A L 



time the Flower-ftem of the feventh 



jSort is befet with fmall Heads from 

 Bottom to' Top, which, being taken 

 <)fK, and planted, will grow as well 

 as Suckers from the Roots. 



This Aloe, which, with us, fel- 

 dom makes a very large Plant, hath 

 yet produced Flower-ftems of a con- 

 iiderable Size, and fifteen Feet in 

 Height. The Flowers are little lefs 

 than thofe of the large Sort. I can- 

 not here forbear taking notice of a 

 vulgar Error or two relating to the 

 large American Aloe ; which is, that 

 it never flowers till it is an hundred 

 Years old, which is a Miftake ; fince 

 we have had feveral of them flower 

 in England, fome of which were 

 ! known not to exceed fifty Years old ; 

 I and others, which flowered many 

 I Years ago, cannot be fuppofed to 

 i have been in England fo long as to 

 arrive at that Age, fince they were 

 thought too tender for our Climate 

 at that time, when Green-houfes 

 were not known ; as may be feen by 

 looking into Gerard's and Parkin- 

 fons Herbal s. 



Another common Error is, that 

 when the Flower opem, it makes a 

 Report like that of firing a Gun : 

 this is fufficiently confuted by all 

 thofe who have been where thefe 

 Plants have flowered-; but I fuppofe 

 -the Rife of this Story might proceed 

 from fome Perfoi.s faying, when one 

 of thefe Plants flowered, it made a 

 great Noife ; meaning thereby, that 

 whenever one of them flowered in 

 England, it was fpread abroad as an 

 unco mmon thing, and occasioned a 

 grea Noife among the neighbour- 

 ing Inhabitants, moft of whom ufu- 

 ally repair tc fee it, as a thing that 

 rarely happen , and as a great Cu- 



^Thofe who are fjefirou:: to have 

 this Sort of Aloe flower, may, by 



giving the Plants large Tubs for 

 their Roots to fpread, greatly pro- 

 mote their Growth ; and in propor- 

 tion to the growing of the Plants, 

 their Flowering is haftened. For the 

 Bud being formed in the Centre of 

 the Plants, when the Number of 

 Leaves which enfold it are thrown 

 off, the Stem will advance ; fo that 

 in Spain and Portugal, where the 

 Plants grow fall, they produce Flow- 

 ers in eighteen or twenty Years j and 

 in the IV eft -Indies, where they grow 

 fafter, in feven or eight. 



The African Aloes, for the moll 

 part, afford Plenty of Suckers, by 

 which they are increafed ; but thofe 

 few that do not, may be moft of 

 them propagated, by taking off fome 

 of the Under-leavcs, laying them to 

 dry for a Week or ten Days, as was 

 directed for the OfF-fets ; then plant 

 them in the fame Soil as was direct- 

 ed for them, putting that Part of the- 

 Leaf which did adhere to the old 

 Plant, about an Inch, or an Inch 

 and an half (according to the Size 

 of the Leaf), into the Earth, giving 

 them a little Water to fettle the 

 Earth about them ; then plunge the 

 Pots into a moderate Hot- bed, ob- 

 fervingto fcreenthem from the Vio- 

 lence of the Sun, and give them gen- 

 tle Refrefhings with V/ ater : the beft 

 Seafon for this is in June, that they 

 may pufli out Heads before Winter. 



The Guin-y and Zeylon Aloes have 

 creeping Roots, by which they pro- 

 pagate themfelves fo fad as to fill 

 the Pots with Suckers, whereby the 

 old Plant is often rendered unfight- 

 ly, and is retarded in its Growth : 

 therefore thefe Suckers mould' be 

 frequently taken off ; and by fo do- ' 

 ing the Guiney Aloe will flower : but 

 the ceylon A'oe has not as yet pro- 

 duced any Flowers in Eur.cpe, as I 

 can learn. Thefe are both tender. 



and 



