iflora. 51 



reception of the young plant is made with a sort of crowbar with a 

 sharp point, used principally in the quarrying of tepatate, the chief 

 building material of the Mexican capital. It is usual to aid the young 

 plant by putting some good soil into the hole. These young plants are 

 suckers which the mature maguey throws out on all sides, and which 

 have to be removed before the heart is tapped for the sweet sap, which 

 is the " agua miel," or honey water, of the pulque. 



The leaves of the pulque plant are long and pointed, with prickles 

 along the edges. Sometimes these leaves are very large, and the 

 bunches of them springing from the common stalk are enormous. The 

 bruised leaves are made into a kind of paper a rather tough, stiff, and 

 hard paper and they are also used in their natural state as a thatch 

 for the roofs of the common huts or houses occupied by the peons. 

 A kind of thread is also made from the fibrous texture of the leaves. 

 A rough needle and pin are made from the thorn, and from the root a 

 cheap and palatable food is made. 



Cactus. Mexico is often called " the land of the cactus," and the 

 multitudinous development of cactus forms in that country cannot be 

 appreciated by any one who has not seen them in their home in the 

 hot land. There is a species known as the giant or candelabra cactus, 

 which has a single stem, from which spring innumerable branches, the 

 whole plant resembling an immense candelabrum. I have seen in 

 Oaxaca, some candelabra cacti about twenty feet in height by thirty 

 in diameter. Some cacti shoot in single, column-like stems, others run 

 like leafless vines, and others resemble needle cushions stuck full of 

 needles. 



Cocoa. Cocoa is produced in several localities. That of So- 

 conusco, in the State of Chiapas, is of so excellent a quality that when 

 Mexico was a colony of Spain it was the only kind used by the 

 Spanish royal family. On account of the expense and difficulty of 

 transportation, and the cultivation of cheaper quality in other locali- 

 ties, the production has dwindled down to an insignificant amount, 

 and now hardly enough is grown to supply the demand in that dis- 

 trict ; but it is universally acknowledged that the Soconusco cocoa 

 is the best in the world. 



The best elevation for cocoa is from 300 to 1000 feet, and the tree 

 seldom thrives well at an altitude exceeding 3000 feet. Warmth and 

 moisture are necessary for the successful cultivation of this plant. 



The State of Tabasco produces a very good quality of cocoa, 

 although it cannot be compared with that of Soconusco. In other 

 places it grows very well also, but for various reasons the production, 

 instead of being developed, has dwindled down until it is not enough 

 for home consumption, and we have to import some, especially from 

 Venezuela and Ecuador. One disadvantage of the cocoa industry is 



