dikes; the upper part being occupied by Lake Okechobee, whose shallow waters gradually merge into the Everglades, an extensive swamp covering the entire lower part of the State. The Everglades are penetrated in all directions by a net- work of small, shallow streams, and at short intervals over the entire area are found wooded islands covered with semi-tropical vegetation. These islands are supposed to have been formerly surrounded by the ocean and to have borne the same relation to the mainland as do the reefs and keys of to-day. The Everglades are separated from the Gulf by extensive cypress swamps, the forests extending down the W. coast, narrowing out around the cape, and extending up along the Atlantic coast. Many of the Florida swamps are so densely overgrown with vegetation that they have been explored but little and are considered impassable. Among these are the Great Cypress in the S. part, and the Fen Holloway and Wakulla swamps farther N. The Okefenoke swamp in the extreme N. extends over into the State of Georgia. Almost the entire Atlantic coast is protected from the ocean by sand bars and coral reefs. Florida is noted for the number, size, and clearness of her springs, the most famous being the Silver Spring near Ocala in Marion county, with an estimated output of 300,000,000 gallons daily. Other notable springs are the Wakulla, near Tallahassee, the Wekiva in Orange county, and the Blue in Marion county. There are numerous sulphuretted springs along the coast; one near St. Augustine, 2 miles out at sea, boils so violently that the waves break against it as though it were a sunken reef. There are numberless lakes, many being aggregations of smaller springs. The largest are Okechobee, Munroe, George, Kissimmee, Crescent, Dexter, Apopka, Harris, and Eustis. These lakes are usually quite shallow and are in many cases connected with the sea by subterranean passages, often causing strange fluctuations, rising and falling at irregular periods.
Geology.—The substratum of the greater part of the State is of Upper Eocene or Vicksburg limestone, while the coasts and the S. parts are mostly Postpliocene, or coralline limestone. Considerable phosphate exists in various forms, land and river pebble, hard and soft rock, and vertebrate remains, the hard rock extending in a belt running S. E. from Tallahassee to the S. E. part of Pasco county.
Mineral Production.—The only important mineral product is phosphate rock. About 1,500,000 tons, valued at about $4,000,000, are produced annually. Other mineral products are fuller's earth, lime, and mineral waters.
Soil.—The soil is mostly sandy, but supports vegetation in great luxuriance. The surface soil, depending on the character of the underlying rock, is rich in phosphates, and these, together with decomposed vegetable matter, produce a very rich soil. In the N. and middle portions of the State, the oak, hickory, and pine grow extensively, while the long-leaved pine, pitch-pine, and cypress cover the S. portions.
Agriculture.—Florida exhibits the vegetable productions of both temperate and semi-tropical nature. In the N. the products include peaches, pears, and cotton, while the middle and S. counties produce the finest oranges, pineapples, mangoes, cocoa palms, guavas and almost all tropical fruits. The acreage, value and production of the principal crops in 1919 were as follows: corn, 840,000 acres, production 12,600,000 bushels, value $17,640,000; hay, 113,000 acres, production 141,000 tons, value $3,243,000; peanuts, 216,000 acres, production 3,402,000 bushels, value $7,178,000; tobacco, 4,200 acres, production 3,990,000 pounds, value $2,175,000; potatoes, 24,000 acres, production 1,824,000 bushels, value $3,830,000; sweet potatoes, 41,000 acres, production 4,100,000 bushels, value $5,740,000; cotton, 117,000 acres, production 17,000 bales, value $3,570,000.
Manufactures.—There were, in 1914, 2,518 manufacturing establishments, employing 55,608 wage earners. The capital invested was $88,319,000 and the wages paid $24,822,000. The value of the materials used was $33,816,000 and the value of the finished product was $81,112,000. The principal manufactures are naval stores, cotton-seed oil, cigars, lead pencils, refined sugar, flour, salt by evaporation, palmetto hats, braids, and wooden boxes. Lumbering is a leading industry; fishing, sponge and coral gathering afford occupations for many. Jacksonville has many canning establishments, and Key West and Tampa are noted for their fine cigars.
Banking.—On Oct. 31, 1919, there were 54 National banks in operation, having $6,460,000 in capital. $5,502,000 in outstanding circulation, and $25,084,000 in United States bonds. There were also 184 State banks with $5,585,000 capital and $2,147,000 surplus. In the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, the exchanges at the United States clearing-house at Jacksonville aggregated $411,247,000, an increase over the previous year of $202,120,000.
Education.—School attendance is not compulsory. Separate schools are provided for white and colored children.
