Am.  Joub.  Pharm.  1 
Oct.  1, 1871.  J 
Sapo?iaceous  Plants, 
459 
Karatu),  were  pressed  between  heavy  rollers  to  express  the  juice, 
which,  after  being  btrained  through  a  hair  cloth,  was  merely  inspis- 
sated by  the  action  of  the  sun,  or  a  sIoav  fire,  and  cast  into  balls  or 
cakes.  The  only  precaution  deemed  necessary  was  to  prevent  the 
mixture  of  any  unctuous  materials,  which  destroyed  the  efficacy  of  the 
soap.  Another  vegetable  soap,  which  has  been  found  excellent  for 
washing  silk,,  etc.,  may  be  thus  obtained  :  To  one  part  of  the  cake  add 
one  and  a  half  part  of  the  before-named  Agave  KaratUy  macerated  in 
one  part  of  boiling  water  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  with  the  extract 
from  this  decoction  mix  4  per  cent,  of  rosin. 
In  Peru,  the  leaves  of  the  Maguey  Agave  are  used  instead  of  soap  ; 
the  clothes  are  wetted,  and  then  beaten  with  a  leaf  that  has  been 
crushed  ;  a  thick  white  froth  is  produced,  and  after  rinsing  the  clothes 
are  quite  clean.  The  pulpy  matter  contained  in  the  hard  kernel  of  a 
tree,  called  locally  Bel  Jahoncillo^  is  also  used  there  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. On  being  mixed  with  water,  it  produces  a  white  froth.  In  Bra- 
zil, soap  is  made  from  the  ashes  of  the  bassena  or  broom  plant  [Sida 
lanceolata),  which  abounds  with  alkali.  There  are  also  some  barks 
and  pods  of  native  plants  used  for  soaps  in  China.  The  soap  plant 
(Amole)  of  California,  Phalangiimi  pomeridianiim^  is  stated  by  Mr. 
Edwin  Bryant  to  be  exceedingly  useful.  The  bulbous  root,  which  is 
the  saponaceous  portion,  resembles  the  onion,  but  possesses  the  quality 
of  cleansing  linen  equal  to  any  olive  soap  manufactured. 
From  a  paper  read  before  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History, 
it  appears  that  this  soap  plant  grows  all  over  California.  The  leaves 
make  their  appearance  about  the  middle  of  November,  or  about  six 
weeks  after  the  rainy  season  has  fairly  set  in ;  the  plants  never  grow 
more  than  a  foot  high,  and  the  leaves  and  stalk  drop  entirely  off  in  May, 
though  the  bulbs  remain  in  the  ground  all  the  summer  without  decay- 
ing. It  is  used  to  wash  with  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  by  those 
who  know  its  virtues  it  is  preferred  to  the  best  of  soap.  The  method 
of  using  it  is  merely  to  strip  off  the  husk,  dip  the  clothes  into  the 
water,  and  rub  the  bulb  on  them.  It  makes  a  thick  lather,  and  smells 
not  unlike  brown  soap. 
At  St.  Nicholas,  one  of  the  Cape  Verde  Islands,  they  make  a  soap 
from  the  oil  of  Jatropha  Curcds  seeds,  and  the  ashes  of  the  burnt 
papaw-tree  leaf.  The  oil  and  ashes  are  mixed  in  an  iron  pot  heated 
over  a  fire,  and  stirred  until  properly  blended.  When  cool  it  is  rolled 
up  into  balls  about  the  size  of  a  six-pound  shot,  looking  much  like  our 
