.
nectar
among
the
long list of
American
honey-plants
Uniuckily Tor us it
is limit-
ed in this country
to the extreme
South-
west,
butis
very
common
in
old ’Mexico
where
it
is one of the
most
common
and
most sought-after
plants in the country,
being the
sosurce
from
which
Mexicans
derive their beer
(pulque,)
and also their
brandy
(mesecai.)
The
sweet
juice is tap--
ped from
the plant,
and this
is converied
into liguors of varying degrees of
intoxi-
cating
power.
When
in flower this juice
ascends
to
the immense
flower panicles,
where
it
exudes
through
the
nectaries,
setting tie bees
wild with delight.
It ex-
udes
so liberally it may
be collected
with-
out the
aid of bees
at ail.
In
addition,
the
agaves
are
liberal
yielders
of fire
fibres,
all of the
sisal
oif commerce
being
collected
from
them;
but
the one
here
mentioned
is
seldom
<sed
for this
pur-
pose.
The species
commonly
cultivated
for sisal
in Mexico (Agave exitli) does not
vroduce neetar
at all,
so far as
the writer
has
seen.
This piant is doubly
interest-
ing to
a bee-keeper,
because
it-is proba-
bly the only
plant which can
be
cultiva-
ted
in this
country
exclusively
for
the
honey
i
will yield.
It
thrives
on
semi-
arid land
which
can
be had free, and the
culture required is merely nominal, hence
-1t
pro:mnises
better
returns
than
any plant
vet
tried
execlusively
for
the
honey
it
will
produce.
In
spite
of
its
name
it
hlooms
as often
as
most other
cacti.
and
it does
not take long to grow.
The
long
flo ver-stem
seen
in the illustration
shoots
up with
marvellous
rapidity;
and
when
the
golden-yellow
flowers
appear,
ghun-
dreds
of bees
cluster
on
them
as if they
were taking
syrup from
a
feeder.
The
nectar
can be
gathered
by hand.
There
is a common
impression
that
this
plant
takes
something
like
a century
to
reach
maturity
; but
where
the
climate
is suit-
able it does
not
exceed
ten
years
in aany
case;
and
once
the
plantation
begins
to
tlower, it keeps
up
its annual!
procession
of "blooms,
though
not
from
the
same
plant,
The
most
suitable
localities
for century
plants
in this country
are
in the vicinity
of Yuma,
Arizona;
Needles,
Californio;
South
Western
Texas
and
Southern
Flo-
rida—A B C of bee Culture,
page
85.
CENTURY-PLANT, AGAVE.
"
~
*The
agaves
are
an important
group of
song-lived
perennial
plants
native
to
Tropical America,
Mexico
and,
to
some
extent,
to the southwestern
United States
Each
plant
has
a
cluster
of
numerous
fleshy leaves
and,
when blooming,
a
tfall
flower
stalk.
There
are
at
least
five
species
native to
the
United States.
The
range is southern
New
Mexico,
Arizonq
and California.
- The
best
known
is the
common
century
plant, Agave americana
an introduced species
cultivated
for
or-
nament.
This is a conspicuous
figure of
ornamental
planting
in
southern
Cali-
fornia.
.In Mexico some
species
of agaves
furn-
5 LRyl
x
AYIS
ish fibre,
while
others
are
the
source
of
pulque
and
‘meseal,
intoxicating
drinks
much
used
in
the eountry
below
the Rio
(zrande.
'
The plants
do not bloom
until they
are
several
years
old.
The
flower
stalks
grow
very rapidly
and
reach
a height
ot
25 or 3:feet
within
a
few
woaeks’
time.
When
in
bioom
they
secrete
nector
in
abunaance,
and
the
bees
swerm
over
them
in great
numbers.
As will be
seen
by the illustration,
the
flower staiks
sup-
port
inaumerable
blossoms,
so
that
a
single
plant
will yield
a
considerable
am:unt
of
honey.
The
sac:
that
the
plants
are
nowhere
abundant
in
this
country,
together
with
the
lorg
period
which
must
elapse
before
they
bloom,
makes
it improbable
that
they
will
ever
be of much
importance
to American
bee
keepers.
—American
Honey
plants
by
Frank
C. Peilet,
page
64.
AGAVE.
A .genus
of
plants
of
the
amarylis family, whose
numerous
species
are peculiar to the
warm
and dry
region
of America.
Along with
forms
of
cae-
tus and
yucca,
agave
forms
the
charac-
teristic
American
desert
vegetation.
One
of the|species,
the
American
aloe,
has received
the
fanciful
name
of
Cen-
tury
Plant,
from
the
mistaken
notion
that
1t must
be
a
hundred
years.
old
be-
fore it blooms.
g
It isa
native
of Mexieo
and
Centra!
America.
