The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-10-04
A USEFUL PLANT.

so the legend runs-a Toltec Indian, whose
name was Papantzin, was the first to dis
cover that the juice of the maguey (dqudre
Americano better known to us as aloe or
century plant'') might be distributed into
a beverage fit for the gods. Desiring to
bring this new blessing into royal favor, he
called his only daughter, Xochiti, signify
ing "the flower" and commissioned her as
cup-bearer to the King. This ancient
Hebe, we are told, was young and beauti-
ful, and the monarch not only drank and
praised the pulque, but welded the maiden;
and to this day the beverage of old Pap
antzin, who was no doubt called "Pap" by
dutiful children, is the universal beverage
of the lower classes in Mexico. Maguey
is as much of feature of this country as
trees are of the United States. All over
the land it fourishes, cultivated with care
in many places, growing out of bare rocks
on the mountain sides, and springing up as
weed in waterless deserts. 1t has an in
finite variety of uses, and is to the Mexican
Indian what the reindeer is to the Esqui-
maux or the riceplant to the Chinaman.
C-NI LtAo<AL ZOE Or -h<hNC IAs
1t seems special gift of nature to sup
ply all his simple wants, its coarse cloth
making his first, last and only garment,
and its strong rope tying down his coffin
lid. The fibre of the leaf, beaten and spun,
forms fine and beautiful thread, glossy as
silk in texture, which resembles linen when
woven into fabric. 1t is manufactured
into these coarser cloths, also into paper,
bagging, sail-cloth, sacking, &c. The rope
made from it is called MANILA hemp, and
is of uncommon strength and excellence,
by far the best in use. The fibre yielded
by the maguey leaf, when pressed, is equal
to the best Yucatan heneyquin and jute
for cordage, and its pulp is unsurpassed for
paper-making Cut into coarse straws, it
forms the brooms and whitewash brushes
of the country; and as substitute for
bristles it is made into scrub brooms, dust
ing brushes and the tiny brooms which
take the place of combs among the common
people. Beautiful fancy baskets, money
bags, purses, satchels, and thousand other
| toys, trinkets and ornaments, are woven
from its fibre. Has your horse a sprain,
your donkey a bruise,, maguey leaf
pounded and bound upon the injured mem
Der is certain cure In short, so varied
and manifold are its uses that to enumerate
them all is impossible.
Mexican tradition has it that Paradise
was Mexico in general, and that the ver-
liable Garden of Eden was located in the
Valley of Jalapa, which lies little north
of Vera Cruz, near the Gulf of Mexico
CLOTHING, FOOD AND DRINK.
After Adam and Eve had eaten the for
hidden fruit and bethought themselves of
dressmaking, behold nature supplied the
materials ready to their hands, for in the
maguey was combined cloth, needle and
thread. The pointed thorns which termi-
nate the gigantic leaves are strong as nails
and sharp as needless and to this day, as in
primitive times, they serve for nails, needles
and pins. The ancient sanguinary priests,
inky- haired and adder-annointed, used to
pierce their breasts and tear their limbs
with these thorns in acts of expiation and
penance; and upon paper made of maguey
fibre the early Mexicans painted their pic
ture histories and hieroglyphic figures
At present the greatest value of the maguey
comes from the amount of intoxicating
liquor it produces. Two species of it are
cultivated in the. desert portions of
the country, from which mescal (Mexican
tangle-foot) is distilled from the expressed
juice of the leaves, and the other is the
Towering maguey, that wonder of the veg
etable world, from which pulque is drawn.
In the district of Teyuila only no pulque
is made from it, because there its special
virtues enable the same plant to produce
the brandy named after the district in
which it grows, and which is widely used
throughout the country. Teyuila brandy
is made by an ancient system dating back
to the days of the Aztecs, which consists
simply in roasting the bulbs in furnace
dug in the ground.
THE MEXICAN NATIONAL BEVERAGE.
This gives sweetish liquor, which, when
distilled, yields the favorite intoxicant. 1t
is said that one can get drunker and re-
main so longer on smaller quantity of
teyuila than any other. known liquid, al
though it is colorless as water, and almost
as tasteless. But the principal maguey
product is pulque, of which it is estimated
that the City of Mexico alone consumes
over 100000 pints daily. The Govern
ment derives revenue of 81 900 day in
duties on pulque brought to the capital
from the plains of Apam, and the railroad
which brings it receives an equal amount
for freightage. Next to pulque and tey-
uila, the maguey can be made to yield an
excellent quality of molasses by clarifying
the sweet decoction of the bulb. When
distilled it produces brandy, and undistilled
gar-cane. The tradition that the Towering
maguey or century plant blooms but once
in 100 years is quite true, for-whether its
natural development has taken place, or its
uses are changed to benefit mankind-it
fulfls its destiny and perishes. 1t is not
often that we see the superb flower upon
its colossal stem, for the giant that blooms
is useless beauty. The moment that the
experienced Indian becomes aware that 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.
THE PLANT IN BLOOM.
At the age of ten years maguey begins
to show signs of blossoming, and is then
capable of producing pulque. During its
growth it throws out shoots, which are re-
moved from the parent stem when about
three feet high, or aftel two years growth.
A shoot ready for planting, which costs a
real C124 cents, viii sell from SO to S18
when old enough to cut. In its fifteenth
year there are certain appearances, known
only to the initiated, which indicate that
the central stem, or hrmpe, which sustains
the flower, is about t. form in the centre
of the plant. If the owner is not watching
to cut out the heart at the proper time the
hamna shoots mn with the raniditu Of Jookie