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flower plant. The wood is soft. I cut clown a trunk 22 inches 

 in circumference with a machete to get the flowers. This forest, 

 to me, seemed like a tropical rain forest, but Chapin considered it 

 as really xerophytic. Two extremely hot and dry days confirmed 

 his opinion ; ferns, orchids, and vines began to curl under the influ- 

 ence of the drought. 



The plantation emerged suddenly at 700 feet. In contrast to 

 the region which we had traversed, where lava was everywhere, 



Fig. 11. The brackish lagoon at Academy Bay. Cactus trees (Opimtia) 

 are the dominant feature of the landscape. 



here only the richest of black soil was to be seen. Bananas, pa- 

 payas, sugar cane, squashes, and coffee were growing luxtu-iantly. 

 The origin of such a soil is not satisfactorily explained, but I 

 incline toward the belief that it is formed by humus carried down 

 from the steep slopes by rains during the wet season. The banana 

 crop was far more than could be utilized ; scores of bunches of ripe 

 bananas lay rotting on the grotuid. Fruit flies (Drosoplilla) ap- 

 peared in millions. 



Roosevelt, Hay, and Cutting, with the help of one of the sur- 

 vivors of the Norwegian colony, started off up the mountain on 



