Page:Mexico (1829) Volumes 1 and 2.djvu/76

44 MEXICO. what is termed Madre Pulque, (the mother of Pulque,) which is distributed, in very small quantities, amongst the dilferent skins, or troughs, intended for the daily reception of the Aguamiel. Upon this it acts as a sort of leaven; fer- mentation is excited instantly, and in twenty-four hours it becomes Pulque in the very best state for drinking: the quantity drawn off each day is replaced by a fresh supply of Aguamiel, so that the process may continue during the whole year without interruption, and is limited only by the extent of the plantation. A good Maguey yields from eight to fifteen quartillos, (pints,) of Aguamiel in a day, the value of which may be taken at about a real, (sixpence) ; and this supply of sap continues during two, and often three months. The plant, therefore, when about to flower, is worth ten dol- lars to the farmer ; although, in the transfer of an estate, the Magueyes de corte, (ready for cutting,) are seldom valued, one with another, at more than five. But, in this estimate, an allowance is made for the failure of some, which is una- voidable, as the operation of extracting the corazdn, if per- formed either too soon, or too late, is equally unsuccessful, and destroys the plant altogether. The cultivation of the Maguey, where a market is at hand, has many advantages, as it is a plant, which, though it succeeds best in a good soil, is not easily affected either by heat or cold, and requires little or no water. It is propagated, too, with great facility ; for, although the mother-plant withers away as soon as the sap is exhausted, it is replaced by a multitude of suckers, which spring from the old root, and grow well when transplanted. There is only one drawback, the time that must elapse before a new plantation can be rendered productive, and the uncertainty with regard to the time of flowering, which varies from eight to eighteen years. But the Maguey grounds, when once established, are of great value, many producing a revenue of ten and twelve thousand dollars per annum. The natives ascribe to Pulque as many good qualities as