FOREST TREES AND PRODUCTS OF THE TROPICS 225 
and is one of the most majestic of trees; for although 
others may rise to a greater height, the mahogany, 
like the oak and cedar, impresses the spectator with 
the strongest feeling of its firmness and longevity. 
In the rich valleys among the mountains of Cuba, and 
those that open upon the Bay of Honduras, the ma- 
hogany grows to such perfection that it is difficult to 
imagine a vegetal production combining in such a 
degree the qualities of elegance, strength, and use- 
fulness. The tree is, in fact, just what one would ex- 
pect of such a wood. If the time ever comes when 
forestry is practised in the great fertile, tropical wil- 
derness to the south of us, this tree and the Cuban 
cedar will deserve first place. 
Many other important tropical forest trees might 
be mentioned; many have yet to be named and tested, 
and many no doubt will have special uses because of 
their peculiarities, which are not known now, but will 
be known some day when physicians discover the 
causes and cures of fevers which at present infest 
these regions to such extent that even exploration, 
not to mention exploitation, is dangerous. 
