The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-01

the air for door, through which ingress and
egress demanded an embarrassing display OF
hosiery conveyed us to the spot about five
miles from Monterey. | wish | could make
you see the queer scenes en- route The
giant Saddle mountain-which appears close
at hand, but is i'll reality miles away-over-
shadows us on the right, while the hot fields
on the left are entirely bare, except where
sprinkled with the cane huts, rooted with
Spanish dagger-leaves of the Mexican poor
There are few large trees in this part of
Mexico, and comparatively few OF any kind
except the palm and Spanish dagger The
meadows have no grass worth mentioning,
but produce a variety of beautiful wild
mowers and unlimited cactus. The roadSides
are lined with luxuriant growth of flower
ing bushes-probably planted for hedges
over which the wild clematis climbs in rank
luxuriance, mixed with tall purple hello
trope, mlgnonette, nasturtiums and other
horal favorites, which require careful Guilt
vatlon in our colder climate. Each little
hut-which has only mother earth for floor
and neither stove, bedstead, chair, nor table
among Its furnishings-is surrounded by
fence" of giant maguey (the aloe or cen
fury plant, of whose numerous uses
VIII tell you anon,) or hedge
of roses, and has magnificent oleanders,
red and white shading his door in perpetual
bloom, and usually tall fig-tree and few
banana plants The happy occupant of the
hut does not dream of such thing as
scratching up little of the land that lies
useless all around him and planting a few
cabbages and potatoes Why should he
trouble himself? Tortillas and frioles
(cakes made OF pounded corn mixed with
water and red beans) suit him well enough
for food, and five cents worth will supply
his whole family for a day. If he wants lux
uries, why, there is the never-failing fg-tree
and occasional bananas. If he is rich
enough to own goat his wife makes tiny
cheese now and then-something like
sweitzer kase, not to be eaten until You can
smell it mile-and he is particularly par
tial to curdled milk mixed with his BEANS
What more could reasonable Mexican re-
qulref We meet a constant procession of
donkeys, each with a man or woman sitting
almost upon its tail and carrying the cargo
in front upon primitive sort of saddle, where
the rider would sit in any other country I'M
der the sun. Sometimes a whole family
husband, wife and ENTHUSIASTICALLY
cover diminutive donkey from head to
tail, and anon great packs of merchandise
bulge out upon either side and tower far
above the head of the poor little beast. Be-
hind us the quaint city, whose low adobe
walls are lost at the distance of mile, seems
to sleep the sleep of ages But the great ca
thedral, which represents the over-shadoW-
ing power IN Mexico (that of the Roman
Catholic church, is still a prominent feature
i'll the landscape, and the everlasting hills
SIdHu SudTu upon every Sue. nave not
seen tour-wheeled wagon, nor an omnibus,
nor iron pillow in Mexico. for the import
duty is $40 per wheel. The plows are three
cornered, wooden affairs, exactly like those
used in Egypt centuries ago, if pictures of
the latter are correct. The carts are ponder
GUS vehicles, each with two enormous
wheels of solid wood, which of themselves
are sufficient load for any pair of animals to
draw. These carts are generally propelled
by several lean oxen, hitched up four
abreast, three abreast, tandem or hap-hazard
always with heavy wooden yokes fastened
upon their horns. Their heads are bowed
nearly to the ground by the weight of wood
upon Them and their eyes wear look OF pa
tent suffering ptiable to behold, while the
driver amuses himself by constantly prod
ding them with long pole in the end of
which is small iron spear. Oh, for Bergh
in Mexico! If the theory of transmlgration
of souls be true may heaven preserve us
from a future state of existence" in the
form of oxen or donkeys!
The piloncille factory aforesaid, is a rustic
mill standing in the open field, worked by
one decrepit mule and lazily fed by soil
tary Mexlcan-the only human being, be-
sides ourselves, in sight The caEe-stalks
serve a double purpose, for after having
been squeezed dry in the mill they are thrust
into the furnace for fuel. The sap runs by
rude trough from the mill into large tin
vat, under which is the mud oven dignifed
by the name of furnace. When sufficiently
boiled, the sap is cooled and nodded in tiny
earthen pots, exactly like our small-sized
plant jars, only trihe deeper. Then each
little cake is separately wrapped in dried
leaves of the cane, and is ready for shipping.
The skimmings of the boiling sap are util-
lied for making native Intoxicating bever-
age called aqua miel," (honey water) or
'miel de cana" The sirup of the piloncille
is by no means as pleasant to the taste as our
maple, and much resembles Chinese sorghum.
In all this part of Mexico the orange tree
grows luxuriantly. In Texas where large
quantities of the fruit are shipped, Mexican
oranges are considered superior to those
imported from any other point. Figs are as
plentiful here as the blackberry briars afore-
mentioned in country lanes of New Eng
land, and SO cheap that few
think them worth the picking
To SELL An establishment for drying
packing, and shipping them could not fail
of success. The principal exports from
Monterey are silver and lead from the mount
aims (whose mineral riches are scarcely
guessed(, goat-sk1ns, hides, and a textile FIBER
called in Aztec dialect
IXTLE,
which is extensively used in the United
States in the manufacture of ropes. An end
less quantity of this valuable fiber could be
obtained, if machine were devised for separ-
ating it from the pulp. From time i'm
memorial this has been done in a slow and
tedious manner, by scraping the fiber, leaf
by leaf, with knife. The price of ixtle in
Monterey is 20 per arrobe, or twenty-five
pounds.
In the neighboring State of Coahuila great
quantities of grapes are cultivated, both
purple and wife. Wine of superior uaity
is made-a cross between claret and porte,
and another variety which tastes much like
sherry. When rail facilities are fairly estap-
lShed, no doubt this also will form an i'm
portant item of export-not to mention the
many queer tropical fruits which inquisitive
Pomegranites grow here in great profusion,
and even