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A vegetable soap was prepared from the leaves which was found as detergent as Castille soap for washing linen, and had the superior quality of uniting and forming a lather with salt water as well as fresh.
The Agave Americana is extensively grown in Mexico for the sake of the juice of the stalk, from which a fermented intoxicating drink called pulque is made. The substance yielding the alcohol is a sugar, which may be isolated by the following process : — The juice is first treated with alcohol (2 Vols. 90 per cent.) and filtered ; basic lead acetate is next added to the solution, which is again filtered, the excess of lead being subsequently removed from the filtrate by means of hydrogen sulphide ; the clear liquid is now evaporated to a syrup under diminished pressure, and left to crystallise in a warm place.
Agavose,C12H22O14, is an inactive sugar, which reduces alkaline copper tartrate, and yields a laevogyrate sugar ([a] y= —14.43) on inversion. It is oxidised by nitric acid, but not to mucic acid, and forms a soluble lime compound, which is precipitated by alcohol or by heating.— J. ch. S. LXIV., pt., I. (1893) p. 64.
1261. Curculigo orchioldes, Gœrtn., h.f.b.i., vi. 279. Roxb. 288.
Sans. : — Mushali.
Vern. : — Kâli-mûsli, siyâh. mûsli (Hind.); Kâli-mûsli (Guz.); Nilap-tali-gaddalu (Tel.) ; Nelappanakizhanna (Mal.) ; Talura (Beng.); Musar Kand (Gond.).
Habitat : — Common in most parts of India.
Boot-stock stout, or elongate, with copious, fleshy root-fibres. Leaves sessile, 6-18 by ½-lin., linear to lanceolate, acuminate, membranous, 5-veined ; tips sometimes rooting or reaching the ground, glabrous or softly sparsely hairy ; base sheathing ; scape very short, clavate, with the pedicels, bracts, and ovary hidden amongst the leaf-sheaths, flattened ; raceme subcorymbiform. Flowers bright-yellow, subdistichous, lowest in the raceme perfect, upper male ; bracts lanceolate, membranous ; perianth produced above the ovary in a filiform, hairy, very slender stripes 1/12-lin. long, which alone with the perianth segments appear above ground ; segments ½-⅔in., long, oblong-ovate, acute, dorsally hairy ; stamens small ; filaments short ; anthers linear ; ovary lanceolate ; cells 6-8-ovuled ; style short. Fruit oblong,