Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-11-23

Cactus stellaris, but according to American botanists isclassed amongst mammillariae, is a pretty little bit of vegetation mostly found on rocky hills, where it hides its beautiful purple flowers modestly between some stones. It frequently grows in groups and on account of its countless white thorns, which hide completely the pale green of the plant proper, is called by the Mexicans "Cabeza de viejo" (Old mans head) They use 1t quite extensively against infamed eyes and earache, by heating 1t first and then applying the still warm juice locally.
 Of the Opuntia Prickly peaD l will only say, that l have seen 1t used in the French colonies of Northern Africa, where it is known under the name of of tigue de Barbarie, as a poultice against unframed limbs Of horses. It is too we'll known to require descrip- ton here, but think that it's pulp, which contains great deal of mucila- genous matter, will sooner or later be made use of in various manufactures It's fruit is quite palatable.
 The Agave mexicana, (Americap Aloe) has been called the Century plant, because it was enormously sup posed that it bloomed but once in each one hundred years. Those who have only seen it growing wild in great pro fusion on our foot hills and mesa lands would be 9stopished indeed, were they to look upon the vast fields ofthis same Aloe in several States of Mexico where it is cultivated to great and steadily growing extent. Many know that a fiery liquid is distilled from it which comes upon the market as mescal but before the process of distillation 1t has to go through 8 state ip winch it forms 2 healthy, Ralatable and nutritious
 article of food, which contains much
 sugar, by simply cutting off the fieshy
 leaves around the plant, leaving some
 thing like a cabbage head, which is
 throughly roasted in underground
 ovens. Where the Alec $ carefully
 cultivated It's leaves reach a length oi
 3 to 10 feet and their flores, which ar{
 very tough and strong, are manufae-
 tured, (e1en by the YaQui Indians witt
 their primitive tQols( into all sorts O.
 mating, hammocks, cordage etc.
 while the pulp produces under tht
 treatment of adequate machinery
 an excellent kind of paper ex tensively in use in the republic of Mex ico. '| Inh&bitants of this Territory will al : most daily meet with Indians peddlins } the Amole (Mexicaa and Papago commonly called here soap weed; thi , is the Yucca Palmeri and produces l cleansing substance of such qualit, t that manufactures have already beal ? established Qately n New Mexico 5 which furnish an article second l. | none. '-'''
 Tie beauties of Cacti blossoms hay 9 been quite lately and extensively dwel g upon by able writers; therefore wha e could l say moreH what more tha r Thompson says in his immortal lines & "Who can paint
 Like Nature? Can imagination boast, 5 Amid its gay creation, hues like hers? s GOT can 1t mix them with that mstchless ski l And lose them in each other, as appears u "In every bud that blows%
 |, But besides the Cactaceae, which l7 shave mentioned first on account { e their profuseness there are numberIe, Z, Yuccas of which one Q is called ti l. glorious bs tzeiiiz . es31 silpports ,. Sslnster of s1 S||' s3a -n-~