NATURAL DIVISIONS. 27

Mosquito Lagoon, which, at a former period, were under cul-
tivation, but were abandoned during the Indian war by their
owners. All that portion of the State which I have denom-
inated Tropical Florida is capable of producing oranges,
lemons, limes, arrow-root, cassava, indigo, Sisal-hemp, sugar-
cane, sea-island cotton, rice, figs, melons of all kinds, as well
as the vegetables grown in the more northern States. The
country around Charlotte Harbor and Biscayne Bay is sus-
ceptible of producing cocoanuts, cacao, pineapples, gua-
vas, coffee, bananas, plantains, alligator pears, and all the
fruits and plants of the West Indies. The rich lands which
skirt the savannas upon the coast side are covered with
rotten limestone, and have mixed with the vegetable matter
to that extent that the soil will effervesce as soon as it comes
in contact with acids These savannas are valuable for
sugar-plantations, as the sugar-cane requires a large per-
centage of lime, and the climate is so mild that the cane
will not require planting oftener than once in ten or twelve
years. The Palma Christi, or castor-bean, is here perennial,
and grows to be quite a tree. I saw a number as large
as peach-trees twenty feet high. Sea-island cotton seems
to be a perennial in this section of the State, and is of a fine
quality. Live-oak, yellow pine, cabbage-tree, and mangrove
are the most abundant forest-trees, though formerly a good
deal of fustic, mahogany, lignum-vite, and braziletto was to
be met with; but these valuable species of timber have
been so much in demand for ship-building and commerce
that trees of any size are rare. The most formidable obsta-
cle the farmer meets in preparing ground for cultivation is
the saw-palmetto (Cham"rops serrulata), with plated pal-
mate fronds and sharply serrate stipes. The roots cover
the surface of the ground, and are removed by the slow
process of the grubbmg-hoe. Several species of this genus
of palm afforded the Florida tribes food, wine, sugar, fruit,
cabbage, fans, darts, ropes, and cloth. Some have good
fruit, like plums; others austere, like dates. They are now
chiefly used to make hats, fans, baskets, and mats, with the
leaves.
 The land bordering on the Caloosahatchie River and its
 tributaries is accessible by vessels drawing not more than
 six feet, and contains enough live-oak to supply the navy
 of the United States for a quarter of a century. Other val-