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. 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.