The Florida agriculturist., 1884-10-29
Price: 81 per Annum, Single Copy $ Cents.

| the sweet decoction of the bulb. When
distilled it produces brandy, and undis-
! titled molasses superior to that pressed
I nom sugar cane. The tradition that the
Towering. maguey or century plant bloom
but once in 100 years is quite true, for
whether its natural development has
taken place or its uses are changed to
the benefit of mankind-it fulfi1ls its
destiny and perishes. 1t is not often
tnat we see the superb flower upon its
colossal stem, for the plant that blooms
is a useless beauty. The moment that
the experienced Indian becomes aware
his maguey is about to blossom he cuts
into the heart and covers it over with
the side leaves of the plant, when all the
juice which nature intended for the great
stem OF the flower runs into the basin
| thus formed
AT the age OF 10 years a maguey be-
gins to show signs of blossoming, and is
then capable of producing pulque. Dur
ing its growth it throws out many
shoots, which are removed from the par
ent stem when about three feet high, or
after two years growth. A shoot ready
for planting, which costs a real (12Is
cents, will sell for from $40 to $lS when
old enough to cut. In it's fifteenth year
there are certain appearances, known
only to the initiated, which indicate that
the central stem, or hampe, which sus-
talns the flower, is about to form in the
center OF the plant. If the owner is not
watching to cut out the heart at the
proper time, the hampe shoots up with
the rapidity of Jacks historic beanstalk,
absorbing all the sap which would other
wise make pulque. The sprouting of
the stalk takes place in November or
DppauObAr hut. fho no,.+s oI..ako,,
of flowers does not form on its top till
late in February. In this last month
the monster leaf that envelopes the
hampe, gradually unfolds slender
stalk the height of telegraph pole
(Which it exactly resembles) and it's
crowning flowers are far beyond the
reach of a man on horseback
: The juice of the maguey in its unfer-
t lmented state is called aqua miel-honey
basin--forTned, as above mentioned, by
Topping off the side leaves and cutting
into the heartily a curious process.
Into the end of long gourd cows horn
is inserted, bored at the point
Through this horn and into the gourd
the juice is reached by applying the
mouth to hole on the opposite side OF
the gourd. The basin yields from four
to eight quarts day, according to the
thriftiness of the plant, for period of
three months, after which the plant dies
and is replaced by a new one, which the
provident owner has been raising from
shoots. But even i'll death its usefulness
is not over, for then its valuable fibres
may be utilized and its leaves pounded
into paper pulp. From the gollrd-shell
the juice is emptied into pig-skin,
which still retains the perfect form of
the animal-logs, tail, all intact but the
head. When this unique bottle holds
the honey-water, all that now remains
to make tirst-class pulque of it is to put
into bottle of the same material that
has already been soured, and which acts
like yeast. In two or three hours fer
mentatiOn has taken place, and then the
favorite beverage is ready for drinking
Every Mexican estate cultivates more or
less maguey. The mightyplants answer
for hedges, and mark the boundaries of
lots and lands, two rows-with their EN-
ormous leaves and bayonet-lke thorns-
making an impenetrahle fence
Not only are the hedge rows thus pro-
fitably utilized, but rocky, dry lands,
which even the rattlesnakes disdain to
inhabit, will grow maguey, yielding an
abundance ot.juice, the more astonishing
since none can tell whence it derives any
lnOlSIllre. frequently Out OF q DeQ OF
rock, scarcely covered by semblance of
vegetable earth, the imposing plant is
seen raising its simertas-shaped leaves,
rich and green, from 10 to 20 feet high.
Neither heat nor cold, drouth nor inun-
dations affect it, but, like the unfailing
fountains in the desert, it furnishes the
poorest Indian with the beverage most
pleasing to his taste without money and
without grice. Very little pulque is sold
at wholesale, as all, Mexican estates
which make business of cultivating
maguey maintain shops in towns, from
which the liquid product is sold by glass
or gallon. A certain arstocrat of the
city who rides in his carriage and is reck-
oned among the magnates of the land,
has five OF these pulque shops, from
which he is said to derive a revenue of
about $4,000 per annum. On a thou
sand acres of land (Which is considered
small farm in this country million
plants ofall ages may be fourishing, of
which, say 100000 will be maturing
plants from to 6years old $4,000 will
yield pulque annually, 1000 of them pro-
ducing daily average of $500 gallons,
worth on the spot from to 8 cents per
gallon-a neat little income. s iife E
- f5 1f
To be happy we must de true to ma
II Aaa.