Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1891. 
Preparation  of  Pulque. 
593 
acetic  acid  solution  (see  above)  serves  also  as  a  convenient  qualitative 
test  for  distinguishing  the  phosphate  and  pyrophosphate  after  separ- 
ation. 
Detroit,  Anal.  Laboratory  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co. 
PREPARATION  OF  PULQUE  IN  MEXICO. 
By  Alfonso  Mendizabal. 
The  agave  plantations  in  Mexico  are  laid  out  in  the  following 
manner:  Agaves  of  a  height  of  about  I  meter  are  bought  and  left 
lying  on  the  field  or  elsewhere  for  six  months.  Then  holes  of  about 
2  square  meters  are  dug  in  the  ground,  the  soil  therein  is  manured, 
and  the  agaves  are  planted.  It  requires  7  to  8  years  for  them  to 
fully  develop,  and  during  this  time  they  must  be  manured  twice 
yearly. 
As  soon  as  the  agaves  have  reached  the  above  age,  they  can  be 
used  for  the  preparation  of  the  Mexicans'  national  drink,  "  pulque." 
The  manipulation  is  in  this  manner :  first  the  middle  of  the  plants, 
that  is  the  point  of  vegetation,  with  the  younger  portions  are  cut 
away.  If  these,  however,  are  in  too  advanced  a  state,  it  is  not 
possible  to  prepare  the  "  pulque  "  from  them.  After  the  agave  has 
been  cut  in  this  manner,  it  is  not  touched  for  eight  days,  but  after 
that  time,  the  place  where  the  excision  was  made,  is  scratched  and 
scraped,  until  a  sweet  aqueous  juice,  called  "  aguamiel,"  or  honey- 
water,  begins  to  flow ;  the  scraping  is  done  twice  daily,  in  the  morn- 
ing about  eight  o'clock,  and  in  the  evening  about  six. 
This  water  must  be  collected  in  containers  of  ox  hide,  as  it  spoils 
in  contact  with  wood  or  metal.  The  juice  is  now  left  in  the  closed 
containers  for  eight  days,  by  which  time  "  semilla,"  probably  by  a 
process  of  fermentation,  is  produced  ;  then  one-half  of  this  fermented 
juice,  contained  in  the  vessel  is  replaced  by  fresh  aguamiel,  and  the 
beverage  "  pulque  "  is  completed.  It  never  keeps  longer  than  two 
days,  and  must  therefore  be  used  at  once ;  the  number  of  vessels  is 
always  doubled,  one  half  is  sold,  the  other  half  retained,  and  is 
afterward  brought  back  to  the  former  volume  by  the  addition  of 
fresh  aguamiel. 
In  this  work  it  is  very  necessary  that  all  utensils  used  be  per- 
fectly clean ;  the  utensils  necessary  for  the  entire  process  are  the 
following :  For  the  extraction  of  the  aguamiel  a  sort  of  a  pipette 
or  suction  pipe  called  "  acocote "  is  the  instrument  used ;  this  is 
