40 WONDERS OF THE TROPICAL FORESTS, 
prefers the pulqite to all other wmes, and joiBS in tlie 
entlmsiastic praises of the ^Mexican, 
The American bromelias likewise resemble the aloes of 
torrid Africa by tiie form and arrangement of their leaves. 
To this useful family belongs the pine-apple, which grows 
best and largest in Brazil, where it is so common that the 
pigs fatten on the fruit. Formerly confined in our country 
to the tables of the wealthier classes as long as it was 
only supplied by onr hothouses, it can now be enjoyed 
at a very moderate expense, since thousands are im|>orted 
by every West Indian steamer. 
