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dcrable Age, and this but oiiC€ 

 during the Life of the Plant,- for 

 when the Flower-ftem begins to 

 fhoot from the Middle of the 

 Plant (which, for the moft Part, 

 is of a large Size, and grows to a 

 great Height) it draws all the 

 Moifture and Nourifhment from 

 the Leaves, Co that, as that ad- 

 vances, the Leaves decay j and 

 when the Flowers are fully 

 blown, fcarce any of the Leaves 

 remain alive j but whenever this 

 happens, the old Root fends forth 

 a numerous Quantity of OiF-fets 

 for Increafej and it is not till 

 this Time, that fome of thefe 

 Sorts can be increas'd, efpecially 

 the feventh Sort, which never 

 produces any young Plants until 

 it flowers, at which Time the 

 Flower-flcm is befet with fmall 

 Heads from Bottom to Top, 

 which being taken off, and plant- 

 ed, will grow as well as Suckers 

 from the Roots. 



This Aloet which, with us, 

 feldom makes a very large Plant, 

 hath yet produced Flower-ftems 

 of a confiderabic Siz,e, and fifteen 

 Foot in Height. The Flowers 

 are little lefs than thofe of the 

 large Sort. I can't here forbear 

 taking Notice of a vulgar Error 

 or two relating to the large Ame- 

 rican AUey which is, that it ne- 

 ver flowers until it is an hundred 

 Years old, which is a Miflake j 

 iince we have had fevcral of them 

 flower in England , {bme of which 

 were known not to exceed nfty 

 Years old ; and ochers, which 

 flower'd many Years ago, cannot 

 be luppos'd to have been in Eng- 

 land lb long as to arrive at that 

 Age, iince they were thought too 

 tender for our Climate at that 

 Tinae, when Green-houfes were 

 not known i as icay be feen by 



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looking mto Gerard's and Farkinh' 



fin's Herbals. 



Another common Error is, that 

 when the Flower opens, it makes 

 a Report like that of firing a Gun : 

 This is fufficiently confuted by 

 all thofe, who have been where 

 thefe Plants have flower'd : But I 

 fuppofe the Rife of this Story might 

 proceed from fome Perfons faying, 

 when one of thefe Plants flower'd, 

 it made a great Noife j meaning 

 thereby, that whenever one of 

 them flower'd in England, it was 

 fpread abroad as an uncommon 

 Thing, and occafion'd a great Noife 

 amongft the neighbouring Inhabi- 

 tants j moft of whom ufually repair 

 to fee it, as a Thing, that rarely 

 happens, and asa greatCuriolity. 



The African Aloes do for the moft 

 Part afford Plenty of Suckers, by 

 which they are increas'd : But thofe 

 few, that do not, may be mofl of 

 them propagated by taking off fome 

 of the under Leaves, laying them to 

 dry for three or four Days, as was 

 direded for the Off-fets j then plant 

 them in the fame Soil, as was direc- 

 ted for them, putting that Part of 

 the Leaf, which did adhere to the 

 old Plant, about an Inch, or an Inch 

 and half ( according to the Size of 

 the Leaf) into the Earth, giving 

 them a lit le Water to fettle the Earth 

 about thcra •-, then plunge the Pots 

 into a moderate Hot-bed, obferving 

 to fcreenthem from the Violence of 

 the Sun, and give them gentle Re- 

 frefhings with Water : The beft Sea- 

 foii for this is in Jtmej that they may 

 pufh out Heads before Winter. 



ALOIDES i Boerh. Ind. Stratio- 

 tes foliis Aloes femine longo. Gund, 

 Raii Syn. The Water AloCy or 

 Frefh- water Soldier. 



This Plant is found in large fland- 



ing Waters in the Ille o'iEly, and in 



Uncolnjlnre j but will not grow in a 



Gardens 



