34 
Natal  Aloes. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan.,  1891. 
before  July.  Mr.  Newmarch,  Jr.,  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  drug,  very  kindly  accompanied  me  to  the  "  Thorns," 
and  pointed  out  places  where  the  manufacture  had  been  carried  on, 
the  whole  country,  both  on  the  level  ground  and  far  up  the  hill-sides, 
being  thickly  covered  with  the  plants,  so  thickly,  that  making  our 
way  between  them  on  horseback  was  often  a  matter  of  difficulty. 
The  average  height  of  the  mature  stem  was  8  to  10  feet,  but  Mr. 
Newmarch  informed  me  that  they  are  frequently  met  with  from  15 
to  20  feet  high.  As  to  the  species,  it  is  undoubtedly  the  one  which 
has  always  been  known  to  me  as  A.  ferox,  with  perhaps  a  few  of 
the  variety  subferox,  and  in  the  district  which  I  visited  it  is  quite 
certain  that  no  other  species  has  been  used  in  the  manufacture.  Mr. 
Newmarch,  Jr.,  however,  informed  me  that  across  the  Mooi  River, 
and  in  the  direction  of  Weenen,  another  species  is  found  in  moder- 
ate quantity,  and  its  leaves  have  been  used,  but  whether  alone  or 
mixed  with  those  of  A.  ferox  I  am  unable  to  say;  we  were  not, 
however,  able  to  find  even  a  single  specimen  of  this  plant,  and  the 
time  at  my  disposal  would  not  allow  of  my  visiting  the  Weenen 
country  on  this  occasion.  The  plant  was  described  to  me  as  being 
equal  to  A.  ferox  in  size,  the  leaves  light  green  or  glaucous,  prickly 
on  the  edge,  but  without  any  prickles  on  either  surface,  and  the 
flowers  red.  I  regret  very  much  not  having  been  able  to  meet  with 
it.  I  forward  by  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Newmarch,  Sr.,  a  small  speci- 
men of  the  drug,  made  about  two  years  ago,  from  the  plants  which 
I  saw,  and  which  is  certainly  unmixed  with  the  juice  of  any  other 
species  than  the  one  known  to  me  as  A.  ferox,  the  sample  being 
taken  from  a  full  box  opened  by  Mr.  Newmarch  for  the  purpose. 
Mr.  Newmarch  pointed  out  to  me  in  his  garden  another  species 
which  he  believed  had  been  sometimes  used,  and  which  was  said  to 
yield  a  lighter  colored  juice;  but  other  persons  said  that  they  had 
never  seen  or  heard  of  its  being  used,  nor  is  it  at  all  plentiful  in  the 
district  where  the  drug  is  made,  seeming  to  prefer  the  tops  of  the 
hills,  while  A.  ferox  is  more  plentiful  in  the  valleys  and  along  the 
hill-sides.  I  send  a  photograph  of  a  plant  of  this  species  taken  in 
the  Botanic  Gardens,  and  plants  or  cuttings  can  be  sent  at  any  time 
desired.  I  think,  however,  that  its  leaves  have  not  been  used, 
except  perhaps  accidentally.  The  process  of  manufacture  as 
described  to  me  by  Mr.  Newmarch,  Sr.,  is  as  follows  :  Each  work- 
man is  provided  with  a  stout  leather  glove  for  the  left  hand,  a  cut- 
