OctoBER 15, 1897. ] 
gourd with maguey liquid. He then trans- 
fers it to a vessel made of pottery reinforced 
by wicker work, or, as is the usual custom, 
he pours it into a vessel made of a hogskin. 
When his skin vessel is full he carries it 
to the shed, where for 36 hours the Agave 
juice is allowed to ferment, changing during 
this process from a yellowish-looking fluid 
to a milk-white, yeasty-looking fluid. It is 
a very refreshing and wholesome drink for 
those high altitudes, if taken in modera- 
tion. Drunkenness is the result of its too 
free use. It is laxative, and is reputed to 
be antiscorbutic, and through its assisting 
digestion quiets the heart’s action. The 
best pulqué is obtained in country places, 
the writer finding its use refreshing and 
cooling, the city pulqué being inferior to 
that of the suburban towns, being watery 
and sour. Pulqué keeps its freshness but 
a day, when it begins to sour. The sour 
liquid is distilled and yields according to 
the process used two or three powerful 
alcohol drinks, mezcal, tequila and aguar- 
diente de maguey. ‘There are two or three 
beverages or soft drinks in use, one made 
from the pineapple and called pifio, and 
another tepache might be termed sugar- 
cane cider. The latter drink, as a rule, 
is to be had along most of the country 
roads running from Mexico. The mezcal, 
tequila and aguardiente are very powerful 
in their effects. A Mexican Indian addicted 
to their use can drink a glass of any one of 
the three without effect; two or three glasses 
will set him demoniacally crazy. 
The alpine flora is interesting on account 
of the dwarf, cespitose habit of the plants, 
their hairy covering and brilliantly colored 
flowers. The plants of this region are 
mostly perennial, very few annual plants 
being found in this zone. The lake flora is 
interesting, as the plants are distributed in 
the ditches and along the borders of the ° 
lagoons and lakes. LHichornia crassipes, the 
water hyacinth, Marsilia heterophylla, Rup- 
SCIENCE. 
571 
pia, Agenipea, Hscobedea linearis, Polygonum 
amphibium, Nymphea mexicana, Lobelia splen- 
dens, and a water lily with white flowers 
and large leaves, are a few of the plants of 
the hydrophytic community. 
The Chinampas, or floating gardens, are 
in lakes Chaleo and Xochimilcho. At one 
time they really did float, but now they are 
anchored to the bottom by the roots of 
trees and form little patches of garden 
ground, separated by narrow canals. Here 
are grown flowers and vegetables for the 
city market The canoes of the Indians 
bring the produce to the city by the Viga 
Canal, where it is sold along the banks of 
the canal, or in the markets, the principal 
one of which is called the Volador, south 
of the National Palace and occupying a site 
that was included in the grounds of the 
‘new house’ of Montezuma, and, therefore, 
after the Conquest was a part of the prop- 
erty of Cortez. Here are sold all manner 
of fruits and vegetables, apples, peaches, 
pears, pomegranates, mammees, figs, bana- 
nas, tunas, quinces, tomatoes, corn, beans 
and other agricultural products. The meat 
and poultry stalls are equally important, 
but it is to the sellers of herbs that a drug- 
gist would turn with most interest. 
An old Indian woman, knitting or sewing, 
occupies a seat in an enclosed stall, sur- 
rounded on all sides by dried herbs and 
medicinal plants. For a small sum of 
money she will prescribe for all the ailments 
to which the flesh is heir, drawing upon 
her supplies of drugs hanging about the 
stall. These substances are compounded 
into medicine, according to her directions, 
and it seems that the peons have faith in 
her skill, for numbers of them were seen 
around the stall asking medical advice. 
Casually, while inspecting the market, hasty 
notes were made of a few of the remedies 
whick composed her stock of drugs. There 
were panicles of Sambucus mexicana, dried 
flowers of Datura arborea, dried plants of 
