Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-03-02
MEXICAN SUsTENANCE.
A PALATABLE DISH FROM
THE AGAvE PLANT,
II Has Proven Quite q noon ts the Poor
In summer Used as substi-
tutc for Cooling Things.
A Southern Wonder.

southern Wonucr'
That nature has given Mexico very
few blessings TO Offset its dry, sandy
soil and almost rainless climate must
be conceded, but the greatest she has
bestowed ON the poor natives who
have tn get their living oil tho land
is undoubtedly tho agaye, or, rs IL Is
sometimes called, maguey plant
Three hundred and sixty-iive days OF
never-ending sunshine are u great at
traction to tourists and invalids, but
TO tho farmer thoy are fatal, and
Mexico Is still suffering from
drought that has lasted nearly four
years, says the New York Herald.
The maguoy, for by that name IL Is
generally called in Mexico, Is what
is commonly known rs the century
plant in this country, Tho differ
once is that IL " the real century
plant, whilc ours Is not. In appear
ance il Is much the same as the Gao
tus that adorns many of our North
ern gardens and pia2zas in the sum-
mer. only IL Is larger and coarsor.
The leaves frequently grow to u
length OF ten or twelve feet, or eyon
more, and boar worry sharp thorns.
II takes the maguey about seven
years to blossom, When IL docs
bloom u stalk from ten to twonty feet
tall shoots up from the center OF the
cluster Of leaves and puts forth largo
lowers, which vary f,om u bright
red color to u deep purple. just as
II IL about to llowor the plnnt has
reached the proper stage for tho uso
II is most frequently put to-tho
making OF pulque pronounced pool
kay).
To get the pulquo the leaves and
stalk are cut of n little above tho
ground, and the trunk formed by tho
joining Of the roots. which Is often u
foot In diameter, Is followed out. In
this bowl, M IL were, the sap which
was intended to nourish tho Hover
accumulatcs and il drawn out every
day Dipping Is The commonest way
OF getting tho sup out of tho hollow,
, though suction pumps are sometimes
used on big plantations now, and tho
primitive way was TO draw IL through
u pipe with tho mouth and then blow
il into handy receptacle.
After IL il takon from tho plant tho
sap must stand ~ hours TO Torment,
and "a hours after the fermentation II
spoils. Both French and American
companies have tried time and again
To find some way of preserving pulquc
50 IL could bo exported, but as yet
none have succeeded,
Pulque is shipped from the planta-
tions in barrels and plgsllins, and
some idea Of the amount OF IL that Is
drunk can be formed from the fact
that forty car loads arc taken To the
City of Mexico alone every morning,
All but very little OF this IL con-
sumod the day 1t Is received, and what
| Is loft over spoils, and Is thrown away
or Is sold for half price rs "sour
pulque,
Its taste Is similar 10 mixture Of
cod liver oil and buttormills that has
Como wrong. II Is the color Of skim
milk and "strings" like molassos, but
is not so thick, But when one be-
comes used 10 IL, as he does after six
or seven drinks, il Is not half so bad.
Pulque has very gentle but effect
ual medicinal properties, and physi-
clans claim that it will cure Brights
disease IL taken In time At the
"cantinas" II Is sold in glasses OF three
! sizes, and costs one, two and three
cents q glass.
! Excessive pulque drinking has u
Supplying effect, and tho idea that II
Is wildly Intoxicating Is ull wrong. In
It's distilled form IL IL called tequlla
or mescal and Is very fiery. This
liquor is similar In appearance 10 gin
and is violently Intoxicating. II has
been at the bottom Of many O so
called "Greaser uprising"
The plantations on which maguey
il raised for pulque making are often
many acres in extent, and the plants
are set in rows, like corn. After a
| plant has been "tapped"i 1t dies and Is
pulled up, a young plant being put in
its place. Tho maguoy grows best in
peculiar, sandy soil, and there are
several distinct ''pulque regions"
In a country where enc may go
hundreds OF miles without seeing a
rock or tree IL is very convenient for
fencing purposes, and Is largely used
that way. The fiber of its leaves
makes very tough thread or string,
and sometimes coarse paper Is manu-
featured from the roots and leaves.
The leaf OF the maguey is not only
edible, but makes a very fine dish
when properly treated. The native
Mexicans dig pits and, taking the ten
derest leaves, bake them in the holes
over smoldering fire, as charcoal is
roasted. When they are "just right
they are taken out, the tough outer
covering, which is hardened into q
shell, is peeled of, and the pith Is
very tender and tastes q good deal
like roast corn.
The last use this cactus Is put TO IL
the most remarkable one in climate
such as Mexico, as ice never forms
Of itself except upon the uninhabita-
BILE tops of the highest mountains.
Mexico City is supplied by ice facto'
ries, but, of course, in the rural dis
tricts ice cannot be obtained in thai
way.
A wealthy Corporation
He had been standing on the corner
for SO minutes waiting for "a car
4. \ f..