68 



cana) is hardy .in the open air at Austin, and I think it 

 would thrive in all of the warmer portions of the Atlantic 

 and Gfult cotton States. S. B. Buckley. 



Austin, Texas, Oct. 15, 1871. 



I see by some of the Iforthern periodicals that the Ystle 

 plant is attracting some attention, or it may be but curi- 

 osity as regards the source 'from whence is derived the 

 fibre called Ystle, that is being shipped, to some extent, to 

 the United States from Northern Mexico. The plant from 

 which this fibre is extracted is of the Agave Americana 

 family, and is called here where it grows, lecTiuguia. It is 

 an evergreen; the leaves are bread at the base, gradually 

 narrowing to the point, which is armed with a strong or 

 sharp thorn or spike; they are slightly concave on the 

 upper side, and armed among the edges with cat's claw 

 thorns. It grows in bunches without trunk or stem, but 

 while it flowers it sends up from the centre of the spread- 

 ing leaves a stalk of some ten or twelve feet in height, on 

 the top of which comes forth the flower. It flowers but 

 once and then dies. New plants spring forth from the 

 roots of the old one, and thus the supply is continuous. 



The above description would answer in every respect for 

 the " Maguey " (^^^a^e vlmertcawa) plant. The only dif- 

 ference perceptible are, that the latter plant has leaves four 

 or five times as long as the former, are much thicker, of a 

 darker green, and is a larger plant. Ystle is extracted 

 from both of these species, although the "lechuguia" is 

 the legitimate Ystle plant. The fibre of the Maguey is 

 superior to the other, being longer, finer and whiter, and 

 of course commands a higher price. 



The manner of extracting the fibre of these plants here is 

 quite primitive, no machine having as yet been found that 

 will give satisfactory results. The work is most all done 

 by hand, the only instrument used being a wooden knife, 

 which serves to scrape off the fleshy parts from the leaf ; 

 the fibre is then separated by whipping it around a post, 

 then dried in the sun, and the process is complete. 



There are thousands of acres of lechuguia in the State of 

 Tamaulipas. It literally covers the ground where it 

 abounds, rendering it entirely useless for -any thing, except 

 a secure refuge for snakes and armadillos. 



The Maguey is a much more useful plant, and is also a 

 beautif al one. At present the chief use of it is to distill 



