks are in places

subject to inundation during wet seasons, but when drained are peculiarly adapted to the cultivation of sugar cane. They are generally timbered with several varieties of oak, magnolia, and bay. The savannas lie along the margins of streams and in detached bodies; the soil consists of exceedingly rich alluvion, which yields abundantly in dry seasons, but needs ditching and diking in ordinary seasons. These lands, when reclaimed, produce enormous crops of rice and sugar cane. The Everglades of Florida extend over an area of ninety miles in length by forty in width, or about three thousand six hundred square miles. They resemble an immense lake studded with a vast number of islands, varying from a fraction of an acre to hundreds of acres in extent. These islands are generally covered with dense thickets of shrubbery and vines and occasionally with pines and palmettos. With the exception of the islands, the surface is covered with water from one to six feet in depth, out of which grows from the vegetable deposit at the bottom a tall, rank grass. The soil of the islands is exceedingly rich and well adapted to the growth of plantains and bananas.

The climate of Florida has been pronounced one of the most delightful in the world. The winters are mild and pleasant, the summers, embracing seven months of the year, tempered by the daily recurring sea breezes, are seldom oppressive. The thermometer rarely rises above 95°, or falls below 30°, F. From observations extending over a period of oné hundred years, recorded in the Spanish archives at St. Augustine, it is shown that the mean temperature of the winter months averages a little above 60°, and of the summer months 86°. The winters of East Florida are usually so mild that many of the most delicate vegetables and semi-tropical plants receive no injury from cold, and the orange, banana, plantain, guava, and other tropical fruits flourish luxuriantly. When the temperature does fall below the freezing point, the cold weather lasts but a few hours, and seldom occurs more than once or twice in the month of January, which is the severest of the season. In West Florida the temperature of the summer is a little above, and of the winters a little below, that of the eastern coast. During the months of March, April, May, and June frequent showers occur. With July the rainy season commences, lasting till the middle of September, and although during this season there are few days without rain, it seldom rains the whole day. These rains last about four hours each day, falling in heavy showers, and are usually accompanied by thunder and lightning. The annual fall of rain is fifty inches, the greater part of which falls during the productive season, much to the advantage of the agriculturist, while during the winter, when but little rain is required, it seldom falls. There are, occasionally, as in every other State, droughts of long duration, and sometimes a superabundance of rain; but the seasons are remarkably regular and well adapted to the growth of all the products of a semi-tropical climate.

Eastern Florida, especially St. Augustine, has long been a resort for invalids from all parts of the world. Persons suffering from pulmonary diseases find in the mild climate, balmy breezes, and sunshine of this favored region, immediate relief and often a permanent cure; indeed, there are now living in this State, in excellent health, many restored, who would, had they remained in the trying climate of the North, havé long since gone down to a premature grave.

The soil of Florida is generally a light, sandy loam, with a substratum of clay, and sometimes intermixed with the latter. It is of all qualities, from the dry sand of the pine barrens to the fertile hummocks and

bottom lands, and in the marshes are inexhaustible vegetable deposits, which make most excellent fertilizers. The pine barrens, the poorest lands in the State, although, at first sight, apparently worthless for agricultural purposes, are, in reality, very productive when properly cultivated, experience having proved that they are eminently adapted to market gardening. In the order of productiveness the swamp lands rank first, the low hummocks second, the high hummocks third, and the pine, oak, and hickory lands fourth. The swamp lands are of comparatively recent formation, and are still receiving additions. to their surface. In the cultivation of these lands ditching is indispensable, but they are intrinsically the most valuable lands in the State, being as fertile as the hummocks, and much more durable. They are especially adapted to the cultivation of the sugar-cane, and crops of four hogsheads of sugar per acre are not uncommon. The low hummocks require some ditching, and are also suitable to the cultivation of cane. Of the adaptability of the high hummocks for general cultivation mention has already been made.

