The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-04-08
CRUDE INTOXICANTS.
THE MANUFACTURE OF sTIMULANTs
BY ABORlGlNES.

Fermented and Distilled Liquors With
Which the Unclvilized Natives of Differ
ent Parts of the World Produce Drunk"
Learning From the White Man.
1t is a remarkable fact that up to the |
time of the coming of the whites the
North American Indians generally had |
no knowledge of intoxicants. As for to-
bacco, they did not smoke it as we do
apparently. but merely for ceremonial
purposes. Going southwark into Mexico
in those days, however, the traveller
might have found alcoholic stimulants
in common use. Even at the present
time the natives in that part of the
world make an ODD sort OF beer out OF
corn. They wet wooden blanket, lay it
in the sun and spread whole grains Of
maize upon it, The grains terminate,
sprouting and sending out rootlets
through the texture of the blanket,
which is kept moist. They are then
parohed and ground to coarse meal
To this meal little yeast, made by
chewing some corn and allowing 1t to
ferment, is added Then the stuff is
mixed with water and put away in jars.
Fermentation follows, and as it dimin
ishes the liquor becomes as clear as yell
low amber, in which condition it is
drunk. 1t is quite Intoxicating.
Several varieties of grasses, herbs and
flowers, tho roots Of sundry plants, the
juices of the sugar cane and aloe, and
even beets, are used by various tribes
and peoples as q basis of drinks. In
earlier times spruce trees, fir trees,
birch trees and ash trees were tapped for
their sap, which was fermented to make
stimulating beverages. The willow,
poplar, sycamore and walnut are said to
yield palatable drinks, The Japanese OBJ
tain Intoxicating beverages from plums
and from the flowers of the motherwort
and peach. The Chinese actually pro-
duce an alcoholic drink from mutton.
The Abnaki Indians of New England
used to manufacture kind of liquor
from the tops of fir trees, which they
boiled and put into casks with molasses
The contents of the casks were allowed
to ferment for three days.
The Eskimos were entirely unacquaint-
ed with the art of getting drunk until
they came into contact with the whites.
Travellers have observed that they drink
extraordinary quantities of water when
they can procure it. That is not always
so easy i'll latitude where the normal
condition of water is that of solid. In
winter one of the most important occu-
pations of the women is the thawing of
snow to get water. The snow is cut in
to very thin slices as preparation for
the thawing process, and it is fetched to
the hut from a considerable distance in
order that it may be perfectly clean.
The Eskimo greatly dislikes water that
is many degrees above the freezing
point
The Chilcat Indians of southern Alas
ka distill fearful beverage called
"hootchenoo - The process adopted was
probably suggested to them by United
States soldiers originally. Molasses or
vegetables Of any sort, made into a
"mash, are employed as raw ma
terial. The mash is put into large tin
can, which is connected with another
tin can by tube CT the hollow stem of
the giant kelp This tube is buried in
snow A fro is built under the can that
contains tho mash, and the alcohol passes
over into the other vessel. The liquor
thus distilled is drunk fresh and pro-
ducos temporary insanity.
The aborigines of Mexico and farther
to the south were acquainted only with
fermented intoxicants up to the time
when they learned from the whites the
principle of the still. AT present, how
ever, this contrivance Of civilization is
in general use among savages on this
continent The Apaches Of southern
Arizona make whisky from the sap Of
small species of cactus. They cut out
the hearts Of the plants, resembling lit
tie cabbages and in the cup shaped re-
ceptacles left behind the sap accumu
lates. From this sap they distill the
famous "mescal," which drives those
who drink it to sheer madness. Many
spirituous drinks arc made from the
banana. Banana wine is obtained by
pressing tho fruit through sieve, after
which it is made into cakes, dried in
the sun and dissolved in water when
wanted for use
On the west coast of Africa it is
common thing to SEQ a bare legged wom-
an climbing up gigantic palm tree,
with calabash of immense size hung
round her neck. When she has reached
the top branch, she taps the tree, and the
sap begins to flow. Then she hangs the
calabash beneath the stream of sap and
descends. Twelve hours later she climbs
the treo again and takes down the Gala
bash, which by that time is full of palm
beer. 1t resembles mead somewhat, but q
small quantity Of it stupefles the drink
or. African natives universally know
how to prepare drunk producing liquors
from such simple materials as the tops
OF broom corn, sugar cane juice and CO.
coanut milk.
All over eastern Asia is consumed q
drink known as "arrack. The best OF
it is distilled from the unexpanded
flowers Of certain varieties OF palm. A
vile kind Of arrack is made from impure
molasses that is left over as refuse in
the manufacture of raw sugar. 1t makes
the drinker crazy, and under the influ-
ence of it whole parties of Malays some
times "run amuck' together, the sport
only concluding with the death of all
participants, as we'll as tho destruction
Of numbers Of innocent people. This is
favorite Malay plan Of committing
suicide. A man makes up his mind that
he wants to die, and SO he fills himself
up with arrack and starts to run amuck,
stabbing every one that comes in his
way until he himself is slain. st. Louis
Globe Democrat.
-~------=-----------------
Blotting paper is wholly unsized, the
lack of sizing enabling it to take up and
retain the ink of the writing on which
ID is laid
,rx.x a..oaa,f,,t Apa