PRELIMINARY REPORT ON PEAT.

several miles, and the swamps in question mostly lie between them), at intervals of half a mile or less, a number of rion-alluvial swamps approximately circular in shape and a few hundred feet in diameter. They appear to be correlated with small seepage springs, perhaps caused by some impervious stratum which comes to the surface on this gentle slope. There may even be more than one such stratum,

Fig. 21.-Interior of dense non-alluvial swamp just west of Nocatee
DeSoto County), showing Magnolia glauca (bay), Nyssa biflora (black gum), Acer rubrum (maple), Tillandsia (air-plant), etc. Feb. 17, 1909.
(Locality No. 21).
for a few instances were noticed where there were two of these circular swamps a short distance apart, one a little higher up the slope than the other and connected by a small stream.
These swamps are too shallow to be of any special importance for peat, the greatest depth found only being three feet; but they are so unique and well-defined that a description will not be out of place here. The dominant trees are black gums and bays, about 60 feet tall, and between the swamp and the surrounding nearly flat pine lands there is usually a narrow strip of sandy bog. The following list is compiled from notes taken in several such swanips between Arcadia and Nocatee on Feb. 17, 1909.
TREES

Nyssa biflcra (black gum) Magnolia glauca (bay) Acer rubrum (maple) Ilex Cassine (swamp holly)

Persea pubescens (red bay) Gordonia Lasianthus (bay) Pinus Elliottli (slash pine) Ulmus sp. (elm)

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