The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1898-04-14
USES OF THE GIANT CACTUS.
The Ugly Plant Highly Valued BY
Mexicans and Indiana
II Produces . Delisious Fruit and
from II the Intoxicating "Tiswin-
IL Obtained - A Desert
Mystery. 4

and southwestern Texas embrace a
region totally unlike any other sec
ton of the United States. This portion
of our country bears evidence Of its
Mexican origin in it's swarthy popula-
ton and its low-built adobe" houses,
while its bleak mountains hiding treas
ures of precious metal and its sandy
deserts, among whose greascwood and
mesquite bushes live the poisonous
;arantula, the venomous rattlesnake
and the singing scorpion, seem but
part and parcel of our sister republic on
the south.
That which strikes the traveller most
forcibly, however, in iourneying
through the sandy wastes, is the won
derful luXuriance of the cactus family
which appears To grow everywhere
the lowly cholla (choy'yah), the reed
like ocalilla (o-kah-lee'- and that
unsghtly giant, the great sahuara
(sah-wah -rah). The dryer the sand
and the hotter the sun the better the
cactus seems to flourish On some
mountain-sides the chollas grow so
thick one cannot pass through them. so
fierce are the sharp spines. of the cholla
balls" Curved at their ends like fish
hooks, these little spipes pierce leather
and fasten upon the skin of the foot,
causing the most intense pain.
Rough and repulsive as these various
kinds of cactus are, however, yet II use
has been found for most Of them. After
treating the stems of some of the small
er varieties, furniture is manufactured
from them-Chairs, tables and other
small articles; the tall graceful stems
of the ocalilla are gathered and woven
into fences, while the weird, uncouth
sahuara is put to a number of Uses
which will require a more detailed de-
scription.
The sahuara, easily the king of the
cactus family. is peculiar to Arizona,
its tluted columnsf with its gaunt, up
ward-growing arms, covering the des-
erts, in some places, like a veritable
forest. 1t is often 90 feet in height and
its heart is a watery pulp protected by
long parallel strips of tough, tibrous
wood reaching from base to top, the
whole covered with a thick. green skin
With successfully TURNS lIlt sun y rays
and prevents the evaporation of the wa
ter within. Where the sahuara gets
this water is a mystery since il grows in
the drycst of places, where rains come,if
they come at all, at almost yearly inter
walls. This water. however, is of no use
to man as many poor prospector has
found to his sorrow. It is astringent
AMI hilton Gnrtinfr only n
thirst.
The Indians of the country -Apachcs,
Pimas. Papagocs, Maricopas use the
straight, flexible poles which form the
skeleton of the sahuara in the CON
Struction Of their huts. Like the
''prickly pear" the giant cactus also
bears a fruit which grows on the very
tipsof the parentstalk and its branches.
This fruit is nearly the size and shape
of Il hens cog. When ripe il is Of
scarlet hue and splits open into four
loL"s, disclosing n pulpy mass about the
consistency of a fig and filled with
minute black seeds. The McNicans and
SndianS are passionatelv fond Of this
fruit and so are the birds. The form
er. if so fortunate as to get ahead of
their feathered rivals, take long poles
and knock the fruit from the top of the
stalk. The Indian squaws dry it and
prepare it into a dish resembling fig
paste.
But there is a use to (which the squaws
put the fruit which is not so commend
able. 1t is pressed in wide, shallow
baskets and the juice collected in pot
terry ollas (o'-yahs), vessels of native
manufacture. The ollas are then
stored in a small room where n re is
kept burning until the appearance Of
white froth on the surface of the liquid
indicates that fermentation has COM
menced. 1t is then strong drink called
"tizwin," for which the Indians show a
deplorable fondness. In former years
the government always expected
trouble from its red proteges in 'tizwin-
time" and extraordinary precautions
were taken to hold the savages in check
during those particular periods.--De
troit Free Press. ri