ON THE HABITS AND CULTURE OF THE ALOE. 



81 



chopped off; both are at times liable to "damp off" or decay 

 at the root. 



Aloes are found growing in all kinds of soils — rich alluvial soil, 

 leaf mould, red clay, yellow clay, hard limestone soil, brake soil, 

 sandy soil ; in fact every description of soil that occurs in South 

 Africa has its Aloe or Aloes, provided always that it is rocky ; 

 for, as far as my observation extends, they do not grow where 

 there are no rocks, neither will they continue to thrive for any 

 length of time if they are planted in such localities. I attribute 

 the great mortality among garden Aloes to this fact ; it is not be- 

 cause the soils are unsuitable ; for, as I have before stated, they 

 will grow in almost any description of soil, if it be rocky. 



I would therefore advise all who wish to cultivate these plants 

 successfully, in the first place to excavate a moderate-sized hole, 

 say from a foot to two feet in depth and breadth (according to 

 the size of the specimen you are intending to plant) ; fill this hole 

 with rocks, allowing some of them to project out of the ground 

 (these should, if possible, be ornamental) ; then plant your Aloe 

 amongst these rocks, fixing it in an upright position until you 

 find that it will stand alone, then fill up the interstices with soil ; 

 any moderately good soil will answer the purpose. Do not be too 

 liberal in your supply of water, especially at first ; if the soil is 

 moist, the Aloe will require no water at all. 



After some time has elapsed, if you find that your plant is look- 

 ing red and unhealthy, its root should be examined ; for it may have 

 decayed ; and if this is the case, it should be taken up again, and 

 the decayed parts carefully removed or cut away, until you arrive 

 at the sound and healthy part of the stem : the Aloe should then 

 be placed in the sun for several days (if the specimen is large and 

 succulent, for several weeks), to dry and harden, before it is again 

 put into the earth. It does not follow that the plant should be 

 altogether lost because it has decayed at the root ; for Aloes may 

 be planted again and again, " even until seventy times seven," 

 always taking the same precautionary measures. 



Moreover you will find that Aloes will sometimes decay at 

 the heart, or from that portion of the stem whence spring 

 the young growing leaves ; this may be from two causes, viz. 

 water lodging amongst the too crowded leaves, or the larva of 

 some insect that feeds upon that portion of the plant. An Aloe 

 thus affected should have the greater portion of its leaves re- 

 moved, and the diseased parts cut away, and the wound carefully 



