The Plant World 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF POPULAR BOTANY. 



VoL IV. FEBRUARY, 1901. No. 2. 



DEFORESTED CUBA. 

 By William Palmee. 



THE visitor to western Cuba who lias an opportunity to visit the 

 country in the neighborhood of Havana and other large cities, 

 must be greatly impressed with the absence of large trees, and 

 especially of well wooded districts. The general openness of the region 

 is rather disappointing, and this feeling is intensified by long rides 

 upon the railways leading out of Havana. 



Cuba was originally a somewhat densely wooded island, T^dtli prob- 

 ably little if any barren, desert-like areas. In this land of no frost, the 

 cooking is performed entirely with the aid of charcoal. Thus the tracts 

 adjacent to the earliest settlements were the first to be draT^^l upon for 

 this most useful fuel. The gromng importance of the island in the 

 production of tobacco and sugar also hastened the deforesting. Yet 

 another factor is the custom of the Cubans, during the winter months 

 or the dry season, to burn off the grass in order to compel a tender 

 young growth for the cattle and horses. Vast areas are thus irregu- 

 larly burned yearly and always wantonly. The summer groA\^h on the 

 uplands is usually dense and composed largely of grasses which are 

 worthless for grazing purposes. Cubans are always well supplied with 

 matches for the indispensable cigar or cigarette, and it is an easy mat- 

 ter while they are passing from one point to another, to start several 

 fires. As no care whatever is given to forest growth, and the fires have 

 been repeated annually for generations, the result has been that seed- 

 lings and young trees have no chance to develop to a large size. 



Another result, appreciated by the few thinking Cnbans, is that 

 these repeated fires have burned out the soil, so that in the pine moun- 



