Page:Mexico (1829) Volumes 1 and 2.djvu/70

[0 MEXICO. liar to the Tierra caliente. The root which yields the flour, (which is afterwards made up into thin, brittle cakes,) is a deadly poison in its raw state; but it loses its deleterious qualities when rasped, and pressed in a bag called Cibucan, during which process the juice exudes, until nothing but a farinaceous pulp remains. The consumption of Cassava bread in Mexico is not con- siderable, nor at all likely to increase. RICE Is but little cultivated, and not very generally known. OLIVES. The first Olive plantation known in Mexico, was that be- longing to the Archbishop, at Tacubaya, near the Capital ; but, during the Revolution, a great number of Olive trees were planted, both in the Provinces, and immediately about Mexico, all of which are now flourishing. The oil yielded by them is as pure as the finest French or Italian oils, and as the climate is particularly favourable to the growth of the tree, there is reason to suppose that the quantity of oil produced will soon render importation unnecessary. Before 1810, the cultivation of the olive was prohibited, as it was apprehended that it might interfere with the interests of the Mother country. THE VINE. The vine was likewise a forbidden fruit before the Revolu- tion, althougli the soil of Mexico is so well adapted to it that it flourishes naturally in Texas, (which is overrun with wild vines,) and has succeeded as far North as Parras, the only spot where, under the old system, wine was allowed to be made, in consequence (I suppose) of the difficulty of supply- ing it from the Capital. In the centre of the country, vine- yards were destroyed wherever an attempt was made to carry the cultivation to any extent.