There is probably no other State in the Union where so great a variety of the products of the soil can be successfully cultivated as in Florida. Nearly all the grains and fruits of the temperate zone may be raised in the northern part of the State; the eastern and central portions of the peninsula produce the various semi-tropical fruits in abundance, and in that portion of the State south of the line of frost the fruits of the tropics may be cultivated without difficulty. Every section of the State is adapted to the growth of Indian corn. On the rich bottom lands the average crop is fifty-five bushels to the acre. The corn crop for the year 1868 was 3,000,000 bushels. Cotton has hitherto been the staple production, but, in view of other more profitable branches of agricul ture now engaging attention, it is doubtful whether it will continue to be raised in as great quantities as formerly. There were produced in the State, in 1860, 63,322 bales of ginned cotton, and the crop of 1868, though somewhat less in quantity, exceeded in value that of 1860. The short staple or upland, and the long staple or sea-island cotton, are both cultivated, the former being usually grown in the western part of the State and the latter in the eastern. The yield of the short staple is from two to three hundred pounds per acre on ordinary soils, but with good care, upon rich land, five hundred pounds may be produced. Under favorable circumstances from three to four hundred pounds of the long staple can be grown upon an acre. The soil and climate of Florida are eminently adapted to the growth of sugar-cane, though its culture has not hitherto been extensive, owing doubtless to the general impression that a large capital is absolutely necessary to the success of this branch of agriculture. Recent experiments, however, have shown that this is not the case, as a number of proprietors cultivating small areas have received as great profit from the cane as could be derived from any other product. In Volusia County one field of ten acres produced at the rate of 1,500 pounds of sugar and 300 gallons of molasses to the acre. The ordinary yield of sugar per acre in Florida is nearly twice that of Louisiana, and the cultivation much easier. Cuba tobacco was grown in some parts of the State before the war, but its cultivation has of late been neglected. The average yield of this plant is 700 pounds per acre. Sweet potatoes produce abundantly in all partsof the State, and next to Indian corn form the principal article of vegetable food of the masses. Irish potatoes, although not so productive as in the North, may yet be made an exceedingly profitable crop, as they may be planted

in January, and ripe in May, when they can be shipped at a small expense to northern markets and sold for good prices.

A large area of the lowlands is well adapted to the culture of rice, the average yield being forty bushels to the acre. During the British occupation indigo was the main staple, but it is not at present cultivated. The plant now grows wild in many parts of the State. Sisal hemp, introduced from Yucatan, has proved a great success. may be grown anywhere south of the frost line, and with very little care a ton of cleaned hemp can be made to the acre, worth $300 per ton. Coffee could doubtless be successfully grown in the southern portion of the peninsula. The pea-nut, or ground pea, produces abundant and remunerative crops. Arrow-root grows wild in the southern part of the State. Wheat has been occasionally raised in Northern Florida, but it is an uncertain crop. Rye and oats are cultivated to a considerable extent, but chiefly for forage. All varieties of hemp grow luxuriantly, and may be cultivated with every assurance of remunerative returns.

Almost every description of garden vegetables found in the markets of this country can be raised here with great success. Owing to the fact that the season is from four to six weeks earlier than in any other portion of the country, many vegetables, including tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, potatoes, melons, cabbage, and beets, may be shipped to northern ports at great profit, and with the establishment of direct lines of steamers between the ports of the State and the principal northern ports, thus avoiding the delays and injury of transshipment at Savannah or Charleston, the gardeners of Eastern Florida will be enabled to place vegetables in the northern markets in good condition long in advance of those of other localities.

