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RUBBER PLANTING ON THE 
thickly, will, by its rapid growth and shade, effectually smother all 
weeds, thus serving as a cleansing crop. 
There is another plant which rubber planters might well look into, 
and that is the velvet bean — the Mucuna pruznens (var. utilis). This plant 
comes originally. I think, from Tampa, Florida, and no doubt the Florida 
experiment station could tell all about it. It is said to have even a 
more luxurious growth than the cow pea, and produces a great amount 
of vine, and a large yield of seeds. It covers the ground with so heavy 
a vine that it is reported to have killed temporarily even the cocoa and 
Johnson grasses. 
When one is in a foreign country, and almost ready to start for 
home, and a bit homesick at that, there comes a moment when all deter- 
rents are brushed aside, and one bolts. I had planned several days 
sightseeing, and a stop off on the way, but instead I bolted. I met all 
sorts of nice chaps on the return journey, yet it was a long week that 
elapsed ere I sighted the skyscrapers of New York. Now that I am here, 
I wish somewhat that I had stayed a trifle longer, and I find myself 
yearning again for the open air life, the strange experiences, and the 
glimpses of nature — luxuriant, triumphant. 
Will this wishful attitude draw me back there soon — I wonder ! 
