﻿1-10 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  David 
  Fairchild 
  

  

  A 
  GIANT 
  LIZARD, 
  OR 
  IGUANA, 
  OF 
  TABOGA, 
  AN 
  

   ANTEDILUVIAN 
  REPTILE 
  

  

  The 
  brilliant 
  colors 
  and 
  the 
  curious 
  flopping 
  horns 
  

   ri 
  long 
  its 
  spine 
  make 
  you 
  sure 
  that 
  this 
  creature 
  is 
  a 
  

   left-over 
  from 
  the 
  Age 
  of 
  Reptiles 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  142). 
  

  

  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  dangerous 
  spots 
  in 
  the 
  

   world. 
  

  

  THE 
  FEVER-BEARING 
  MOSQUITO 
  IS 
  

   VANQUISHED 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  a 
  curious 
  thrill 
  of 
  pleasure 
  in 
  

   being 
  near 
  this 
  spot 
  and 
  feeling 
  safe, 
  safe 
  

   from 
  that 
  microscopic 
  enemy 
  which 
  when 
  

   1 
  crossed 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  before 
  was 
  wholly 
  

   unidentified, 
  unknown, 
  but 
  which 
  now, 
  

   through 
  the 
  investigations 
  and 
  activities 
  

   of 
  personal 
  friends 
  of 
  mine, 
  whose 
  early 
  

   plans 
  and 
  dreams 
  I 
  heard 
  them 
  talk 
  about, 
  

  

  is 
  known 
  and 
  whose 
  ways 
  are 
  

   understood. 
  To 
  those 
  like 
  L. 
  Q. 
  

   Howard 
  and 
  Theobald 
  Smith, 
  

   whose 
  scientific 
  curiosity 
  led 
  them 
  

   into 
  this 
  field 
  of 
  discovery, 
  should 
  

   go 
  quite 
  as 
  much 
  of 
  credit 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  inventors 
  and 
  organizers 
  like 
  

   Gen. 
  Gorgas, 
  who 
  mastered 
  the 
  

   mechanics 
  of 
  mosquito 
  destruc- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  I 
  do 
  not 
  mean 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  im- 
  

   pression 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  fever 
  

   left 
  on 
  the 
  Chagres, 
  for 
  there 
  is 
  ; 
  

   but 
  if 
  one 
  keeps 
  behind 
  well-built 
  

   screens 
  after 
  sundown 
  and 
  before 
  

   sunrise, 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  Dr. 
  

   Zetek, 
  is 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  fe- 
  

   male 
  anopheles 
  fly, 
  the 
  danger 
  

   here 
  is 
  insignificant 
  — 
  no 
  greater, 
  

   perhaps, 
  than 
  danger 
  from 
  colds 
  

   in 
  northern 
  climates. 
  

  

  GRASS 
  PROBLEM 
  APPALS 
  THE 
  

   PLANTER 
  

  

  A 
  Florida 
  orange-grower 
  would 
  

   turn 
  gray 
  if 
  he 
  had 
  confronting 
  

   him 
  the 
  problems 
  which 
  face 
  any 
  

   one 
  who 
  attempts 
  to 
  grow 
  fruit 
  

   in 
  Panama. 
  

  

  The 
  grass 
  problem 
  alone 
  is 
  

   enough 
  to 
  stagger 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  

   the 
  bravest 
  planter. 
  Think 
  of 
  

   your 
  own 
  vegetable 
  garden 
  in 
  

   midsummer, 
  when 
  the 
  days 
  are 
  

   steaming 
  hot 
  and 
  the 
  weeds 
  are 
  

   growing 
  about 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  you 
  can 
  

   pull 
  them 
  out; 
  project 
  these 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  indefinitely, 
  for 
  there 
  is 
  

   never 
  any 
  winter 
  to 
  check 
  them, 
  

   and 
  you 
  will 
  get 
  the 
  endless 
  vista 
  

   of 
  weeding 
  which 
  confronts 
  the 
  

   tropical 
  planter. 
  

  

  Grass 
  is 
  certainly 
  the 
  curse 
  of 
  

   agriculture 
  in 
  the 
  rainy 
  tropics, 
  

   and 
  he 
  who 
  imagines 
  tractor-work 
  or 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  tools 
  of 
  our 
  

   northern 
  agriculture 
  in 
  use 
  on 
  tropical 
  

   farms 
  should 
  never 
  lose 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  grass. 
  

   There 
  is 
  really 
  nothing 
  so 
  hopeless- 
  

   looking 
  to 
  a 
  northern 
  fruit-grower 
  as 
  1 
  a 
  

   little 
  orchard 
  in 
  a 
  clearing 
  in 
  a 
  tropical 
  

   jungle. 
  The 
  great 
  forest 
  insists 
  on 
  taking 
  

   back 
  the 
  little 
  clearing 
  to 
  itself, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   one 
  continual 
  fight 
  with 
  a 
  machete 
  to 
  keep 
  

   it 
  from 
  doing 
  so. 
  

  

  When 
  I 
  was 
  shown 
  what 
  looked 
  from 
  

   the 
  deck 
  of 
  a 
  launch 
  like 
  virgin 
  forest, 
  

  

  