Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-04-12
THE AGANE I'll INT.
"A Source OF 81; .al.l., t,t..
People OF AicX.cp.
FROM 1t l. Made "A s>ird 81 Iiuunr sud
f"it;ahl" insh u ti~r UA-
Some N"di.ir,i l'rnV-

.rtr.>-
That n.'nrr h..~ -..ru ~ .., ,r~y
:tw blessings - 81 ....
s'il aI,d almost r.,,1. .--.. .....
r"nc'ir ia' ra.. 4sr4' It ..t ..A.
hc>i"w''! -, 80. poor ..'.,,.- .t'. . ......
to get ttc.r .i..nt III tu- '..4 .t:
d"nitco.' IT, a-t>-. .. s., d, .- -..
times ca,.'t. ma t.:.. I..- t.r
'!r'd Al! ~,>t .-.st. .. 90: :..t.-
>un>!.iii" AL. g. s.. ..t ...'r.. -....'
i>j~ AMI ih,A.i,... lr.tt t..f.-t
are fatal and NcA.rY = ~t!lI ....
from a drought ,Aa- la, '.-'-i .~-
four years. says ,hr ~. l.r.. !',:..I.
III" naEury, for l.y ;....' H.....y T. j.
generally called IN H,xic,. Is ,.:..i
i commonly known a. ~ ,,'.'..".
pant in tins country. T:r. .,:r.~
cilc' j. that il i, the real rrl:t.t. f.nt..
while ours is not Ia appearance l. =
much the same as thu c:uruS III
ad"rns many Of our northern glr,;,a~
and p;izzas in the SUMMER. only i j.
larger and cnarsrr Thu leaves r..
qu'ntly grow t. :. .cncth II tn 9,
twelve feet. or cv, i more, and .,..lI
very sharp thorns.
1t takes the m..Turr about seven
years to blossom. v hen it do, bloom
stalk from ten - TWEEN, feet tai
shoots up from the ',.it'r If the cluster
of leaves and pats forth large flowers,
which vary from i Ugh; r,d color To
deep purp.c. Just as it j. about To
Hover the plant ha, r,'l he'd the proper
stage for the use il j, most frequently
put t"-thr making II pulquc pro
nounccd p""l-kcyl.
I" get the puiqnc the leave, and
stalk ar. "a, otP a little above the
ground. and the trunk formed hv the
joining OF the, roots. which is often
foot in diameter, is followed out In
this bowl, as it We're. the sap which
WAS intended to nourish the flower ac-
cumulates and is drawn out every day
Dipping is the commoncst way OF get
ting the sap out OF the hollow, though
suction pumps are sometimes used on
the big plantations now, and the prim-
tive way was to draw it through il
pipe with the mouth and then blow il
into Il handy receptacle.
After it is taken from the plant the
sap must stand twentyfour hours to
the fermentation it spoils. Both French
and American companies have tried
time and again to find some way OF
preserving pulque SO it could be ex-
ported, but as yet none have succeeded.
Pulque is shipped from the planta-
tions in barrels and pigskins, and some
idea of the amount of it that is drunk
can be formed from the fact that forty
car loads OF it are taken to the City of
Mexico alone every morning. All but |
very little of this is consumed the day
it is received, and what is left over
spoils, and is either thrown away or
sold for half price as 'sour pulque."
The 'cantisnas," or barrooms, where
pulque is sold. generally supply that
drink alone. They are very small.
dirty and ill smelling, in which they re.
semble the crowd that hangs around
them. The 'liquor-if it can be called
such-is brought around in barrels, on
carts drawn by solitary and forlorn
looking donkeys, as soon as the pulque
train arrives, and is sold by the greasy
pigskin.
Its taste is similar to mixture OF cod
liver oil and buttermilk that has gone
wrong. 1t is the color of skim milk
and ''strings" like molasses, but is not
30 thick. But when one becomes used
to it, as he does after six or seven
drinks, it is not half SO bad.
Pulque has very gentle but effectual
medicinal properties, and physicians
hare claimed that it will cure Bright's
disease if taken in time. At the "can-
tinas" it is sold in glasses of three
sizes, the largest about the same as
big schooner" and costs one, two and
three cents glass.
Excessive pulque drinking has q stu |
pefying effect, and the idea that it is |
wildly intoxicating is all wrong. In its |
distilled form it is called tequila or mes |
cal and is very fiery. This liquor is sim
liar in appearance to gin and is violent |
ly intoxicating. 1t has been at the bot
tom of many n so-called ''Greaser up
rising"
The plantations on which maguey is
raised for pulque making are often
many acres in extent, and the plants
are set in rows, like corn. After plant
has been tapped" it dies and is pulled
up, a young plant being put in its
place. The maguey grows best in Pc
culiar, sandy soil, and there are several
distinct ''pulque regions"
The leaf of the maguey is not only
edible, but makes very fine dish when
properly treated. The native Mexicans
dig pits and, taking the tenderest
leaves, bake them in holes over a smol-
dcring fire, as charcoal is roasted. When
they are ''just right" they are taken out,
the tough outer covering, which has
hardened into shell, is peeled of, and
the pith is very tender and tastes good
deal like roast corn.
The last use this cactus is put to is
the most remarkable one in a climate
such as Mexico, as ice never forms Of it.
self except on the uninhabitable tops OF
the highest mountains. Mexico City is
supplied by ice factories, but, Of course.
in rural districts ice cannot be obtained
that NAV.