600 AMARYLLIDACE.E. 



Aloe. It grows but slowly in this climate, and, as it 

 rarely attains perfection, is believed by many persons to 

 flower once in a hundred years. A fine specimen which 

 flowered at Clowance, Cornwall, in September, 1837, 

 is thus described : " A sturdy stem 17^ inches in 

 diameter rises from a chevaux de frise of spiked leaves to 

 the height of 14 feet without a branch ; but copiously 

 beset with leaves of the same character, which gradually 

 diminish in size, and are continued to the very top, till 

 from being four or five feet long, they become mere 

 bracts, measuring not as many lines. The lower branches 

 are not, as they are often represented in engravings, 

 shorter than those above them, but extend to the 

 length of several feet, describing a graceful curve. A 

 short distance above, but not so close as to appear 

 crowded, or so exactly opposite as to present a formal 

 appearance, another branch leaves the main stalk, a very 

 little shorter than the lower one, and is succeeded by 

 others, in all thirty-four, the last being twenty-five feet 

 from the ground. Each of these bears at its extremity 

 a mass of green flowers, the summits of which form 

 nearly a plane surface. The number of flowers on the 

 five lower branches amounts to 911, so that the whole,* 

 including those on the summit of the stem, must be 

 computed, on a fair average, at no less than 5,000 perfect 

 flowers. The quantity of honey which they contained 

 was very great, and as it was constantly dropping, 

 moistened the ground beneath. The plant, exhausted 

 by the unusual effort, for which it had been for many 

 years preparing, died the same year. 7 ' The roots and 

 leaves of the species of Agave contain woody fibre (pita 

 thread), useful for various purposes ; this is separated 

 by bruising and steeping in. water, and afterwards 

 beating. The Mexicans also make their paper of the 

 fibres of Agave leaves laid in layers. The expressed 

 juice of the leaves is also stated to be useful as a 

 substitute for soap. 



