A DESCRIPTION OP THE ALOE. 127 



tipped with green, borne in clusters on tall stalks, which rise erect 

 from anions' the leaves. 



This plant is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and the 

 island of Soccotora, but is now commonly cultivated in the West 

 Indies. The processes of preparing the drug are various. 

 Sometimes the leaves are cut off at the base and placed in iron 

 vessels to drain, until they have discharged all their juice, 

 which is then inspissated ; in other places the leaves are cut into 

 slices and boiled for ten minutes, after which the water in which 

 they had previously been boiled had evaporated, the resinous 

 substance is left behind. Pressure is occasionally resorted to 

 for the purpose of procuring the greatest quantity of juice. 



Soccotrine aloes seem to be the purest kind obtained by drain- 

 ing only, hepatic or Barbadocs aloes are less pure, and may be 

 obtained by boiling or slight pressure ; while horse aloes are un- 

 doubtedly a coarse preparation of the dregs of the last-mention- 

 ed. 



No plants can be more easy to cultivate artificially than the 

 Aloe tribe. They are incapable of parting rapidly with water, 

 and therefore they require to be planted in a soil that is very 

 slightly retentive of moisture, so that they may not be gorged 

 with it by their roots ; for this reason they are potted in a com- 

 post consisting of little more than lime rubbish, mixed with a 

 small quantity of ordinary soil, and carefully drained. They 

 require a greenhouse which is capable of being maintained at a 

 temperature not less than forty degrees in the depth of winter, at 

 which time they ought to have no water whatever ; in the summer 

 they want no fire heat, but may be watered regularly, the supply 

 being always according to their rate of growth, and likewise to 

 the temperature of the air ; that is to say, when in full growth 

 and a high temperature, the may have abundance of water, 

 but when growing slowly and in a low temperature, they should 



have but very little. 



Pomona. 



