The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1882-03-15
Written for The Florida Ag-iculturist.
The DeadenIng.
The Deadening East of TT. Mead. South
Fla. Across Peace Creek, with
other Strange PhenOmenOns.

This remarkable locality bordering
on Peace Greek. which covers nearly
q township, is not exactly in a so 'are
but nearly so. 1t is bounded on the
west by Peace Greek, on the north
by the H.iliard branch, on the south
it is cut by Bowleys Creek, and it
extends some miles bel.w it, and on
the east by the sand hills. The dis
tance between the Hil!iard branch
and Bowlegs Greek is about tour
miles. Extending from Peace Greek
Swamp eastward to Bowiegs Greek,
a distance OF eight miles by three, ia
a complete island bounded east and
south by Bowlegs Creek, west by
Peace Creek, north 10y Sink branch,
and northeast by Bowlegs Bay, which
bay connects Sink Branch and Bow
legs Greek. The island as described,
however, leaves out a portion OF
deadening fiom Sink branch north 10
the Hilliard branch. This we think
is uncont:Overtable evidence that fire
is the prime cause If these deaden>
Ings in south Florida land not hail aS
some think), the ,imner having been
killed to the margin oil the swamp
on the south side Of this branch, but
just opposite on the N rth, AL the
original timber stands unhurt, except
few trees destroyed by storms. In
many places on the margin OF these
deadehlngs the zlSzag course OF hre
can be traced IL W, hail never stops
TOR wafer and sManps, but tlre does.
Hail sufficient 10 do such damage TO
timber as we see here never falls
even further north, where it Is more
common. THIS is too Tar out of the
Lail latitude tor such to occur None
of the aborlgines OF south Florida
ever saw hail tall here larger than
common size buckshot, and that Is
very uncommon. Hail localities are
narrow and short, but there is dead
eniug covering I'll section OF lerri>
tory. Across Peace Creek west
there is one nearly as large, and in
Herr ando county, west and south oi
Rrouksville, there is one about tour
miles wide and fifteen long, twenty
four years ago thousands OF the sap
lings ON it were barely large enough
for common ratter Many of these
deadenings contain laud SO elevated
and rolling that water ruhs away 10
the creeks and branches In a few
hours after it's tall, and consequently
water is not the cause. Tell the
people that no sand-soaks are found
on our deadenings. Most OF the Old
pines yet green stand on the poorer
and higher localities OF land, and
seldom but one i'll place, and by
frequent and careful examination vi
late, we find that around Them tor a
considerable area there is no show oi
either stnmps or llghtwood knots.
This argues TOO plainly that the
accumulation of straws and grass
around these trees was too light TO
create sufficient heat TO kill the tim
ber when the woods took fire. Some
have said that Old Cnipco said hail
killed the timber, but he told Others
he did not know what did 1t. Reason
says that it renamed unburnL for
several years, and the continued
growth OF grass and large accumula.
tion OF pine straw, with, perhaps, a
large quantity OF tops broken off by
a previous sto, m, during some OF our
long dry seasons ill the spring, when
the sap was at its tull, an electric !
flash, II no other means, igniled the
woods, and the heat became so in.
tense among all the thick timber that
the sap was heated, scalding the
wood and killing it. This we are
satisfied is the most philosophical
solution of the deadening problem.
1t might be supposed by careless
observers that the deadening III Her.
naDdo county was caused by water,
Dut a full acquaintance with it will
show that it runs or spreads into the