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Show ME ME Incultivating this Plant, the Ground fhould be well plough’d and drets’d, and the Rows of Cornplaced fouror five Feet afunder, and about two Feet afunder in the Rows; {o that with a {mall Breaft-Plough the Ground may be often ftirr’'d, whereby the Weeds will be intirely deftroy’d ; which, if duly obferv’d while the Plants are young, there will be no occafion to repeat it, after theyare got up toa Height; for then the Plants will prevent the Growth of W eeds, by overfhadowing the ; whole Ground. ‘The beft time to plant thefe Seeds is in the Beginning of April, when the Weather is fettled ; for if it be fown too foon, the cold Nights and wet Weather often deftroy the Seeds ; and if it be fowntoo late, and the Autumnfhould prove bad, it would not ripen well. The large Sort, when cultivated as a Curiofity, fhould be fown upon a moderate Hot-bed in the Beginning of March; and in the Middle of Apri/ they thould be carefully traniplanted where they are to remain ; and if the Seaion proves favourable, the Seeds will ripen very well: but without being thus early raisd, this Sort feldom comes to muchin this Country. MEADOWSAFFRON; vide Colchicum. MEDICA; [This Plant takes its Name from Media, (as Pliny writes) 3 becaufe that when Darius Hyfta/pis carry’d his Armyinto Greece, he had with him a great manySacks of this Seed for Provender for his Cattle, and fo the Seeds came to be {catter’d in Greece. This Plant is much cultivated in France, and there it is call’d Burgundian Hay: It is more filling and nutritious than double the Quantity ofGra/s; and the Herds, by that means, become very plethorick, fo that they require Blood-letting the oftner.] Medick, or La Lucerne. The Characters are ; Tt hath a papihonaceous (or Butterfly) Flower, out of whofe Kmpalementrifes the Pointal, which afterwards becomes an intorted Pod fomewhat like a Ram’s Horn, in whichare lodg’d KidneyShap'd Seeds. The Species are ; 1. Mepica ; major erettior, floribus purpu- rafcentibus. F. B. Greater Upright Medick, or La Lucerne, with p.rplith Flowers. Mepica ; major, erettior, flovibus ex Yellow Flowers mix’d, Thete Plants do not greatly differ from each other but in the Colour of their Flowers T think that with the Violet-colour’d ; tho’ Flower produces the largett Leaves, and ftrongeft Shoots; and that with the yellow Flowers, 7 fi call’d Fanum Burgundiacum, i.e, Burgundiay Hay. But there is little Room to doubt of this being the Medica of Virgil, Columella, Pal. Jadius, and other ancient Writers of Husban- dry, who have not been wanting to extol the Goodnefs of this Fodder, and haye given Di. rection for the Cultivation of it in thofe Countries where theyliy’d. But notwithftanding it was fo much commended bythe Antients, and hath been cul- tivated to fo good Purpofé by our Neighbours in France and Switzerland for many Years, it hath not as yet found Reception in ll feed very kindly upon the dry’d the Excefs of which is by manyPeo} to be very dangerous: But it is {2 ceedi ood for Milch Cattle, to p Quantity o Milk; and is alfo fa with Hor : 7 z il feed upon ir. f y all thofe te of this Plant, are very imperfect, fuch as if practis’d in this Counwill be found intirely w: r for moft ed with » Cas is practis’d for Clover) ; Vay it feldom comes up well, and ses, it will draw up fo weak by growthe Corn, as not to be recover » if ever it can be broug! ers have directed h, moift S i fown upona found to be our Country, in any confiderable Quantity : Tho’ it is evident, it will fucceed as well in Englandas in either of the before mention’d Countries, being extreme hardy, and refifting the fevereft Cold of our Climate: Nay, I have had the Seeds which have happen’d to be {catter’d upon the Ground in Autumn, come up and endure the Cold of a jevere Winter, and make very ftrong Plants. About the Year 1650, the Seeds thereof were brought over from France, and fown in England: but whether for want of Skill in its Culture, wherebyit did not fucceed, or that the People were fo fond of going on in their old beaten Road, as not to try the Experi- 1 in which this Plant is found beft in this Country, isa light fandy Land, whi fhould be and drefs’d, anc 7 ots of all I c; dethe