Am.  Jour.  Pharrn. 
Jan.,  1891. 
Natal  Aloes. 
35 
lass  or  bill-hook,  and  a  trough  similar  to  a  pig-trough,  made  of  6- 
inch  board,  with  square  ends  so  as  to  stand  level,  and  having  on  each 
side  a  rail  at  a  sufficient  height  from  the  top  of  the  trough  to  sup- 
port the  ends  of  the  leaves.  As  the  leaves  are  cut  the  workman 
places  them  on  each  side  of  the  trough,  with  the  cut  end  down- 
wards, and  lays  one  row  over  the  other,  until  the  trough  is  full.  He 
then  fills  in  the  same  manner  a  second  and  a  third  trough,  by  which 
time  the  leaves  in  the  first  are  sufficiently  drained  of  their  juice,  and 
are  taken  off  and  thrown  away,  the  juice  in  the  trough  being  then 
emptied  into  a  bucket.  A  good  hand  will  collect  about  a  bucket- 
ful of  juice  each  day.  I  was  also  informed  that  those  plants  which 
were  most  covered  with  prickles  were  considered  to  be  the  best,  as 
they  were  thought  to  yield  more  juice  than  the  others.  When  suffi- 
cient juice  is  collected  it  is  placed  in  an  iron  pot  or  boiler.  Mr. 
Newmarch  used  an  iron  boiler  holding  about  ioo  gallons,  which 
rested  upon  brickwork,  and  was  provided  with  a  chain  and  lever, 
by  means  of  which  it  could  be  quickly  lifted  from  the  fire  and 
swung  aside  when  the  juice  was  sufficiently  cooked.  As  soon  as  the 
fire  is  lighted  the  attendant  commences  to  stir  the  juice,  which  at 
first  adheres  both  to  the  stirring  stick  and  to  the  sides  of  the  pot, 
but  after  half  an  hour  to  an  hour's  boiling  the  juice  becomes 
thicker,  until  when  it  leaves  the  sides  of  the  pot  quite  clean  it  is 
considered  to  be  sufficiently  cooked,  and  is  quickly  lifted  from  the 
fire  and  at  once  poured  into  the  box,  where  it  is  left  to  cool  before 
being  screwed  down  for  export.  Mr.  Newmarch  also  informed  me 
that  much  carelessness  has  been  shown  in  the  manufacture ;  some  in 
consequence  of  not  having  sufficient  hands  employed,  leaving  the 
juice  too  long  in  the  iron  pots  before  boiling;  some  have  boiled  too 
much  and  others  too  little,  and  he  has  seen  boxes  being  carted 
away  with  the  juice  dripping  through  the  joints  of  the  boxes.  He 
also  informed  me  that  the  manufacture  has  been  carried  on  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  the  yield  of  juice  being  greater  during  the  sum- 
mer months,  but  requiring  more  boiling.  If  it  would  be  any 
advantage  to  you  to  have  plants  of  the  species  alluded  to  here  as 
A.ferox,  from  which  the  sample  of  the  drug  sent  has  been  made, 
and  which  is  undoubtedly  identical  with  the  plant  growing  in  the 
Botanic  Gardens  here,  and  represented  in  Gardeners'  Chronicle,  vol. 
v.,  p.  113,  fig.  14,  I  shall  have  much  pleasure  in  obtaining  for  you, 
either  small  plants  or  a  moderately-sized  trunk,  whichever  you  may 