In native
soils
the plant
usu-
ally blooms
in its seventh
or
eight
year,
but
in
hothouses,
it rarely
blooms
until
itis
from
40
to
60
years
od;
whence
arises
the
story
that
they
flower
only
once in
a
hundred
years.
After flower-
Ing the plant
dies
down
to
the
ground
and new plants spring
up from
the roots.
It has
no stem
proper,
or
a
very
short
one
-
bearing
a erowded
head
of large
fleshy
leaves
whiech
are
spiny
at
the
edge.
Wrom
tne midst
of
these
shoots
up the straight,
upright
scape,
24 ‘to
36
feet high,
and at
the
base
frequently
a
foot through, along which
are
lance-like
flower
branches,
ending
in
clusters
of
blossoms
some
often
numbering
4,000
flowers.
Although agaves
are decorative
plants
in the United States
and Europe,
in their
native home
in Mexico they
are
among
the
most
useful plants.
There
they
are
called
maguey,
and
are
a regular
farm
crop
and valued
highly.
Some
»nf
the
species
supply
fiber
which
is
used
in
making rope,
cordage,
matting,
clothing,
thread,
hammocks,
bagging,
buriap
and
other
coarse
textile stuffs,
and
the
old
Mexicans
used
it to make
a
coarse
paper.
Its introduction
on our arid western plains
is
highly
recommended,
for
it
will
grow
in
the
dry
lands
of
Texas.
New
Mexien.
Arizona
aund
California.
When
pasturing
is scare
theleaves
are
cut
up
and'fed
to
cattle.
From
some
of
the
species
soap
is
made,
while
the
two
most
common
Mexican drinks,
pulque
and
mescal
are obtained from still
others.
Wheg
the
voung flower-bud
is
cut
out,
the
sap
keeps
on
flowing
into
the
cavity.
The
juiceis
sweet.
It
is
gathered
daily
and
fermented
and
be-
comes
the great
Mexican
dr nk
known
as
pulque.
It
is milky.
sour,
and
bad
smelling,
looking
like
thin
buttermilk,
and
has
a rank taste:
yet
even
Ameri.
cans
scon
find it agreeable
and
refresh-
ing.
A distilled liquor is also
made
from
it.
The
unfermented
maguey,
called
honey
water,
is used
as
a substitute
for
milk. Student’s
Reference
Work,
page
s
TELEGRAMS.
ST.
CROIX STATION
De ayed In Transmission.
Rome,
May 17th.—A considerable
nun-
ber
of
persons
assisted
at
the
ceremo-
nies
ot
canonization
of
Joan
of Arc,
in-
cluding more
than
one
hundred
and
= sty
descendants
of
her
family.
The
Pope
pronounced
the
ritual,
while
the
great
bell gave
the
solemn
signal
to which all
the
bells
of
Rome
replied.
The
papal
benediction
terminated
the
ceremony.
Mayence,
May
17th.-
The
French
troops
this morning
evacuated
the
cities
on
the
right
bank
of
the
Rhine,
amid
complete
calm.
Berlin, May 18th——A
police
force
com-
prising
forty officers
and
f_ur
hundred
men
have
entered
Frankfort
and
o
sumed
possession
of the
barracks.
Paris,
May 18th.--A court
martial
has
acquittel
all
the
aceused
concerned
in
the
surrender
of
Maubeuge.
General
Fournier
declared
that
he
did
all in his
power and praised
his subordinates,
add-
ing that the
war had proved
that
cannon
prevailed against
fortifications.
Paris,
May
19th.—The
‘‘Echo de Pa-
ris’’
announces-
that
before
proceeding
to
Spa
Mr. Lloyd
George
and
M.
Mil-
lerand
will meet
at
Ostend,
in
order
to
arrive
at
a
definite
agr2ement
on
the
discussions
to
be
undertaken
with
the
representatives
from Berlin.
Rome,
May 19th.—The King
and
Sig-
nor Nitti have had
another
long confer-
ence
and it is believed
that
the composi-
tion
of
the
new
cabinet
will
be
mwade
public
tomorrow,
Signor
Scialoja
keep-
ing the portfolio of Foreign
Affairs.
Rome,
-May
19th.—The
‘‘Gaceta
dei
Populo’” states
that
serious
disturbances
have
occurred
at San Michel
al
Taglia-
mento,
in
the
province
of Venetia,
the
mob burning
the
town
hall
with all jts
archives.
‘l'he officials
were
obliged
to
jump through
the windows
and the Royal
Lommissioner
was
seriously
wounded.
Paris,
May
19th.—~The
conference
of
Ambassadors
today
examined
the
ques-
tion of Sleswig and
the vote taken
there.
Madrid, May
19th.—In consequence
of
disorders
as
a result
of the bakers’ strike,
the gendarmes
were compelled
to charge
the
crowd,
shots
being
exchanged
nd
several
persons
wounded.
Astute
of
seige
has been
proelaimed.