OF THE STATE.


filled, as it is on the present State stage-line and I
States mail-route from Ocala to Tampa, and is on
rect line from Leesburg to the latter place, such as
road will desire to select. It is a good, healthy,
region, needing only settlers.
 The next day several of the residents called
and we spent! the day, a warm one, in visiting a n
of gardens and fields and orange-groves in the vi
Everywhere the vegetables, crops, and fruits looked


growing


in great


abundance


little care.


United
the di-
a rail-
fertile


on us,
umber
cinity.
finely,
re also


drove to Lake Panasofkee,
surrounded with rich bla
for sugar-cane and all gar
this neighborhood are nume
so frequent in all parts of ]
in form, the sides quite stra
twenty-five to one hundred
seldom containing any, or 1
is the singular feature abou
to large lakes whose water


six miles distant, a large lake
ck hammock-land, the region
den and field crops. Also in
rous large "sinks" of the land,
Middle Florida, usually circular
Light and smooth, varying from
Sand more feet in depth, and
but little, water. This, indeed,


t them, for often
s are fifty feet


tom of the sink, yet none in the sink. It
thing had given way in the bowels of the


they are close
above the bot-
is as if some-
earth, and the


soil had fallen in; but th
outlets, for in no other
be accounted for.
 The next morning we


ley must all
way can the


have subterranean
absence of water


the stage-coach, a


rattle-trap sort of an affair, and were soon on our way
to 13rooksville. It is a long ride through a decidedly
rolling country, mostly pine-land, with very little ham-
mock, and few lakes. The stone belt extends all through
this region, ending along the Withlacoochee River. It
closely resembles the piny-woods region in Michigan,
and the ride became very tedious and monotonous, ex-
cept that we saw any quantity of feathered and furred
game, rabbits, squirrels, quail, etc., and occasionally wild


TOUR


W