Martinsburg gazette. (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1886-1887, 1886-10-30
ia VEGETABLE COW.
Marvellous Yield OF MIX From
q Plsnt ID Mexico.
How Pulque, the National Drink Of the
Mencans, Is Derived From Wesd

e OculkuCA odyc. tttAnt bi0 w eSL6In ne
serve Is to Ohio or the Orange county
dairy region is to New York city, the
plains of Aparn and Otumba arc 70 Mexi-
cos capital with this difference, that
instead Of cows, the 'sAgave Americana''
here known as "maguey'') is MIXED, and
puiaue Is the product. Some idea of the
magnitude Of this singular industry may
be derived from the fact that two special
pulque trains run daily into The city Of
Mexico, with the same regularity that the
mix trains come into our metropolitan
cities, yielding the railroad All average
income Of 81, 900 per diemfor freightage.
The government derives an equal revenue
from the duty alone on pulque brought
from these celebrated Llanos (plains) de
Apam" for it is estimated that more
than three hundred thousand pints Of it
are consumed every day in the capital
city. Maguey--more commonly known
at the North as the century, plants
as much feature Of this country as trees
are Of the United States. All over the
land it flourishes, cultivated with care in
many places, but springing up as weed
in waterlcss deserts, and growing at its
best on the Stony sides Of the mountains.
Every Mexican hacienda raises more 81
less Of it. The mighty plants serve to
mark the boundaries Of lots and lands,
two rows Of them with their gigantic
leaves and bayonet- like thorns, forming
an impenetrable fence. Not only are the
hedge-rows thus probably utilized, but
even sterile lands which rattlesnakes dis
dain to :nhabit will grow maguey, whose
abundance Of juice is the more astonish-
ing since none can tell whence the mann
moth plant derives any moisture. Ihaye
frequently seen an enormous Century"
tree growing out Of bed of rock scarcely
covered by semblance of vegetable
earth, Haunting its cimetar-shaped leaves,
rich and green, from fifteen to twenty
i've feet high. Neither heat nor cold,
.drouth nor deluge affects it; but like the
unfai.ing fountain ii the desert, it. fur
nishes the poorest Indian with beverage
most pleasing to his taste, without money
and without price. The tradition that
the century plant blooms but once in d
hundred years is cutie trsaeg1 and any
number Of centuries might with equal
propriety be added to the statement for
when its natural development has taken
place its destiny is fulfilled and It dies
without loss Of time. It is not often,
however, that one sees the superb flower
upon its colossal stem, for the moment
that the experienced cultivator observes
his plant preparing to bloom he cuts .
deep cavity in its heart and covers it
over with the side leaves, after which al
the juice which nature intended for the
stalk and its flowers runs into the basin
thus formed. During the growth Of the
maguey it throws out shoots, which are
removed from the parent stem in their
second year, when about three feet high.
A shoot ready for planting, which costs
a real twelve and half cents, will
readily sell for from ten to eighteen dol
lars when ready to bloom. The average
age Of apIant when IL first begins to
show signs If bIossoming, and i then
capable Of producing pulque, is fifteen
years. Certain appearances known on y
to the initiated, indicate when the con-