r ■ 



they 

 and 



cover with Other fhccts of paper, and over thele ky a 

 coarfe blanket five or fix times doubled, or, inftead 

 thereof, a canvas pillow filled with ftraw ; and after 

 the fire has been lighted for fome time, the whole is co- 

 vered with a board, having a large weight upon it. 

 At firft they give it a pretty llrong heat, to make 

 the chives fweat (as their expreflion is ;) and in this, 

 if they do not ufe a great deal of care, they are in 

 danger of fcorching, and fo of fpoiling all that is on 



the kiln. 



When it has been thus dried about an hour, 



take ofi:' the board, blanket, and upper papers, 

 take the Saffron off from that which lies next it, 

 raifing at the fame time the edges of the cake with a 

 knife i then laying on the paper again, they Hide in 

 another board between the hair cloth and upper pa- 

 pers, and turn both papers and Saffron upfide-down, 

 afterwards covering them as above. 

 The fame heat is continued for an hour longer ; then 

 they look on the cake again, free it from the papers, 

 and turn it \ then they cover it, and lay on the Vvxight 

 as before. If nothing happens amifs during thefe 

 firfl tw^o hours, they reckon the danger to be over \ 

 for they have nothing more to do but to keep a gen- 

 tle fire, and to turn their cakes every half hour till 

 thoroughly dry, for the doing of which as it ought, 

 there are required full twenty-four hours. 

 In drying the larger plump chives they ufe nothing 

 more, but towards the latter end of the crop', when 

 thefe come to be fmaller, they fprinkle the cake with 

 a little fmall beer, to make it fweetas it ought ; and 

 they begin now to think, that ufing two linen cloths 

 next the cake, inftead of the two innermoft papers, 

 may be of fome advantage in drying, but this prac- 

 tice is followed as yet but by few. 

 Their fire may be made of any kind of fuel, but that 

 which fmokes the leaft is beft, and charcoal, for that 

 reafon, is preferred to any other. 

 "What quantity of Saffron a firft crop will produce, is 

 very uncertain ^ fometimes five or fix pounds of wet 

 chives are got from one rood, fometimes not above 

 one or two, and fometimes not enough to make it 

 worth while to gather and dry it \ but this is always 

 to be obferved, that about five pounds of wet Saffron 

 go to make one pound of dry, for the firft three weeks 

 of the crop, and fix pounds during the laft week ; and 

 when the heads are planted very thick, two pounds 



breaking up from each acre, may be had twcnty-fouf 

 quarters of clean roots, all fit to be planted. 

 The owners are fure to choofc for their own tife thd 

 largeft, plumpeft, and fatteft roots, but do Icaft of 

 all approve the longcit pointed ones, winch they call 

 fpickets, or fpickards, for very fmall, round, or flat 

 roots, are fometimes obferved to flower well. 

 This is the whole culture of Saffron in the county 

 above-mentioned, and we have only now to confider 

 the charges and profits which may be fuppofed, one 

 year with another, to attend that branch of agricul- 

 ture ; and of thefe I have drawn up the foUowino- 

 computation for one acre of ground, according to the 



price of labour in this counti-y. 



Rent for three years 

 Ploughing for three years 



1. s. d* 



* .^ 



Dunging 



Hedo;ino; — ^ — — _ 

 Spitting and fetting the heads 

 Weeding or paring the ground 

 Gathering and picking the flowers 

 Drying the flowers 



Inflruments of labour for three years, 

 with the kiln, about 



Ploughing the ground once, and har- 

 rowing twice — — • 



Gathering the Saffron heads 



Raifing the heads 



3 



o 



3 

 I 



o 



i8 



12 



i6 



o 

 o 

 o 



I 12 O 



I 



6 



4 



lO 



1 6 



o 

 o 



o 



O 10 o 



O 12 O 



I o o 



I 12 O 



v.* ' '*- 



1 r 



I' ' 



