AMERICAN ALOES. 97 
aloe does not bloom until it is a hundred years old. The 
fact is, that the flowering depends almost wholly on its 
growth. In hot countries it will flower in a few years ; 
but in colder climates, the growth being slower, it is 
necessarily longer in arriving at maturity. The stem 
which bears the blossoms rises from the centre of the 
leaves, and, when the plant is in a vigorous state, it fre- 
quently exceeds the height of twenty feet. An Ame- 
rican aloe in the garden of the king of Prussia was 
forty feet high. Branches issue from every side, and 
in such manner as to form a kind of pyramid, com- 
posed of greenish yellow flowers, which stand erect, 
and are seen in thick clusters at every joint. When in 
full flower, the appearance of this aloe is extremely splen- 
did ; and if the season be favourable, and the plant be 
sheltered from the cold in autumn, a succession of blos- 
soms will sometimes be produced for near three months. 
In the warmer parts of Europe, American aloes are 
cultivated as objects of considerable utility. They are 
frequently grown in rows, as fences, for enclosures, 
particularly in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. In Aigarvia 
the leaves are employed for scouring pewter and other 
kitchen utensils, and floors ; and, cut into slices, are 
used for the feeding of cattle. 
By a certain preparation, the juice of the leaves is 
made into cakes, which are employed for washing, and 
which will lather with salt water as well as with fresh. 
The fibres of the leaves, when properly prepared, may 
be separated into threads that are useful in various 
ways. This separation is sometimes effected by bruising 
and steeping them in water, and afterwards beating them. 
The process, in some parts of Portugal, is, after plucking 
the largest and best leaves, to place them on a square 
board, which a person presses obliquely between his 
breast and the ground, and then scrapes with a square 
iron bar held in both hands. By this operation all the 
juices are pressed out, and only the fibres and some 
of the membranous parts of the leaves remain, which 
are then easily detached. The fibres are employed for 
VOL. n. F 
