July 2, 1888.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
ii 
catlipuca iu the great temple of Tenochtitlan (the 
modern Mexico) ; but the use of the juice became 
so general that many severe laws against the drunken- 
ness resulting from it were issued by the ancient 
Mexican kings, mention being made of a widow, who 
sold it promiscuously, having been put to death by 
the order of the King Notzahnalcoqatl, only women 
suckling infants, old people, and soldiers upon the 
march being allowed to drink it. 
Notwithstanding that the primary object of the 
Spaniards who came to Mexico in the earlier periods 
of its subjection was to search for the precious 
metals, the maguey plant also occupied their attention 
very considerably, especially when increased inter- 
course with the natives revealed the varieties of uses 
to which the plant was put by them, and it was fully 
treated of by the authors of the time. The plant may 
be cultivated at an elevation of 10,000 feet above the 
level of the sea, but is grown with greater success at an 
elevation of about 9,000 feet. Though the plant is 
grown in many parts of Mexico, the great maguey 
district is that of the plains of Apam, embra- 
cing a range of territory of more than 600 square 
leagues, almost covered with plant, either in its wild 
or cultivated state. This vast maguey district is now 
entirely destitute of trees, although vestiges remain of 
cedar forests which formerly existed there, the soil 
being light, stony, and apparently arid in many places — 
indeed, nothing can be less agreeable to the eye or 
promising iu its general aspect than these or any other 
maguey plantations, although so surprisingly productive. 
In the district referred to, there are maguey-growers 
whose estates are not worth less than some millions 
of dollars, taking into account the quantity of pulque 
produced. 
_ As far as can be ascertained from tho meagre statis- 
tical record of the time, not more than from 50 to 60 pul- 
que estates existed during the last two centuries, whilst, 
iu the several districts of the Mexican table-land of 
Tootihuacan, Pachuca, Apam, Texcoco, xhere are now 
178, and from 80 to 100 in the district of Ilaxeala. 
The following is the mode adopted for the extraction 
of the juice of the plant, and the manufacturing from 
it of pulque. So soon as the leaves begin to turn yel. 
low, a small concave aperture is scooped out, by means 
of a keen-edged knife called an " iztetl," in the core 
of the plant, which is usually from IS to 20 centi- 
metres in diameter, and this aperture is gently 
scraped round, care being taken that no iucisiou be 
made in the leaves or fibres around it, for fear of 
imparting a bad taste to the juice. This operation 
produces a' sediment denominated "raspa, " through 
which the juice, generally known under the tech- 
nical name of " agua-miel, " or honey-water, exudes 
from the grooves of the plant; this juice is extracted 
by the "ilaehiquero, '' or maguey labourer, by means 
of an elongated gourd formed into a tube, called 
an "acocotl, " the air iu which is exhausted by 
suction, and which he thrusts into the incision in 
the core of the plant, stopping the aperture at one 
end with his finger, and emptying its contents into 
Jus "znrron," a sort of impervious sheepskin bag 
inserted in a net and strapped to his back. Each 
labourer has usually the care of from 50 to 60 plants, 
from which be extracts, or, as it is technically 
expressed, sucks from about 110 to 120 arrobas of 
honey-wati r per week. As soon as his zurron is 
full, he canies it to the " finical, " or pulque manu- 
factory, very commonly returning to each plant, and 
performing the same operation of scooping round 
the incision and exhausting the juice it contains, 
twice in the day, taking particular care to cover up 
the aperture with leaves and stones, lest the cattle, 
dogs, or cagates— a small species of jackal, which infests 
the country in large numbers— should got at the juice. 
The honey-water varies in quantity, colour, and 
quality, according to the variety of the plant, the 
producing time of which may be said to extend on 
on average to about threo months, although some 
sorts only yield juice during a period of twenty 
days, and other sorts are so plentiful that they 
yield it during six mouths, and that iu largo quan- 
tities. The least productive variety of the plant is cal- 
culated to yield about 60 arrobas of juice, that of au 
average sort about 30 arrobas, whilo the finest sort of 
all, the " manso legitimo" of the plains of Apim 
yields, when it has attained complete maturity, from 
140 to 160 arrobas. The average quantity yielded by 
each plant, one with another, may be roughly estimated 
at about 100 arrobas. 
