36 



American Aloe, or Century Plant. 



Vol. VII. 



Fi r the Farmers' Cabinet. 



American Aloe, or Century Plant. 



I have, this afternoon, been much grati- 

 fied by a visit to the great American Aloe, 

 Agave Americans,, now in full bloom, and 

 exhibited at the Masonic Hall, in this city. 

 As its name imports, it is a native of this 

 continent, and in the verdant prairies of the 

 South-west flourishes in great luxuriance. 

 The popular impression seems to be, that it 

 will not bloom until it has been matured by 

 a hundred seasons. This, however, is not 

 exactly the case. Loudon, in his Encyclo- 

 pedia; of Plants, insists that it will flower 

 sooner, or later, according to the culture be- 

 stowed upon it. In tropical climates, where 

 it grows rapidly, and shoots out a number of 

 leaves every year, it will bloom when thirty 

 or forty years old ; but in our colder, and 

 more changeable one, a much longer period 

 is generally necessary. If the plant had the 

 same treatment as the pine-apple, Loudon 

 thinks it would probably bloom nearly as 

 often. Covvell of Hoxton, asserts that his 

 own, in 1729, was the first genuine Agave 

 Americana that ever flowered in England. 



The present specimen, which the Ledger 

 of to-day says is 95 years old, is one of the 

 original plants grown by Wm. Hamilton, 

 Esq., at the Woodlands, in this vicinity. 

 After his death, it went into the McMahon 

 family, and thus into the hands of its present 

 owner, Bernard Duke. On the 17th of 5th 

 mo. last, it first exhibited a flower stem ; 

 and from that time to the 8th of last month, 

 this stem grew a little more than 20 feet, 

 averaging more than 4J inches per day. 

 The greatest growth in any one day was 9 

 inches, on the day of its first appearance ; 

 and the least was 2 inches. " On the 8th 

 of July, the stem seemed to cease in its 

 upward growth, and commenced rapidly to 

 throw out its lateral branches, and to form 

 its buds, which consumed the greater portion 

 of that month. On the 29th, it expanded its 

 first flower, at which time the spread of the 

 lateral branches from tip to tip was nearly 

 five feet. The whole number of these is 22 

 The probable number of flowers which will 

 be displayed on this plant, cannot be less 

 than 1800 or 2000, and it will, if the wea- 

 ther be moderate, be likely to remain in 

 florescence for three or four weeks. The 

 appearance of the Agave is gorgeous and 

 interesting ; and its yellow flowers, though 

 not so extremely beautiful when examined 

 singly, yet the rich clusters which deck the 

 summit and branches, present a magnificent 

 spectacle." The plant, it is believed, never 

 blossoms but once. 



The cultivation of the Aloe is simple. It 



is easily propagated by means of suckers, 

 which are produced at the sides, and from 

 the roots of the parent plant. They may be 

 safely kept in a green-house, or even in a 

 dry cellar, during winter. They should, how- 

 ever, be placed in the open air early in the 

 5th mo., where they may be kept till the 

 latter part of the 10th mo. ; during this time 

 they should be kept moist ; but in the winter 

 season, nearly dry. In America we have aa 

 yet had but three or four specimens to pro- 

 duce flower stems ; the first of which did so 

 at the Woodlands in 1804. " This plant first 

 started its flower -stem on the 28th May; it 

 grew very rapidly, putting out branch after 

 branch, till they numbered 27 in all, each 

 of which contained 116 flowers. The first 

 bloom appeared on the 29th of July, after 

 which it continued five weeks in flower. It 

 was visited by upwards of 20,000 persons." 

 The next bloomed at Lemon Hill, near Fair- 

 mount, the seat of Henry Pratt, Esq., who 

 generously presented it to the orphans' asy- 

 lum of this city, and for whose benefit it was 

 exhibited to upwards of 30,000 persons. This 

 plant was only 43 years old. The largest, 

 probably, that ever bloomed, belonged to the 

 King of Prussia, and was upwards of 40 feet 

 high. 



In the Cultivator of this month, we find a 

 notice of one of these magnificent plants, in 

 the green-house of Gen. Van Rensselaer, of 

 Albany. It has been in the family more than 

 half a century, and is probably by this time 

 in bloom. The flower stalk, a fortnight ago, 

 was 17 feet high, and growing 7 or 8 inches 

 a day. The owner, at the request of the 

 managers of the orphans' asylum, has gene- 

 rously consented to its public exhibition, for 

 the benefit of that institution, only reserving 

 a free admission to his visiters, and to the 

 tenants of the manor of Rensselaerwyck. 



It is said that a soap is sometimes made 

 in the West Indies from the leaves of this 

 extraordinary plant, and that it will lather 

 witli salt water as well as fresh. The leaves 

 — some of which on the specimen before us, 

 are five feet long — may be used for scouring 

 pewter, &c. The inward, spongy substance 

 of the decayed stalk, is used for tinder ; and 

 the fibres of the leaves, separated by bruis- 

 ing and steeping in water, and afterwards 

 being beaten, make a strong thread for com- 

 mon use. T. 



Philad., 8th mo. 5, 1842. 



If you would save labour, never suffer the 

 grass to get ahead in any crop that needs 

 culture. The old adage, a stitch in time, 

 saves nine, is in no circumstances more to 

 the purpose, than in farming. 



