AGAVES OF THE UNITED STATES. 59 
Professor W. J. McGee, who has just visited the savage 
Siri tribe on Tiburon island in the Gulf of California, 
obtained from them necklaces made of pretty seeds strung 
on maguay fibers. Humboldt tells of a bridge at Quito, 
having a span of one hundred and thirty feet, made of 
ropes of Agave fiber four inches in diameter. It is said 
that Agave juice is mixed with wall-plaster and used as 
an insecticide to keep out the white ants which are so 
destructive in tropical countries. The spiny leaves of the 
Agave have caused it to be used very effectively as a hedge 
plant in the Mediterranean region. Its leaves are some- 
times cut in slices and used as fodder for cattle. Its 
flower-stem dried is used to make excellent razor strops * 
and scouring material. 
In A. Lechuguilla, the connective tissue, according to Dr. 
Havardt ‘constitutes about 40 per cent.of the green leaf ; 
when dried it is a white or yellowish mucilaginous pow- 
der, which possesses remarkable cleansing properties, prin- 
cipally due to the presence of saponin. Its composition is 
very probably analogous to that of Yucca baccata. Rubbed 
with water, it foams and lathers, answering the purposes of 
good soap, without, owing to its freedom from alkali, its 
disadvantages. It imparts a smooth and satiny appear- 
ance to the skin, and is used successfully in removing 
stains from the most delicate fabrics. It tends rather to 
set than to displace colors, and articles likely to fade may 
be washed with it in safety. It is also an excellent wash 
for the scalp and hair, leaving the latter soft and glossy. 
If the powder could be compressed into small cakes or 
tablets, it would doubtless become an important article of 
trade.’? The A. Schottii of Southern Arizona is also ex- 
_tensively used as an amole, or soap-producing plant. The 
Mexicans and Indians sell it in the towns for this purpose. 
Under favorable circumstances the A. Americana, or 
* Peter Henderson, Handbook of Plants. 1881. 
+ Proceedings of National Museum. 1885. 518. 