The "tinicales," or pulque manufactories, of the 
different maguey plantations, consist of a long covered- 
in-gallery, well ventilated, and containing rows of vats 
made of bullock's hide stretched over a wooden frame- 
work, and smeared with lime on the outside, into 
which the honey-water is emptied as soon as it is 
brought in from the plantations, and which in about 
thirty six hours begins to ferment, throwing up large 
bubbles of froth, losing its pristine transparent colour, 
and assuming a milky-whitish tint, which it permanent- 
ly retains. It was formerly the habit to throw lime 
or a plant called "oegractli" into the honey-water, 
in order to produce a greater degree of fermentation, 
but now only a small quantity of " madue del pulque," 
or pulque already manufactured, is poured into the 
empty vats, which quickly deposits a thick and whitish - 
coloured sediment, upon which the new juice or honey- 
water is thrown in : the mixture after fermentation 
being ready for use is then sent off to tho city of Mexico, 
Puebla, or the nearest market within a radius of 
twenty or thirty leagues, the pulque very often under- 
going a considerable dilution with water by the way at 
the hands of the "arrieros," or carriers, who convey 
it in sheepskin bags upon mules and donkeys. The 
quantity which thus annually enters the city of Mexico 
alone may be estimated on the average to be about 
2,000,000 arrobas, and about 500,000 arrobas go to 
Puobla. Tho cost of transport alone has been caleuat- 
ed, taking the approximate average of one real as that 
of each arroba, to amount to 312,000 dollars. Not less 
than 20,000 mules and donkeys laden with the beverage 
enter the city every month by the gate leading to the 
maguey districts. To the quantity paying duty must 
also be added a considerably quantity which is smug- 
gled in, and including this it may be calculated that 
about 50,000,000 bottles are now annually introduced 
into the city of Mexico, and the amount of money 
annually expended in the drink, at the average rate of 
about a quarter of a real per bottle, represents a sum 
of about 1,600,000 dollars, the number of " pulquerias," 
or pulque stores, within the capital (which, in the year 
1771, when the increasing popularity of the beverage 
compelled the Spanish Viceroy to issue special regu- 
lations respecting licences to sell it, &c, amounted to 
thirty-four, afterwards increasing to eighty) now 
amounts to over five hundred. These stores are usual- 
ly painted iu gay colours outside, the wall behind the 
counter almost invariably exhibiting a rudely-executed 
allegorical fresco setting forth the " power of love " 
under the stimulating effects of the maguey plant: 
Tenus, Bacchus, and the nymphs occupying prominent 
positions in the background, whilst a little image of 
the Virgin, with a lamp burning before it, occupies a 
ret ired corner of the establishment. 
The best quality 0 f the beverage is known under the 
different denominations of " pulque fino," " pulquo 
dulce," or " pulque fuerte," whilst the inferior sort, 
the produce of the maguey planted in an inferior soil, 
and which is commonly consumed only by the poorer 
classes of Indians, by whom it is often manufactured 
iu earthen pots, is called " ilachique," and there is an- 
other sort sold in the pulquerias composed of an admix- 
ture of this with some other sort of a somewhat better 
description, denominated "pulque criollo," or Creole 
pulque. On account of the manufacture of ilachique 
being erroneously supposed to be carried on by the 
poor Indian population alone, it is subject to the 
payment of a very slight duty, and little is known of 
the real amount of its consumption. 
It is stated that a chemical analysis of pulque shows 
it to contain in different proportions, according to its 
quality, alcohol, mucilaginous fecula, sugar, water, aud 
p >tash. It has been observed that tho druukennt 
produced by it under its different varieties is of a less 
violent description than that produced by another 
