The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-08-18

patches of water and patches OF saw
grass. The depth Of theswater varies
from one and onehah to four feet,,
and the soil is OF very light, soupy
nature, composed of rotten vegetation.
The soil is ten feet deep In places,
and would mot bear the weight or :.
duck. ~ -
The Big Everglades.
West Of these clumps lie the Dig
Everglades sawgrass, extending from
Lake Okeechobee down to AN Indian
trail that lies between Forts Shackle-
ford and Lauderdale The big saw
grass Is wider ON the shore OF Okee-
chobee, and gradually narrows to its
south end. At the time he was there
the depth of water on the big saw
grass did not exceed fifteen inches,
but in dry times lit is dry enough TO
walk upon.
About the center of this big saw.
grass is bonnet slough known as
Booker Lake. This lake is a long
narrow alligator run, about nine miles
in width, surrounded on all sides by
light sawgrass.
The heaviest sawgrass lies east
ward Of this lake and up to the bor-
ders of Lake Okeechobee. The sur
face of the sawgrass. is higher the
nearer 1t gets to the lake and is low
er the further from the lake.
Character Of Soil.
The Sawgrass, where it is ON fire,
makes a clean burn to the water. THIS
sawgrass is of low, scrubby nature
and does not seem to grow from a
very rich soil, nor does 1t have the ap
pearance of the sawgrass that grows
in the marshes in the upper portions
of the Kissimmee valley.
The soil of this SawgraSs. as deep
as he could get any up with a long
handled spade, was of a yellow, light
vegetable matter, very spongy and very
light. You could take up a handful OF
| it, let it dry, mash it, and mold 1t up
in the air, and the wind would blow
it away:
The Muck Lands.
The muck varies in depth from this
Indian trail towards Lake Okeechobee
beginning at one foot in depth and
ranging up as far as he could examine
it. northward toward Lake Okeecho-
bee, to about five feet in depth to the
solid rock.
He had tested this rock with an
iron rod. This rod was twelve feet
long and three-eighths of an inch
thick, and he had dropped it through
this soil and heard it ring ON the
rock.
This soil is so light it will not bear
the weight of this rod, which weighs
four pounds, even in the deepest part
II this muck is drained fire will des-
troy it, and it will burn to this rock il
ever fire gets into it.
Drainage is Disastrous.
He cultivated hand ON Lake Hart.
and has had experience for eight
years His experience had been, IN
all muck lands that he had seen. that
If it is dry and fire gets into it, it will
go to the sand before III stops, and Is
very difficult to put out, impossible,
in fact, without irrigation.
The fire will get under the soil and
will leave a bed of ashes ON top This
will hold the water back until the heat
and fire dries the water out, and the
fire burns right on as the muck ashes
are very hard to wet. This muck
| WHCui bOc ClStShS Ill dhu
as the. water sweeps. through it goes
right on to the sand, and the fire
burns right on.
These cracks make draught for
the flame and when the fire strikes ii
it blazes up.
Its Agricultural Value.
4 In witness opinion the agricultural
value of the lamb is not worth one dol.
lar per acre. He judged this from
other muck lands and soils he had
tested and examihed, and the growth
that was on these muck lands and the
growth that was on the Everglades, is
what he judged ON. Other similar
muck lands do mot have a rich GROWTH
and sawgrass is worthless when drain.
ed.
These Everglades have nothing ON
them but sawgrass. The muck lands
he had tested will grow crops better
wet than dry, as they need a certain
amount of water, and it will not do to
let them get too dry.
He thought from observation OF
the soil that ut would have to shrink
three or four feet to make soil sufh.
cient to grow crops on.
| Will Ruin Timber.
From reliable information from
hunters that have traversed the Ever.
glades, the remaining portion of the
gladeS contains rock southwark from
the Indian trail. ranging from one foot
to nothing, and all covered with wa
ter. In it are broken patches of saw
grass, the soil of which is very shall
low, and of the same character as in
the upper Everglades. The water
flows south
The aiming of the cypress lands
generally in south Florida, with the
experience I have had, is that fires in
cypress timber is destruction to all
timber, and the taking away OF the
water will kill the timber. Right
around the country where | have lived
have seen, in the cypress swamps
both the timber killed from lack OF
water. and by the fire which gets into
hn mn nd @hn hn1