246 AC f AVE. 



after the plant had been growing so vef)- slowly in its early 

 stages, impressed Linnaeus so much that he gave it the 

 name it now bears, which he intended to mean "wonderful". 

 The first Agave reached Europe in 156 1 from South America, 

 and as earlv as 15S3 one of these plants flowered at 

 Pisa. It excited not a little astonishment and was des- 

 cribed by Caesalpin. Now Agaves in full bloom 

 are such a common sight that they are hardh' noticed. 

 It is very inaccurate to call the Agave an Aloe, for 

 the true Aloe does not even belong tp the same family 

 of plants. The Agave, and the Founcrova, are classed 

 amongst the Amaryllidaceae, while the Aloe is placed in 

 the Liliaceae. 



In Mexico, when the Agave is about to flower, the 

 central shoot is often cut out to be eaten as a dainty 

 or as a vegetable. Or these central shoots of the Agave 

 are roasted and then allowed to ferment in skins in 

 order to distil a very fiery spirit called "Mescal", which 

 is rather like Scotch Wliiskv. The amount of sweet 

 tasting liquid that a ^•igorous Agave 3'ields if the central 

 shoot is cut out just at the moment when it is ready 

 to put forth its inflorescence is remarkable. It is said 

 to be as much as Ave litres daih", and that a single 

 plant will yield about 1100 litres of liquid altogether. 

 This fluid, after fermentation, forins "Pulque" the 

 national beverage of the Mexicans, the fla^'0ur of which 

 most foreigners find so nauseating. The intoxication 

 produced bv pulque is similar in man\' respects to that 

 caused b\' opium smoking, the person under the in- 

 fluence of it seeking retirement in a ciuiet place. The 



