ALOES TREE. 193 



in the less open veins ; and the liquor put in shallow flat-bottomed 

 vessels, and dried gradually in the sun, until it acquires a proper 

 consistence. What is obtained in this manner is generally called 

 socotorine aloes, and is the clearest and most transparent, as well 

 as the highest in esteem and value." The method of procuring the 

 common aloes he states to be nearly the same with that mentioned 

 by Mr. Hughes, and lately by Mr. Millington : after a sufficient 

 quantity of juice is drained from the leaves, to make it an object 

 for the boiling house, the last-mentioned gentleman informs us, 

 " three boilers, either of iron or copper, are placed to one fire, 

 though some have but two, and the small planters only one. The 

 boilers are filled with juice, and as it ripens or becomes more inspis- 

 sated, by a cons'ant but regular fire, it is ladled forward from 

 boiler to boiler, and fresh juice is added to that farthest from the 

 fire, till the juice in that nearest to the fire (by much the smallest of 

 the three, and commonly called by the name of tatch, as in the 

 manufactory of sugar) becomes of a proper consistency to be skip- 

 ped or ladled out into gourds, or other small vessels, used for its 

 final reception. The proper time to skip or ladle it out of the 

 tatch, is when it is arrived at what is termed a resin height, or when 

 it cuts freely, or in thin flakes from the edges of a small wooden 

 slice, that is dipped from time to time into the tatch for that pur- 

 pose. A little lime-water is used by some aloe boilers during the 

 process, when the ebullition is too great." He adds, " as to the sun- 

 dried aloes which is most approved for medicinal purposes, very 

 little is made in Barbadoes. The process is however very simple, 

 though extremely tedious. The raw juice is either put into blad- 

 ders, left quite open at top, and suspended in the sun, or in broad 

 shallow trays of wood, pewter, or tin, exposed also to the sun 

 every dry day, until all the fluid parts are exhaled, and a per- 

 fect resin formed, which is then packed up for use, or for expor- 

 tation.' ' 



These accounts of procuring the aloes differ considerably from 

 that given by Dr. Wright, who says, " Hepatic aloes is obtained in 

 the following manner. The plant is pulled up by the roots and 

 carefully cleansed from earth or other impurities. It is then sliced 

 and cut in pieces into small hand-baskets or nets. These nets or 

 baskets are put into large iron boilers with water, and boiled for ten 

 minutes, when they are taken out, and fresh parcels supplied till the 



VOL V. O 



