A G A 



A G A 



enumerated by Martyn sire fix, ami in the I.innynn fyllem 



bv Gmelin ieven. The- firft is the A. y/iiurifiim't '"' tJre;it 



American aloe, whofe ftems, when vijrorous, rife upwards 



of twenty feet hijrli, (one in the king of Pruffin's garden 



rofe to 40 feet), and brancii out on every fule, fo as to form 



a kind of pyramid, compoied ot greenilh yellow flowers, 



which ftand ereft and come out in tliiek chifters at every 



joint. The iecds do not come to malnnty in England. 



NVhen this plant flowers, it makes a beautiful appearance ; 



and if it be protcfted from the cold in autunm, a fuccefiion 



of new flowers will be produced tor near three months, in 



favourable feafons. It lias been a common error, tliat this 



plant does not flower till it is 100 years old : the truth is, tlrdt 



the flowering depends on its growth ; fo that in hot countries 



it will flower in a few years ; but in colder climates the 



growth is flower, and it will be much longer before it fhoots 



up a ftem. The firft European who pulflfled an American 



aloe, is f^id to have been Cortufus, who had one in 1561 ; 



and Parkinfon reports that it was firft brought into ?jpain. 



The firfl that flowered in I'^ngland is laid to have been Mr. 



Cowell's, at Hoxton, in 1729, but they have occurred (o 



often lince that time, that they are now fcarcely confidered 



as rarities. Few of the variety with yellow-edged leaves 



have yet bloflbmed. There are hedges of the common agave 



in Spain, Portugal, Sicily and Calabria ; it flourilhes alfo 



about Naples, and in other parts of Italy. The juice of 



the leaves, ftrained, and reduced to a thick conliitence by 



being expofed to the fun, may be made up into balls, by 



means of lye-afhes. It will lather witl\ lalt-water as well as 



frefli. The leaves, inflead of pafTmg between the rollers of 



a mill, may be pounded in a wooden mortar, and the juice 



brought to a confiftence by the fun or by boiling. A gallon 



of juice will yield about a pound of fott extratt. The leaves 



are alfo ufcd for feouring pewter, or other kitchen uten- 



fils, and floors. In Algarvia, where paflure is Icarce, they 



are cut in thin tranfverfe llices, and given to cattle. The 



inward fubtlance of the decayed ftalk will ferve for tinder. 



The fibi'es of the leaves, feparated by bruillng and fteeplng 



in water, aud afterwards beating them, will make a thread 



for common ufes. The proeefs for this purpofe at Louie, in 



Portugal is as follows : Having plucked the largely and bcfl 



leaves, one of them is laid on a fquare board whitli a perfon 



prefTcs obliquely between his breall and the ground, and he 



fcrapes it with a fquare iron bar held in both hands ; thus 



all the juices aud pulp are prelTed out, and the nerves of the 



leaf only remain, wliich may then be divided into very fine 



threads. Thcfe are hung over a thin cord to d, /. This 



thread is not flrong, and catily rots in water, but it conlills 



of ftraight fibres, and is applicable to many purpofes. 



I^ink's Travels in Portugal by Hinckley, p. 445. Varieties of 



the common American agave, with gold and I'llverilripedleaves, 



are not now uricommon in the Englifli gardens. The Ka- 



ratto agave is a variety brought from St. Chrillopher's, and 



the name is given to other fpeeies of this genus, and has leaves 



from 2^ feet to ^ long, and about 3 inches broad, ending in a 



black, fpine, and more erect than thofe of the others. Tliis 



fort has not flowered in England. 2. A. vivipara, or childiii^ 



agave or aloe, flemlefs, witli toothed leaves, never grows to a 



kirge fize; as it produces no fuckers from the root, it cannot 



be increnfed till it flowers. This plant grows in St. Domingo 



and Jamaica, and its rcfinous juxe forms a part of the 



caballine aloes of the fhops. It was firfl cultivated bv Mr. 



Miller, in 1 73 I. 3. A. ■I'/V-if/K/iv; relcinbles the tlrll fo much 



as not to be dillinguifliable from it, except bv good judges. 



The leaves are narrower and of a paler colour ; the flems are 



not io high, nor do they branch in the fame manner ; but 



the f.owcrs arc colleclcd into a clufe head at the top. It 



Vou I. 



was introduced in l7»')j, into the Kew garden, by Mr. J. 