In this genial climate all the semi-tropical fruits, such as the orange, lemon, lime, olive, fig, citron, pine-apple, banana, guava, and the palm, are produced in as great perfection as in the more tropical climate of Brazil and the West Indies, and with far less attention and greater immunity from injury by insects or vicissitudes of climate than the common fruits of northern orchards. The oranges are especially cele brated for their great size and superior flavor. It is not known whether this fruit is a native of Florida, or whether it was introduced by the Spaniards, but it is now found growing wild in almost every section of the State. A large number of orange groves have been established within the past few years, and the exportation of the fruit is rapidly becoming one of the most important branches of trade. The groves are established by transplanting the wild orange trees during the winter and budding them in the summer with the sweet orange. Raised from the seed, the orange begins to bear in from seven to ten years, but the budded trees generally produce fruit in three years. The yield of single trees varies from 100 to 10,000 oranges, according to age, situation, and treatment. One hundred trees are planted to the acre, and as the fruit can be sold on the trees at $15 to $20 per thousand, enormous profits can be derived from a small area of land. The lemons of Florida are far superior to those of Sicily, Italy, or Spain. The lemon, lime, citron, and shaddock are propagated in the same manner as the orange; all of them in greater perfection than in other countries. The pine-apple is grown, with slight protection in winter, as far north as St. Augustine, but one hundred miles south of this point they are produced in great perfection, frequently weighing nine or ten pounds each. The paw-paw, or bread fruit, a native of South America, though not much cultivated, is worthy of attention. It has a pear-shaped fruit of light

yellow color, and is similar to a very ripe musk-melon in taste and flavor. The tree is a perpetual bearer and yields enormous quantities of fruit, a single tree producing enough for a large family. The milky juice of the unripe fruit and the powdered seeds are a powerful vermifuge, but the most extraordinary property of the tree is that of rendering the toughest meat or poultry perfectly tender by steeping for a few minutes. in the milky juice. The banana may be successfully cultivated as far north as Fernandina, and where once established, a plantation of this fruit needs no renewal, and one acre will produce as much food as fortyfive acres of potatoes. Figs, pomegranates, olives, and various kinds of berries are produced in abundance. South of latitude 28° north the date palm is grown with great success. Apples and pears have not been so successful. The peach, the nectarine, and the plum do well, and are less subject to disease and injury from insects than in the north. The grape grows luxuriantly and is found wild in many parts of the State. The black and white Hamburg, Muscat, and other foreign varieties reach the greatest perfection. The Scuppernong is most generally cultivated, and makes excellent wine. The guava, sugar apple, alligator pear, plantain, and cocoanut are strictly tropical fruits, but they may all be raised without difficulty in the southern portion of the peninsula.

To the stock-raiser Florida presents every facility that could be desired. There is never any necessity for housing cattle, which will maintain themselves in good condition throughout the year entirely without care, fattening upon the many varieties of nutritious wild. grasses that cover a large portion of the country. In the southern portion of the State the extensive savannas and moist prairies produce tall grasses which afford excellent pasturage. In the forest the oaks. furnish an abundant mast upon which hogs readily fatten, these animals being found throughout the State half wild and generally in good condition. Sheep do well in Florida, furnishing a superior quality of mutton, although the wool is not of as fine a quality as in the North. The number of horses in the State in February 1869 was estimated at 7,000; mules, 6,600; oxen and other cattle, 170,600; milch cows, 81,000; and hogs, 103,500. The total value of the live stock was esti mated at $5,007,939. Game, fish, and oysters exist in great abundance. The oysters of St. Andrew's Bay and Indian River are celebrated for their size and quality. The bays, rivers, inlets, and lakes swarm with mullet, bass, sheepshead, trout, and many other varieties of fish. Deer, bears, squirrels, ducks, and turkeys are found throughout the State. Large quantities of sponge are annually gathered along the coast; and on the Gulf coast and among the keys, where the water contains a larger per cent. of salt than the ocean itself, there are excellent locations for the establishment of salt works.

Tallahassee, the seat of the State government, is situated in Leon County, twenty-five miles north of the Gulf. The city, occupying an elevated site, is laid out in rectangular blocks and contains the State-house, court-house, and Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopal churches. The adjacent country is remarkably fertile, and is the most populous in the State. The city is connected by railroad with St. Mark's, Pensacola, and Jacksonville. The population in 1860 was 2,128.

Pensacola, the county seat of Escambia County, is on the western shore of Pensacola Bay. Its harbor has twenty-one feet of water on the bar, and is one of the safest harbors on the Gulf. The population of the city is about 5,000.

Key West, on an island of the same name, occupies an important po