148 NEW TRACKS IN NORTH AMERICA. 
Besides these great staples of agricultural wealth, there 
are others which must not be overlooked. The mulberry 
tree thrives splendidly throughout the State, and is found in 
nearly every garden at Hermosillo, for the people here seem 
to have conceived the idea of raising silk-worms, but to have 
failed in the perseverance required to carry out the experi- 
ment. When the last census of the city was taken, the 
proportion of females to males was actually seven to one, and 
of late years this difference has increased. Such a surplus of 
female population could not be better employed than in the 
production of silk. 
‘The Indigo plant is indigenous to the Yaqui, and is used 
by the Indians to dye their blankets with. 
This is a great country for fruit—oranges, limes and 
lemons, dates, bananas, plantains, figs, and grapes, all flourish 
here, and are of fine quality; while the different varieties of 
cactus fruits are more highly prized by the people than all 
the rest, and grow on lands worthless for anything else, as _ 
they lie beyond the reach of irrigation. The Pitella (pro- 
nounced Pitayo) and the Sahuaro are the most prized. In 
the season the Indians live entirely upon them, and gain 
much money by selling them about the towns. They make 
a jelly and cheese of the former, and dry them both in the 
sun for. winter use. The Sineta is a small variety of the 
Pitella. Then there is the Tuna, the delicious fruit of the 
Nopala Castiliana, which gives so much grotesque beauty to 
the gardens here. From the succulent trunk of the Viznoga 
an agreeable preserve is made, much used at Mexican tables. 
The Mescal (Agave Americana) is another production of 
importance. The rocky, mountainous regions of southern and 
eastern Sonora are most suitable for its production; it grows, 
like the cactus plants, on dry barren ground. From the © 