was at leaft ten Ye ell cultivated Years, and be equally a fe | continue many firft fown, for the Roots do down very deep in the Ground Soil be dry; and although they ff ard Gravel a Foot below the § their Roots would penetrate it and mak Way downward, as I have experienc’d cen up fomeof them which wer Feet into a Rock of Gravel, which was fo hard as not to be loofen’d without Mattocks and Crows of Iron, and that with much Dif ficulty. The Reafon for dire@ing this Seed to be fown in Rows, is, that the Plants may have Room to grow; and for the better {tirring the Ground between them, to deftroy the Weeds, and encourage the Growth of the Plants, which may be very eafily effected with a {mall Breaft-Plough jJutt after the cutting the Crop each time, which will caufe them to fhoot againin a very little time, and be much ftronger than in fuch Places where the Ground cannot be ftirred: But you can’t pretend to ufe a Plough the firft Seafon amonett it, until the Plants have taken good Root in the Ground; therefore when they firft come up, the Ground between fhould be hoed: And i ing of this you cut up the Plants wh thick, it will caufe the remai much tea ig as the Weeds are produc always to do it in or in a ra ment, whether it would fucceed here, or not, was the Occafionofits being intirely neglected in England, I cannot fay. However, | hope, before 1 quit this Article, to Countries, fuch as the Spanifh Wef-Indies, &c. where it is the chief Fodder for their Cattle at this time, theycut it every Month, whereas in cold Countr’es it is feldom cut oftner than two or three times a Year. And it is verylikely that this Plant will be of great Service to the Inhabitants of Barbadoes, [4 maica, and the other hot Iflands in theif Indies, particularly about Lina, where vated. ral of donein moift Weather Vv again 1is Manager the fhould a give fuch Directions for its Culture, as will encourage the People of England to make farther ‘Trial ofthis valuable Plant, which growsin the greateft Hear, and alfo in very cold Countries, with this Difference only, that in very hot ere ern cae ct or oe more‘ to the rierent orBe two Feet Method I would dire& for the fe Seeds, is follows : ter having > Ground very fine, you fhould nake 4 I quite acrofs the Ground about an i nch deep, into which the Seeds fhould be { tterd very thin; then cover them over ut h 1 Inch or fomewhat more ginning of 4ugu/, when the ppear ; at whic to do it inadry ; d, that it may carry’d off the Ground, for the Roots, it will prevent their fhooting again After the Cropis taken off {tir the ud sround between the R Breaft: ill tk Veeds and loofen the § which will caufe the Plants to fhoot again in a fhore time, 4 by i ; cut it every Week, and bring it into the MA ; ket to fell, and is there the only Fodder cuit! 4. G Trefle ; and by feveral Botanick Writers it jg cerne, with yellow Flowers. floribus, vio- violaceo 8 luteo mixtis. Tourn. Greater Upright Medick, or La Lucerne, with Violet and dd originally from Media, and from thence had its N ame Medica : It is bythe Spaniards call’d Alf afa ; by the £ ‘ ch, La Lucerne, and Grande daceis. Tourn. Greater Upright Medick, or La Lucerne, with Violet-colour’d Flowers, 3. Mevica; major, ereétior, floribus luteis. Tourn. Greater Upright Medick, or La Lu- 4 This Plant is fuppos’d to have been brought indies, where one of the greateft Things they want is Fodderfortheir Cattle; fince, by the Account given of this Plant by PereFusliee it thrives exceedingly in the Spanifh ” 2 Mepica ; major, erettior, 1g the fmalleft Leaves, and weakeft 7 Sho ots: 5 that the Violet-colour’d Flow. ering is the bet Sort to cultivate for Fodder, Inches high ; when you upon it to feed i t down to ¢ ain the fame S d decay when the { fall down upon prevent their fhooting early AZ a It is alfo very common in Languea raed wence, and Dauphin, and all over the ois of the Rhove, where it produces abundantly, and may be mowed five or fix Ad A Year. Horfes, Mules, Oxen, and other com ftick Cattle love it exceedingly, but aber whenit is green, if they are permiteed to oh on it, and efpecially the Black Cattle, W” * them Ho the y isto feed it will have done eafon: of ‘d either eir pull oneep But ic fhor the firft Year, bec Id be in dar |