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scooping out a sort of basin, into which the sap flows and is 
collected to the extent of a gallon or more each day for two or 
three months, or until the plant dies of exhaustion. The sap is 
drawn from the basin by suction through a long gourd and taken 
in pig-skins or sheep-skins to the fermenting rooms, where the 
addition of old pulque converts it into pulque of commerce within 
twenty-four hours. The product resembles dilute yeast and con- 
“sumed each day in Mexico City alone. The use of pulque was 
common among the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish conquest, 
and it is known that the Aztecs learned its use from the Toltecs, 
who, according to a legend, owed their downfall to its discovery. 
Because of the pernicious effects of pulque-drinking among the 
Indians, several of the Spanish viceroys attempted to prevent 
its use, but without success. 
Mescal, a drink made by distillation from the roots and lower 
leaves after roasting, is usually not obtained from the same 
species as pulque, although there is a general belief to the con- 
trary. 
The collection of century plants at the New York Botanical 
Garden is extensive, comprising many rare species, and including 
a number new to science collected by Dr. Britton and other 
members of the garden staff in the Bahamas and Cuba; these 
will soon be technically described by Dr. William Trelease, direc- 
tor of the Missouri Botanical Garden, at St. Louis, who has 
received duplicates of them from the New York collection. Dr. 
Trelease has studied the genus Agave for many years. One o 
these new species to science grows only, so far as is known, on 
Watling’s Island, where it was probably seen by Columbus after 
his landing, but remained unknown botanically until collected 
there a few years ago by Drs. Britton and Millspau 
Some of the Mexican species are quite small meet and sev- 
