Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-04-12
AN UNIQUE REGION.
some 1nteresting Studies Of the Islands
For,,.i,a0 the FkOrid1 Reef.

The numerous islands which form
the Florida reefs are probably the most
unique part of the United States; they
have a flora peculiarly their own, and
their soil consists merely of calcareous
sand, sedimentary rocks, and light
mould produced by decaying vegeta-
ton, the subsoil being permeated with
brackish water.
The large trees found so abundantly
in other parts of the State are entirely
absent on the Florida Keys, their places
being taken by the myrtle, chinchona,
wild fig, crabwood, mastio, sstinwood,
mangrove, buttonwood, bay cedar,
euphorbia, and their congeners. These
form dense thickets along the shores,
and back of them, where the ground is
uncultivated, are masses of the rankest
vegetation, bound together by creepers,
vines, and brambles as to render walk
ing through them impossible. Not
even snake can force its way through
them in places, and birds that become
entangled in the weeds are very likely
to remain there until they die of starva-
ton. M
One group of islands in this region
presents strong contrast to the re-
mainder of the reefs both in physical
and botanical features. These are
about $50 miles in length, and lie at
almost right angles with the other keys.
Their general trend is from northwest
to southeast, and their outlines are
more jagged, broken, and varied. They
are covered with light forests of the
Cuban pine and silvery thrinax, and
scrub palmetto, and wax myrtle are not
uncommon
The adult residents of these islands
are chiefly Conks, or residents of the
Bahamas, who have settled them for
the purpose of raising bananas, pine
apples, custardapples, mangoes, alli-
gator pears, cocoanuts, and other trop-
ical fruits. When they are not tending
their groves and gardens, they are en-
gage in fishing, turtling, and gathering
sponges, corals, and the gaudy sea-
shells that cover the beaches at low
tide. They lead very laborious life,
and their summer isles of Eden living
in dark-purple spheres of the sea" are
too often a. purgatory, where insects
are so numerous and voracious as to
make existence intolerable.
Not domestic animal can live on
some of these keys, owing to the winged
nuisances, and man, when he appears
outside the house, must be dressed in
thick canvas cloth and have his hands,
face, and neck carefully swathed in
gloves and wells. On Lost Mans Key,
where few persons engage in banana
and pineapple culture, not even hen
can exist for twenty-four hours, and it is
said that a cat, coon, or 'possum penned
up for the night will be found dead in
the morning. Mr.. Lake, of the island
just mentioned, says that this is a fact
which he can vouch for, and he has not
been able to keep even duck on his
grounds. The worst of these winged
plaques are the mosquitoes, after them
come the sand-dies, deer-aies, red bugs,
ants. Mosquitoes may be seen in such
vast clouds as to obscure the sun some
times, and their buzzing outside door
or window resembles the rushing of
wind through sea cavern. Outside
work is often rendered impossible by
heir numbers, and sleep can be
obtained only under a close netting.
The laborers keep almost exclusively
within the bounds of the cleared lands.
Yet not few of the inhabitants seemed
to be contented with their mode of life
and surroundings. Some keys are
comparatively free from insects during
the winter and occasionally in the au-
tumn, when heavy winds prevail. The
coral-gatherers who work along the
reefs near Dry Tortugas say that their
skin feels sore from the attacks of in
sects if they remain near the land for
few days.-Ne1o York Post.
4 TABLE OF NATIONAL FAME.