Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-09-08

nature to supply all his SIMPLE wants
its coarse cloth sometimes making
mis- first, last and only garment,
| and it's strong rope tying down his
coffin lid. Even after the plant is
dead it's usefulness is not over, for its
valuable ibers may still be utilized,
and it's leaves pounded into paper
pulp. When well beaten and spun,
| the fiber of the maguey makes q fine
and beautiful thread, glossy as silk
and stronger in texture than linen,
| which latter it much resembles when
| woven. 1t is also manufactured into
various coarser qualities OF cloth,
such as sacking, sailcloth, carpetlng,
etc. The rope made from it is called
manila hemp, and is by far the best IN
| use, of uncommon strength ana eX
cellence, and for cordage is equal, when
pressed, to the best henequln and lute
of Yucatan. Dried maguey leaves cut
| into coarse straws make most OF the
| brooms and whitewash brushes or the
country, an serve as an excellent SUD-
stitute for bristles in scrubblng and
| busting brushes and the small whlsk
| brooms which the common people use
| in lieu of combs. Beautiful fancy
| baskets, money bags, purses, sachels
and thousand other things for use
or ornament are made of maguey
| fbers. Has your horse a spraln, your
donkey bruise, or your cow an all
ment-a maguey leaf pounded and
| bound on the injured part as a poul-
| tice, is considered certain cure. In
fact, SO varied and manifold are the
purposes served by this remarkable
plant that it is impossible to enumer-
ate them all.
The greatest value of the maguey Is
in the vast amount of Intoxicating
| liquors it produces. From that
species of the plant that fourishes best
in the desert portions OF the country
-Mexal-the worst Mexican ''tangle-
| foot" is distilled, from the depressed
| Juice of the leaves; and from the flow
ering maguey-that vegetable wonder
described above-pulque is drawn.
TeGuila brandy is also drawn from
either variety, by an ancient method
! back to the days of the Aztecs, which
consists in ssimply roasting the ma
guey bulbs in hole dug in the ground.
A sweetish LIQUID is extracted from the
cooked bulbs, which, when distilled,
becomes the brandy aforesaid, or un-
distilled may be made into mOlasses
or sugar, fully equal to that from the
Chinese sugar cane. Tequila is as col
orless and almost as tasteless as wa
ter, but one can get more hopelessly
befuddled on smaller quantity OF it
and remain so longer than on any 9th
er known liquor.
The pointed thorns that terminate
the gigantic leaves are strong as nails
and sharp as needles, and to this day,
as in primitive times, they sometimes
serve the Indians for nails, needles and
pins. Montezuma's sanguinary priests
used to pierce their breasts and tear
their limbs with these thorns in acts
of expiation or penance, and upon
cloth made of maguey fiber the ancient
Mexicans painted their early picture
histories and hieroglyphical figures.
But the principal product OF the plant
is and always has been pulque.
According to tradition Toltec In
dian, named Papantzin, was first to
discover (about the year 9OO) that the
| Juice Of the agave Americana might be
distilled into a beverage eft for the
| (Toltec) gods" In order to bring the
new blessing into royal favor he dis
patched his only daughter-whose
name was Nolhitl, which signifies ''the
hower"-as cup-bearer to the king.
The ancient Hebe, we are told, was
young and beautiful and the accom-
modating monarch not only drank
and praised the pulque, but married
the maiden.
Wishing to see for ourselves the
process OF pulque making, we lately
visited the maguey hacienda on the
plains Of Aram. The Tlachiquero.
who is practically chief of botn the
factory and plantation, took US in
tow, and g. comical appearance we
must have presented, sallying forth in
search of information. Leading the
caravan rode the Tlachiquero, his
bronze complexion contrasting we'll
with his white dress, set off by an
enormous sombrero and big leather
apron, while the implements of his
profession dangled all around him.
Betsey and I followed on donkeys, so
diminutive that our feet nearly touched
the ground-our beauty, enhanced by
blue goggles, which long experience in
this sunny country has taught us to
wear on all expeditions. Several poems
brought up the rear, each driving a
donkey laden with pig skins, into which
the aqua miel or crude juice of the
maguey has to be poured. The Tlachi-
quero informed us that hegoes periodi-
cally among his vegetable cows, mark
ing those that have reached the period
of effiorescence, and are therefore
ready for milking" by cutting a cross
upon the topmost leaf. Three times
a day for at least three months the
plant must be milked-at A. M, at
noon, and again at evening. We went
from plant to plant, watching the
process OF inserting the horn and suck
ing the syphon, till ali the great green
"cows" were exhausted, and then re-
paired to the Tinacal, or vat house.
The latter is q long, low adobe shed,
with an earth floor, kept clean as the
deck of a man of war. We entered in
| ca1oy,ov, y,rNnocoiayo 40 oh ,1oo,, WON, NV