Chapter III: Book THREE: Tropical Growth

I Of the enthusiasm of all growing things in Florida--of paw-paws and prospectuses and perfect thirty-fours--of fiends in human shape--and of the watchfulness of the natives for insults 125

II Of hotel rates--of mosquitoes--and of the outcry against the Shipping Board for daring to mention Europe 130

III Of palm trees--of varieties of fish--and of fruit and liars and Baron Munchausen 134

IV Of Miami and of tropical growth--of the growing of a shingle into a bungalow--of the population of Miami in 1980--and of the pronunciation of Miami 137

V Of real-estate dealers--of the large handsome salesmen--of noisy auctions--of absolute and unabsolute auctions--and of prices for every pocketbook 143

VI Of subdivisions, wise and otherwise--of landscape atrocities--of small farms and farmers--and of fascinating strawberry and tomato statistics 150

VII Of the suspicious stories concerning the mango--of the pet mango of the Miamians--and of its superiority to other things 156

VIII Of the Everglades and of the two seasons obtaining in that damp locality--and of grass, fancy and otherwise 161

IX Of the old Miami and the new Miami--of differences between Miami Beach and Palm Beach--of the scenic possibilities in floating coconuts and the activities of John S. Collins 165

X Of the arrival of Carl Fisher in Miami--of Fisher’s feverish imagination and violent dreams--of the despair of Fisher’s friends--and of the evolution of a jungle 172

XI Of expensive expenses and heated ice-rinks--of lily on lily that o’erlace the sea--and of the boneheadedness of most of the human race 178

XII Of one-piece and two-fifths-piece bathing suits--of the Honorable William Jennings Bryan and his activities--of bootleggers--of the sanctimonious Haig and Haig boys--and of rum in general 183

XIII Of Florida fishing--of the tigerish barracuda and the surprised-looking dolphin--of the unconventional habits of the whip-ray and the varying estimates of Cap’n Charley Thompson--and of the conservative raving of the Miami prospectuses 191