Page 10 - AHATA

A14 LOCAL
Tuesday 12 November 2019

The Aloe industry of Aruba Episode XLIII

ORANJESTAD— Aloe led a thriving existence on our island where it was
introduced around 1840; limestone soil and dry weather were the best
conditions for aloe to thrive. Of the 500+ species, only a few were used
traditionally as herbal medicines, Aloe Vera being the most commonly
used species.

1 Aloe barbadensis with its’s yellow flowers @ Etnia Nativa garden

The Aruba aloe also known as ‘barb- be reduced by evaporation. This re-
aloin’, has an aloin content of 22 ducing of the sap to resin took place
percent bitter, yellow-brown colored in open brass pots of about 200 liters
compound noted in the exudate of content. The thick liquid was subse-
at least 68 Aloe species, whereas the quently ladled into oil-boxes where 2 Aloe drip system
content of the aloe elsewhere in the it cooled off and coagulated into a
world is supposed to average 15 per- mass which contracted to a consider-
cent at the highest. able degree. Such a box contained
From March to June the harvest is 57.5 kilos of resin. Sometimes the resin
brought in, a very suitable time for was poured into calabashes, in which
Aruba since this is the dry season, dur- packing slightly higher prices could
ing which in the seventeenth century be made. Today modern aloe
and virtually till about 1928, there was products are made locally.
little employment.
Mr. Laurens Oduber was once one
The resin-sap, called ‘azeta’ in Pa- of the main exporters of this coveted
piamento, what stands for oil, was resin owning vast pieces of land sur-
allowed to leak from the plants. The rounding Oranjestad. The aloe resin
thick pulpy leaves sharply dentate at was sent abroad, most of it by far to
the edges were laid in drip-troughs, New York, but also to Texas, Hamburg
sloping gutters consisting of two and London.
boards. Payment for this heavy work About 1890 prices began to fall and in
was made by the gallon; hence de- 1900 no more than three dollar cents
ceit was sometimes practiced by per pound could be obtained. Nev- 3 Old times of aloe recollection
thinning the sap. It was transported in ertheless during this period aloe-grow-
small lidded casks, strapped on don- ing was continued on Aruba though it Continued on Page 15
keys in pairs, to the boiling -pots, to was impossible to make profits.