AGE 



AGE 



edged leaves have yet blossomed. There 

 are hedges of the common agave in Spain, 

 Portugal, Sic;!y, and Calabria ; it flourish- 

 es also ubout Naples, and in other parts 

 of Italy. The juice of the leaves, strain- 

 ed, and reduced to a thick consistence, 

 by being exposed to the sun, may be 

 made up into balls by means of lye-ashes. 

 It will lather with salt water as well as 

 fresh. The leaves, instead of passing 

 between the rollers of a mill, may be 

 pounded in a wooden mortar, and the 

 juice brought to a consistence by the sun, 

 or by boiling. A gallon of juice will yield 

 about a pound of soft extract. The leaves 

 are also used for scouring pewter, or 

 other kitchen utensils, and floors. In Al- 

 garvia, where pasture is scarce, they are 

 cut in thin transverse slices, and given to 

 cattle. The inward substance of the de- 

 cayed stalk will serve for tinder. The 

 fibres of the leaves, separated by braising 

 and steeping in water, and afterwards 

 beating them, will make a thread for com- 

 mon uses. Varieties of the common 

 American agave, with gold and silver 

 striped leaves, are not now uncommon in 

 the English gardens. The Karatto agave 

 is a variety brought from St. Christo- 

 pher's, and the name is given to other 

 species of this genus, and has leaves from 

 2 J to 3 feet long, and about 3 inches broad, 

 ending in a black spine, and more erect 

 than those of the others. This sort has 

 not flowered in England. Linnaeus has 

 separated this genus from the aloe, be- 

 cause the stamina and style are extended 

 much longer than the corolla, and the 

 corolla rests upon the germ. Besides, 

 all the agaves have their central leaves 

 closely folding over each other, and em- 

 bracing the flower-stem in the centre ; so 

 that these never flower till all the leaves 

 are expanded, and when the flower is past, 

 the plants die. Whereas the flower-stem 

 of the aloe is produced on one side of the 

 centre, annually, from the same plant, and 

 the leaves are more expanded than in this 

 genus. 



AGE, in horsemanship, makes a consi- 

 derable point of knowledge, the horse 

 being an animal that remarkably shews 

 the progress of his years by correspon- 

 dent alterations in his body. We have 

 the chief characteristics from his teeth. 

 The first year he has only small grinders 

 and gatherers, of abrightish colour, which 

 are called foal's teeth. The second year 

 he changes his four foremost teeth, viz. 

 two above, and two below, and they ap- 

 pear browner and bigger than the rest. 

 The third year he changes the teeth next 



these, leaving no apparent foal's teeth be- 

 fore, but two above, and two below, on 

 each side, which are all bright and small. 

 The fourth year he changes the teeth next 

 these, and leaves no more foal's teeth be- 

 fore, but one above and below, on each 

 side. The fifth year his foremost teeth 

 are all changed, and the tushes on each 

 side are complete ; and those which sue- 

 ceed the last foal's teeth are hollow, with 

 a small black speck in the middle, which 

 is called the mark in the horse's mouth, 

 and continues till he is eight years old. 

 The sixth year there appear new tushes, 

 near which is visible some young flesh, at 

 the bottom of the tush, the tushes being 

 white, small, short, and sharp. The se- 

 venth year his teeth are at their full 

 growth, and the mark in his mouth ap- 

 pears very plain. At eight all his teeth 

 are full, plain, and smooth, and the black 

 mark but just discernible, the tushes 

 looking more yellow than ordinary. The 

 ninth, his foremost teeth shew longer, 

 broader, yellower, and fouler, than before, 

 the mark quite disappearing, and the 

 tushes bluntish. At ten no holes are felt 

 on the inside of the upper tushes, which, 

 till then, are easily felt. At eleven his 

 teeth are very long, yellow, black, and 

 foul, and stand directly opposite each, 

 other. At twelve the teeth of his upper 

 jaw hang over those of his under. At 

 thirteen his tushes are worn almost close 

 to his chaps, if he has been much ridden ; 

 otherwise they will be long, black, and 

 foul. 



AGE likewise denotes certain periods 

 of the duration of the world. Thus, 

 among Christian chronologers, we meet 

 with the age of the law of nature, which 

 comprehends the whole time between 

 Adam and Moses ; the age of the Jewish 

 law, which takes in all the time from Mo- 

 ses to Christ ; and lastly, the age of grace, 

 or the number of years elapsed since the 

 birth of Christ. 



Among ancient historians, the duration 

 of the world is also subdivided into cer- 

 tain periods, called ages 4 ; of which they 

 reckon three : the first, reaching from the 

 creation to the deluge, which happened 

 in Greece, during the reign of Ogyges, is 

 called the obscure or uncertain age ; the 

 history of mankind, during that period, 

 being altogether uncertain. The second, 

 called the tabulous or heroic, terminates 

 at the first olympiad; where the third, or 

 historical, age commences. 



The ancient poets also divided the du- 

 ration of the world into four ages, or pe- 

 riods : the first of which thev called the 