Total charge 



'\ 



23 12 o 



This calculation is made upon fuppofition, that an 

 acre of ground yields twenty-fix pounds of nett Saf- 

 fron in three years, which I ftated only as a mean 

 quantity between the greateft and the leaft, and there-^ 

 fore the price of Saffron muft be judged accordingly, 

 which I think cannot be done better than by fixing it 

 at 30 fliillings per pound; fince in very plentiful 

 years it is fold at twenty, and is fometimes v/orth be- 

 tween three, and four pounds ; at this rate, twenty-^ 

 fix pounds of Saffron are worth thirty-nine pounds, 

 and the nett profits of an acre of ground producing 

 Saffron, will, in three years, amount to fifteen pounds, 

 thirteen ftiillings, or about five pounds four fliillings 

 yearly. 

 This, I fay, may be reckoned the riett profit of art 



of dried Saffron may, at a medium, be allowed to an acre of Saffron, fuppofing that all the labour were to 

 acre for the firft crop, and twenty-four pounds for be hired for ready money ; but as the planter and fa-^ 

 the two remaining, the third being confiderably lafger mily do a confiderable part of the work thefnfelves, 

 than the fecond. I fome of this expence is faved; that is, by'pTannng 



ably expedt to clear 



In order to obtain thefe, there is only a repetition to Saffron, he may riot 



be made every year of the labour of hoeing, gather- about five pounds yearly per acre, but alfo to main- 



ing, picking, and drying, in the fame manner as be- tain himfelf and family for fome part of each year ; 



fore fet down, without the addition of any thing new, and it is upon this fuppofition only, that the refult of 

 except that they let cattle into the fields, after the j other connputations can be faid to have any tolerable 



leaves are decayed, to feed upiOR: the weeds, or, per- 

 hap's, mow them for the fame ufe.' 



' degree of exaftnefs, but the calculations themfelves 



are undoubtedly very inaccurate. 



About the Midfummer aftel- the third crop is gather- j I have faid nothing here concerning the charge in 



cd, the roots muft be all taken up anid tranfplarited ; 

 the management requifite for which,' ?s"the fourth 



buying, or profits in felling, the Saffroh heads, be- 

 caufe, in many large trafts of ground, thefe miift at 



thing to be treated of: To take up the Saffron heads, length balance one another, while the quantity of 



or break up the ground (as the term is,) they fofhb- ^ ground planted yearly continues the fame, which has 



times plough it, fometimes ufe a forked kind of hoe, ; been pretty much the cafe for feveral years paft. 



called a pattock, and then the ground is harrowed Dr. Patrick Blair, defigning to treat concerning the 



once or twice over ^ during all which time of plough- Crocus, in his fixth Decad of his Pharmaco-Botanolo-- 



ing, or digging, and harrowing, fifteen or mo'repeo- gia, did, in the year 1725, fend tome the following 



pie will find work enough to follow and gather the 

 heads as they are turned up. 



They are next to be carried to the houfe in facks, and 

 there cleaned and rafed ; this labour confifts in clean- 



quenes : ^ 



1. After what manner the'fpecies affe propagated ? 



2. Whether the tap-root fprings firft, or the bulb ? 



3. At what feafon the leaves fpring forth ? 



ing the roots thoroughly from earth, and from the To thefe queries I fent him the following anfw^er ; 



remains of old roots, old involucra, and excrefeences, \ i. Asto the propagation of the fpecies. 



and thus they become fit to be planted in new ground This is only by the roots or offsets, which the old 



immediately, or to be kept for fome time without 1 roots produce in great plenty, for I never faw any 



danger of fpoiling. 



The quantity of roots taken up, in proportion to 

 thofe which were planted, is uncertain -, but at a me- 

 dium, it may be faid, that allowing for all the acci- 

 dents which happened to them in the ground, and in 



thing like a feed, or a feed-vefliel produced, though I 

 have let ftand great quantities of flowers purpofely 



to try. '■ \ 



2. As to the qjuery, Whethef the tap-root fpflng^ 



firft, and the bulb be afterwards formed ? 



4 M A^ 



