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PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



VOL. xxxni. 



the tvmhe is an (efficient aid in stopping fermentation and that that is 

 the cause of its use. There is no question, however, that this root 

 was anciently used, and the impression has been that its purpose was 

 to supply a ferment and make the liquid stronger; but Doctor Rami- 

 rez has here advanced what seems to be a scientific and adequate 

 explanation. Pulque is the basis of a number of compound drinks, 

 and various means are employed to modify its flavor. Pulque pre- 

 pared with special care for use of the haciendas is quite palatable com- 



17.— Pulque shop named for Queen Xochitl. Cuernavaca, Mexico. 



pared with the commercial product sold in the cities. It has a sub- 

 acid taste like the juice of an apple, a heav}^ body, and a very slight 

 alcoholic flavor. In this form it is an agreeable and apparently nour- 

 ishing beverage. Taken in large quantities pulque is intoxicating, 

 but the effect of habitual stimulation with it is not worse than that 

 produced by lager beer. The repellent odor and taste of the liquor, 

 however, take it out of the category of beverages which appeal to the 

 higher gustatory sense and mark it as one solely drunk for its after 