 Cree. 4. A. luriJa has two varieties, •vm. the Vera-Cm-:. 

 agave, which refeinbles the firfl, with thinner leaves, in- 

 dentures at the edges much clofer and not fb deep, and 

 blacker fpines ; and the ri^^ii/ ov ruirrotu-/eairrf ag'Ave, w th 

 long, narrow, flifl" leaves, entire and terminated by a flirt" 

 black fpine. It was cultivated in 173 I, by Mr. Miller. 5. 

 A. tuhrofii, or tuberous-rooted agave, has the leaves in- 

 dented at their edges, and each indenture tenninates in a 

 fpine ; the root is thick, and fwells e-loie above the fuili.ce 

 of the ground ; in other lefpeC^s it agrees with the 1. il 

 fjiecies ; it has two varieties, viz. \\\i: fiigl<-lhonii-d and dvittU- 

 thrirncd :\g'A\i:. It grows in the Antilles, and has been cul- 

 tivated at Pans under the name of A. an^ufi'ifoUa. 6. .'\. 

 fostlihi has long, narrow, flifV leaves, of a pale green colour, 

 waved on tlieir edges, thofe on the fide fpread open, and 

 thofe in the centre clofely folded over each other, and encom- 

 pafling the bud. The juice of the leaves has a bad iiiiell. 

 It is feldom more than 3 feet high, but the Hower flem 

 rifes near 20, and branches out in the manner of the firll, 

 but more horizontally, and the flowers are fmaller and of a 

 greener colour. This fpeeies grows in the woods of St. 

 Domingo. A plant of this fpeeies, which flowered in 1755, 

 and then died, was cultivated in if'oo in the Royal garden at 

 Hampton Court. Of the leaves are formed ropes and various 

 kinds of cloth, which fervc for garments and oth.er purpofes. 

 7. A. cubeiijh has ciliato-fpinofc leaves and an hcxapetalouii 

 corolla. M. La Marck makes this a variety of the A. 

 mexicana, X.\\i Metl, or Maguei of the Mexicans; it grows in 

 Mexico and the illand of Cuba. The mucilaginous juice 

 is ufed as foap for wafliing, and the leaves are formed into 

 a thread, which fenes them for ropes, cloth, and other ufes. 



The firll and third fpeeies are hardy. Thofe of the 

 fonner fort will bear the open air in mild feafons ; but 

 require being flickered in the winter. They are propag.ited 

 byofffets. The third fpeeies generally puts out fuckeis 

 enough for propagation. They fliould be planted in pota 

 filled with light fandy earth, houfed in winter, and have 

 little wet. In the fiimmer they may be expofed totheope.i 

 air, and remain thus tUi October. The Vera-Cruz agave (liould 

 be longer in the houfe, as it is more tender. The fecond, 

 fourth and fixth, never produce off-fets or fuckers from 

 the root ; but when they flower, there will be abundance of 

 them ; but they may be propagated by taking off fome ot 

 the larger roots, when the plants are fhifted. The ieconc., 

 fifth and listh, with the Karatto and rigid agavef, aie 

 more tender than the others, and cannot be prefcrved in 

 winter, unlefs tliey are placed iji a warm flove, nor will t!i;y 

 thrive if fet abro:'.d in the funimcr. They require a light fandy 

 earth, and fliould have little wet in winter; but in fun iner tluy 

 maybe gently watered twice a week. They muft be Ihifh d 

 every furamer into frcfli pots ; but the pots iliould Lj lm:ill, 

 that their roots may be confined ; otherwife t'ji plants wjl! 

 not thrive. I^iniueushas feparated this genus fiomthe .\rOf:, 

 becaufe the Itamiua and ftyle are extended much longer than 

 the corolla, and the corolla refts upon the geim. Beiidis, 

 all the agaves have their central leaves, elofelv folding over 

 each other, and embracing the fluwcr-ftem in tlie centre ; fo 

 that thcfe never flower till all the leave? are expanded, ar.d 

 when the floweris paft, the plants die. Whereas the fiovvcr- 

 flem of the aloe is produced on one fide of the centre, an- 

 nually from the fame plant, aud the leaves are more expanded 

 than in this genus. Ivlartrn's Miller's Di^t. 



Ac Av t, in Ahtholrj^^y, the name of one of the 50 Ntreids. 



AoAvF, in Niilurtil Hiflorv, a fpeeies of Papilio 2i?- 

 naus, with roundifh yellow wings ; the anterior black above 

 and brown below. It is found in Cayenne. 



3 D AGAVI, 



