G A 



ftrength it fcklom' luirts them : the fpring following 

 the j^iants Hiould be -carefully fcparaied and planted 

 a foot diitance from each other in a (liekcred fitv/ation-, 

 and the folbv/ihg whiter, if it proves cold, ic will^be 

 proper to cover \he plr.nts with fome light covering 

 to protect tliem ; aficr tlve fecoad winter they will re- 

 quire no fartlier fneliering. 



The common n^.ethod now praftifed by the nurfery- 

 men, who propagate thefe trees for lale, is by grart- 

 ing or budding them upon flocks of the Horfc Chcil- 

 nut, but as the (locks greatly out-grov/ the buds or 

 grafts, they have a bad appearance ; nor do the 



trees laft long. 



^THER ^. ^ , . ^ 



the antlcnts having fuppofed it to be ot the nature or 

 fire.] It is ufaalfy underllood to be a thin fubtile 

 matter or medium, much finer and rarer than air it- 

 felf, which commences from the limits of tlic at- 

 mofphere, and poiTelTes the whole heavenly ipace. 

 See Atmosphere and Air. 

 AG AVE, Lin. Gen. 390. American Aloe. 

 The Characters are, 

 Ti'hs flower has no empak'menty is fiuin^u-juci-^c.^-, a/iu uj 

 cm leaf^ ivhich is cut at the brim in-ojlx equal fegracnts; 

 the cbbng germen is fituated below the flower^ upon which 

 refts the flendcr ftyle^ which is extended a onfhier able length 

 beycndtbepetci^, and is crowned ty a three cornered jligma. 

 "This is attended by fix ere^i ftamina, of the fame length, 



r 



fummits; after the fl( 

 iblcno- three cornered fe 



feeds 



effe 



Dr. Linnxus has feparated the plants of this genu-. 

 from the Aloe, to which they had been joined by for- 

 mer botanifts, becaufe the llamina and ftyle in thefe 

 flov.'crs are extended much longer than the corolla, 

 and the corolla reft upon the germen, which in the 

 Aloe are not fo. We may alfo mention another diffe- 

 rence in the growth of the plants, by which they may 

 be diftinguiflied before they flower ; which is, all the 

 plants of this genus have their center leaves clofely 

 folding over each other, and embracing the flower 

 Hem which is formed in the center-, fo that thefe never 

 flower until all the leaves are expanded, to give the 

 flem its liberty to advance, and wlien the flower is 

 pall, the plants die. Whereas the flower-dem of the 

 Aloe, is produced on one fide of the heart or center 

 of the plant, fo they flower annually, and the leaves 

 are always more expanded, than thofe of this genus. 



The SrrciES are, 

 I. Agave {Americana) foliis dentato-fpinofis fcapo ra- 

 mofo. Gen. Nov. 1102. I'he Great Ameri- an Aloe^ 

 ith a branchinz ftalL Aloe Americano muricata. 





J 



2. Agave (Virginia) foliis dentatofpinofls fcapo fim- 

 phciflimo. Lin. Sp. Plant. 323. American Aloe with a 



fnnple ftalk. 



3. Agave {F(vtida) foliis integerrimis. Gen. Nov. Sp. 

 PI. 323. American Aloe with ft iff whole leaves. Aloe 

 Americana viridi rigidifllmo & foetido folio piet difta 

 indigenis. Horc. Amfl;. 2. p. 35. 



4. Agave {Tuberofa) radice tuberosa foliis loi J " 

 marginibus fpinofis. American Aloe^ with a tuberous root 



fP^ 



Aloe 



Americana radice tuberosa minor. Pluk. Aim. 19. 



5. Agave {Vivipara) foliis reflexis, marginibus denta- 

 tis. Americmi Aloe with refiexed leaves^ whofe edges are 

 indented. This is by fome called the Childing Aloe, 

 from its producing young plants after the flowers. 

 Aloe Americana ibbolifera. Herm. H. Ludg. 16. 



6. Agave {Karatto) foliis crectis la:te virentibus, mar- 

 ginibus fuicis minime fcrratis. American Aloe with 

 long deep green leaves^ edged with brcwn^ and very flight ly 

 flawed. This is called in America Karatto. 



7. Agave' (Vera Cruz) foliis oblongis marginibus fpino- 

 fillimis nigricantibu-1. American Aloe with cblong leaves^ 

 wbcfe edges are clofely bcfet with black fpincs^ commonly 

 called Broad leaved Aloe from Vera Cruz. Aloe America- 

 na ex Vera Cruce foliis latioribus &glaucis. H. L. 



