A Sojourn in Cuba 
armed and united plants of the tropics hold their 
rightful kingdom plantfully, nor, since the first 
appearance of Lord Man, have they ever suf- 
fered defeat. 
A large number of Cuba’s wild plants circle 
closely about Havana. In five minutes’ walk 
from the wharf I could reach the undisturbed 
settlements of Nature. The field of the greater 
portion of my rambling researches was a strip 
of rocky common, silent and unfrequented by 
anybody save an occasional beggar at Nature’s 
door asking a few roots and seeds. This natu- 
ral strip extended ten miles along the coast 
northward, with but few large-sized trees and 
bushes, but rich in magnificent vines, cacti- 
composites, leguminous plants, grasses, etc. 
The wild flowers of this seaside field are a 
happy band, closely joined in splendid array. 
The trees shine with blossoms and with light 
reflected from the leaves. The individuality 
of the vines is lost in trackless, interlacing, 
twisting, overheaping union. 
Our American “South” is rich in flowery 
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