The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1914-10-10

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of the remaining stump is followed
out to form a basin as wide as wash
bowl and from one to two feet deep.
Into this basin flows the sap that ma
ture intended should give life and
beauty to the flowers.
The tlachiquero thrusts one end Of
his gourd pipette into the liquid, now
called aguamiel, or honey-water. With
his mouth he draws on the other end
and the hOney-water is sucked into the
gourd. Then it is emptied into the
pigskin. which the harvester carries
slung across his shoulders.
The aguamiel is pleasantly sweet.
golden in color, and not disagreeable
to the smell Two or three times a
day the liquid must be drawn Off. The
average maguey will yield from ten to
fifteen pints daily for two or three
months; and then it dies.
From plant to plant the harvester
goes until the pigskin is filled. Then,
with much grunting, he shifts the
bullying pigskin to an easier position,
and, with the four pig-legs stuck out
In ludicrous positions, the Mexican
shuff1es away to where his mule waits
with two stone jars or tin cans slung
across his back. He empties the pig
skin into the cans and when they are
full he takes the mule and it's burden
Of aguamiel to the fermenting room
There the honey-water is emptied
into watts. A portion of the sap has al
ready been gathered and allowed to
ferment for about ten days. 1t is now
called madre-pulque, and is used as a
yeast to hasten the fermentation of the
fresh sap.
A little of the mother-pulQue is add
ed to the sweet aguamiel. Fermenta-
ton begins almost instantly and goes
on rapidly. In "a hours the honey-wa-
ter is converted into finished pulque,
ready for the market.
The finished pulque is whitish in
color, but otherwise is unlike anything
else under the sun. 1t has a taste and
odor decidedly its own. The taste, to
the Americans. is indescribable, but
reminds one of spoiled buttermilk,
only sweeter. The odor Is very much
like that of ancient eggs.
The Mexicans claim that pulque is
good for the stomach, and they gulp
down great quantities with gusto.
Americans do not readily learn to like
it. By holding ones nostrils very tight
ly closed. it Is possible to get some
Of the stuff down; but quite often,
when the nostrils are released. the
pulque comes back up.
The finished pulque Is quickly run
into large casks and loaded on to
trains. There are number OF long
trains. carrying nothing but pulque,
that wind their way out Of the maguey
plantations each morning and hasten
into the City Of Mexico. where the
liquor is quickly transferred to the pull
Querias.
These pulquerias are not at all Diff
cult to find. Over the front door there
Is usually strung q lot of varicolored
tissue paper, reminding one Of carni-
val days back in the states Where the
tissue paper is missing. the odor of
the pulque serves as an unfailing
guide.
And. after all. pulque may be said to
be the drink Of the masses. Its cheap
ness makes 1t so. You can lean out of
the car window in almost any city or
village in central Mexico and buy q
drink of pulque for a penny. From
three to five cents will buy a quart.
The bottled pulque, which is said to be
really excellent and has occasionally
been Endorsed by physicians, costs a
trifle more.
At times the Mexican desires a
stronger drink than pulque. Then he
may drink teQuila, also made from the
maguey. but OF different variety.
This is fiery liquor that is distilled
from the roots Of the plant. In the
state OF Jaliseo, on the slopes Of the
mountain called Ell Cerro de ToQuila,