S. /iGAV;'. (.'V.'-'/ii:) foliis lineai-i-lanceolatis integerrimis 

 ri;.ridis aculeo t';rminatis. Narrow-leaved Aloe from 



A G A 



Vera Cruz. Aloe Americana ex Vera Cruce foliis 

 angullioribus minus glaucis. Hort. Beam. 

 The firll fort here mentioned, has been long pre- 

 ferved in the EngliQi gardens, where of late years 

 there have been feveral of the plants in flov/cr. The 

 fl:cms of this when the plants arc vigorous, generally 

 rife upward of twenty feet high, and branch out on 

 every fide, fo as to form a kind of pyramid, the flen- 

 der Ihoots being garnillicd with greenilh yellow flow- 

 ers, which Hand e7eft, and come out in thick cluflers 

 at every joinc. Thefe have fix long (lamina, crown- 

 ed with yellow fummits, placed round the fl:yle, which 

 is alfo extended to the fame length as the fl:amina. 

 After the flowers fall away, the germen, which is fi- 

 tuated beneath the flower, becomes an oblong trian- 

 gular veflel, divided into three cells, filled with com- 

 prefied feeds i but thefe do not come to maturity in 



England. 



When thefe plants flower, they make a fine appear- 

 ance, and continue a long time in beauty, if they are 

 protcfted from the cold in autumn, as there will be a 

 fucceflion of new flowers produced, for near three 

 months, in favourable feafons. It has been generally 

 believed, that this plant doth not flower un:il it is^ a 

 hundred years old ; but this i> a great miftake, fur the 

 time of its flowering depends on the growth of the 

 plants-, fo that in huL counines wacrc Ui^; gt-u-^' fafl:, 

 and expand many leaves every fcafon, they wdl flower 

 in a fcv/ years, but in colder climates, where tlieir 

 growth is flow, it will be much longer before they 

 Ihoot up their fl:em. There is a variety of t'f'; fort 

 with llripcd leaves, which is now pretty common in 



the Englifli gardens, ■ . •- 



The plants of the fecond fort are fo like thofe of the 

 firfl:, as not to be difl:inguiflied from them, bui by 

 good judges. The principal diEf-rcncc 1:., taeiea..:s 

 of this are narrower toward their extremity, and ot a 

 paler colour : the ftems of this fort do not rife fo high 

 as the firfl:, nor do they branch in the fame manner, 

 but the flowers are coUefted into a clofe head at the 



r 



top, they are hov/ever of the fame fhape and colou.r. 

 There has been three or four plants of this fort, which 

 have lately flowered in England, one of which wa^i m 

 the Chelfea garden a few years pafl:. I'his fort fcldom 

 puts out fo many offsets as the common Aloe. 

 The feventh fort greatly refembles thefe,_fo that many 

 perfons have fuppofed it to be the fame •, but the 

 leaves of this are much thinner, the indentures on 

 their edges abundantly clofer, and notfo deep, as in 

 either of the former \ the fpines too are blacker. 

 Plow this differs from the others in flower I know not, 



■ having feen none of their flowers produced inEngland, 

 Theie three forts are hardy. 1 have known plants of 

 the firfl; fort live in the open air for fome years in mild 

 feafons, but in fevere winters they are always killed, 

 if not flieltered. They are propagated by offsets, 

 which the firfl: fort iends out in p.ency, but the third 

 feldom puts out any •, fo thefe may be increafed by 

 taking ofl'fome of the larger roots, at the time when 

 the plants are fnifced, planting them in pots filled 



■ with light fandy earth, which will flioot out and be- 

 come good plants, as I have experienced. The fe- 

 cond fort generally puts out fuckers enough for pro- 

 pasation, though liot in fo great plenty as the firft. 

 AlT thefe fliould be planted in pots filled with light 

 fandy earth, and houfed in v/inter wdth oranges, myr- 

 tles, &c. and during that feafon, fliould have but lit- 

 tle wet. In th.e fummer they mufl: be placed abroad 

 in the open air, where tliLcy may remain till toward 

 the end of October, when they fliould be houfed 

 again. The feventh fort bcinga little tenderer than the 

 oiher two, fliould be put into the green-houfe before 

 them, and may fl:ay there a little longer in the fpring. 

 The third fort hath long narrow ilitf leaves, of a pale 

 green colour, not indented on their edges, but tre- 

 quently a little waved : the fide leaves fprcad open, 

 but thofe in the center fold clofely over each other, 

 and llridly furround the bud. The plants of this fort 

 rarely grow more than three feet high, but the flower- 

 fl:em rifes near twenty, and branches out much like 



thac 



