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

legiance as did the an
cient Toltec nearly a
thousand years ago. From the Plains
of Apam and other pulque-producing
districts adjacent, over one hundred
carloads of this alleged divine liquor
are rushed each day to the pulquerias
of the City of Mexico to satisfy the
thirst of the natives, who spend to-
tai of more than $4,000 day for the
beverage.
Daily trips are necessary because
pulque will not keep any length or
time. In "a hours it loses every trace
of its former divinity and becomes
nauseating mess that smells to hlgn
heaven.
PuIque Is a fermented liquor con-
tanning about per cent alcohol. IL
is made from the cap of certain kinds
of maguey. In the United States we
call it the Century plant" because
Of the saying that it blooms only once
In q hundred years. In Mexico, how
ever, the pulque-producing maguey
comes to full maturity in from seven
to ten years. The growing of ma
guey for the manufacture Of pulque
Is one of the most important and
profitable industries In Mexico.
The maguey is a variety OF cac-
tus, OF which 33 kinds are given
the general name Of maguey. They
thrive on the Mexican plateau, and, II
We except cigarettes, represent about
ALI that the average Mexican cares
for In life.
Into a maguey field he may go hun
cry and naked. From the edges OF
the leaves he can procure a thorn
like needle, to which is attached a
strong thread; while from the leaf
itself he gets the material to make
the cloth for suit Of clothes. He
builds a house and shingles it with
the dried leaves. The fiber of the
leaves he twists into ropes and the
ropes into mats for making beds and
chairs. He builds fire with the
dried stalks and cooks the dried roots
for food. What he does not need he
sells to the vinegar factory. or the mo-
lasses mill, or the paper works. for
many pesos. which enable him to
marry. Then, having clothed him.
self and built and furnished house
and satisfied his hunger and filed his
pockets with money and married a
wife, he takes the sap which has col
lected in the stump Of his old ma
guey. ferments it into pulQue, and pro-
ceeds to celebrate his prosperity by
getting gloriously drunk!
What more could sinful mortal ask
And the Mexican may have all that
from the humble maguey.
On the Plains OF Apam, near the city
of Mexico, the maguey Is said to attain
Its greatest perfection. There, on the
great plantations, the huge, spiky,
greenish-gray plants, looking for all
the world like monster artichokes.
stretch away in symmetrical rows for
miles and miles. There are no fences
of any kind and the scene is unbroken
save for an occasional hacienda, with
its fort-like walls and towers.
Millions of dollars are invested in
the pulque business. The man who
goes into 1t must either buy q ma
tured plantation, which costs a prince
ly sum, or purchase many acres Of
land, secure young shoots from some
old field, and then wait from seven to
ten years for the plants to produce.
True, II the soil be fertile. the hardy
maguey needs little or no care mean
while. When ready to produce. each
plant 10 valued at from ten to twelve
dollars.
Comes Towering time, and from the
center Of the cluster Of great fibrous
leaves, some ten feet long foot wide
and almost as thick at the base, ma
guey sends up q giant flower-stalk.
This stalk grows rapidly to height OF
from twenty to thirty feet. II allowed
to flower. it bursts into bloom with
magical suddenness, several thousand
greenish-yellow flowers appearing al
most at once on the stalk, after which
the plant dies. 1t is during the flow-
ering time that the tlachiqueros, or
pulque harvesters. with their gourd
pipettes and pigskin receptacles. may
be seen scattered throughout the fields
and watching with alert eyes; for it
is their duty to tap the plant just be-
fore the stalk bursts into bloom.
At the right instant, which only the
experienced harvesters know. the flow.
er stem Is cut OF short and the heart