Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-05-15
The Century Plant.

/
New York Observer,
Some years ago, read statement in d
New York paper that only four century
! plants had ever bloomed in the United
States. suspect that it is not everywhere
known that this singular plant is a spon-
taneous growth of considerable region
in Southwestern Texas, between the Nu-
eces and Rio Grande rivers. There NAV
be seen the century plant in all of its
| phases, from the little sprout that starts
| from the base of its mother plant to those
which hold aloft their great clusters of
white wax flowers. Then, here and
there, like lonely sentinels, stand the old
| dry trunks of those which have bloomed
| in former years, while scattered around
| lie those that have fallen from the decay
| of age. ti
My best Information is that the century
plant, when confined to the narrow quar-
ters of greenhouse pot, and the unnat-
| ural atmosphere of Northern eonserva-
| tory, requires an age of from seventy to
one hundred and twenty years to pro-
dUce its blooms. But when it has its
| roots spread freely out in warm South
| ern soil, and receives the full force of a
hot Southern sun, it will bloom in from
| twelve to fifteen years. People from
Mexico tell me that in some parts of that
country it win bloom in from four to six
years. As soon as its seeds are ripe the
plant has reached its complete maturity
and dies.
have plant in my yard which is now
| seven years old. 1t stands about eight
/ feet high, is about ten feet from tip to
tip of the leaves, that 1 think would weigh
| a hundred pounds. From this plant 1
have raised plants so abundantly that,
besides what 1 have sold to my nursery
customers and given away, yet have
border about one hundred and twenty
five yards long, and expect to plant de-
fensiye hedge this season about two hun
dred yards in length.
1t grows in any soil. No situation is
too dry for it. 1t will flourish in the dry
est chalk hills as well as in rich alluvial
soil. 1t not only defies drought, but glo-
ries in the hottest sunshine of our cli-
mate, and, in fact, is hardy against eY-
erything but cold. A plant may lie with
its roots exposed TO oar August sun with
out drop of rain, and then grow rankly
if planted. -. ..-.....
/ The century plant is known as the aq-
Gve in the Conservatives of the North and
East, We here call 1t by its Mexican
name, nldgstey pronounced nad-gay). The
fibre of the leaf is made into ropes. and
the Mexicans sometimes use it as shoe
thread. From the sapis made the nauscal,
a substitute for wine all over Mexico; al
so distilled spirits in large quantities are
made from the maguey, or century plant.
G.. ONDERDoNK.
Mission Valley, Victoria Co., Texas.
.l4
An nIndi3n story OF Clusters Death.
Sitting Bull is on the American side of
the line, on Tunerman's Greek. His
camp is greatly split up, and he has now
only few lodges with him-the great
scarcity offuel in this region necessita-
ting his removal. as the timber here,
which was very scarce, is about cOnsum-
ed. He must either be on the American
side, or come into the mountains and
starve, as the buffalo are all on the
: American side.
Black Moon, with about 200 lodges, is
t camped near the Wood Mountains Fort.
An Indian account of the death. of Gus
. ter win not, Think, prove uninterest-
' ing. The Indians say that, after the gen
' eral stampede, Custer tried to rally his
men around him. He waved his pistol in
!. the air, and shot it off twice to attract his
: men. Two or three gathered around
!, him; but as the Indians still continued
: to advance, one of the soldier tried to run
, away, Custer fired at and killed him, and
5 then, seeing the case quite hopeless, the
t Indians gathering around from all parts,
: he turned his. revolver on himself, pre-
: ferrine to die by his own hand, The Ind
S ians say that they think this person was
= Custer, as he was chief; bnt they are
], not certain of the fact. Rain-in-the~
e Face took a soldier prisoner; but he was
C not allowed to live long, as he was killed
S at a dance that followed the fight. The
o Indians here all agree on one thing; that
: the number of Indians killed in the fight
p was thirty-six; they give their names.
= Communication is still kept up between
the Indians here and those at the lower
Agencies. The news of the Cheyenne
q outbreak was here in a very short time.
) / am satisfied, from what have seen
d of the Sioux here, that their return to
a the Agencies will not be at a very early
: date. The Indians say that if the ouuaio
l. fails, they win go north to the lakes ana
i