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for tlicir Meadows, fo that they are content with what I Both thefe forts propagate freely by offsets froni 



the land will naturally produce, rather than take any 

 part of their manure from their arable ground ; but 

 this is a very imprudent piece of hufbandry -, for if 

 land is to be annually mowed far hay, can it be fup- 

 pofed that it will produce a good crop long, unlefs' 

 there are proper dreffings allowed it ? And when! 

 ground is once beggared for want of manure, it will' 

 be fome years before it can be recovered again-, but' 

 I fhall referve what is neceffary to be farther en-' 

 Targedon this fubje£t, to be fully treated under the^ 

 article of Pasture. . , 



MEADOW SAFFRON. See C olchicum. 

 MEDEOLA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 411- 



The Characters are, 

 • *Tbe flower has no empalemcnt ; it bath Jix oblong oval' 

 •' petals which are equals fpread open^ and turn backward}, 

 and fix awl- jh aped Jla-mina the length of the petals tsr- 



the roots, fo that when they arc once obtained, there 

 will be no neceffity of fowing their feeds, which com- 

 monly lie a year in the ground, and tlae plants will 

 not be ftrong enough to flower in lefs than two years 

 more, whereas the offsets will flower the following 

 feafon. The time for tranfplanting and partino- of 

 the roots is in July, when their ftalks are entirely de- 

 cayed, for they begin to flioot toward the end of Au- 

 gufl:, and keep growing all the winter, and decay in 

 the fpring, Tliefe roots fliould be planted in pots 

 filled with good kitchen-garden earth, and may re- 

 main in the open air till there is danger of froft, when 

 they mufl: be removed into fhelter, for they are too 

 tender to live through the winter in the open air ; but 

 if they are placed in a warm green-houfe^ they will 

 thrive and flower very well, but they do not produce 

 fruit unlefs they have fome heat in v/inter •, therefore 



hinated by incumbent fummitSy and three corniculated I where that is defired, the plants fhould be placed in 



germen terminating the ftyle^ crowned by thick recurved 

 fligmas, ne germen afterward turns to a roundifh trifid 

 berry with three cells^ each containing one heart-fhaped I fhould be frequently, but gently watered \ but when 



a ftove kept to a moderate degree of warmth. During 

 the winter, when the plants* are in vigour, they 



This senus of plants is ranged in the third feftion of 

 Linnseus's fixth clafs, which includes thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have fix ftamina and three fl:yles. 

 The Species are, ., . ; • , r . 



i, Medeola (Jfparagoides) foliis ovato-lanceolatis al- 

 ternis, caule fczndcnte. Medeola with pval^ Jpear- 



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e * 



fhaped^ alternate leaves^ and a climbing ft alk, ; Afpara- I but gently watered, 

 gus Africahus^ fcaridlehs, fftyfti folio. ,Hort. Piff. 17. ""* 

 •^jCUmbing African Afparagus^^wiib Myrtle leaf.' ^ ' 



the ftalks begin to decay, they muft have very little 

 wet, for much moifture will rot them while they are 

 in an inaftive ftate ; during which time, if the pots 

 arc placed where they have only the morning fun, 

 they will require little or no water : but when they 

 begin to ihoot out their ftalks, they ftiould be removed 

 to a warmer fituatiori, and fliould then be frequently 



.V t. 



- ' -♦ 



2. Medeola (Anzujlifolia) foliis lanceolatis alternis, 



caule Icandente. Medeola with fpear-fhaped alternate 



Afparagus Africanus, 



/-Ifcandens, myrti folio anguftiore. Hort. Piif 17. 



leaves^ and a climbing ftalk. 



-yClimbing African Afparagus^ with a narrower Myrtle 



P 



'^.- Medeola (Firgi?iiana) foliis yerticillatis, ramis in- 



- eftnibus. J^iii. Sp. Fhnt, g^g, Medeola pith leaves 



ncw'im in whorls and fmooth branches.: Lilium five 



' martagon pufillum, floribus minutiffime herbaceis. 



v^ Pluk. Aim. 410. tab. 328. fol. 4. The Lily or little 



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Martagchy' mth very fmall herbaceous flowers, 



vThe firll fort grows naturally at the Cape ofGopd 



-j-jftope •, tnis hath a root compoied of Jteveral dugs 



,>or oblong knobs, which unite together at the top 



like that of the Ranunculus, from which arife two' or 



, threeftiffwindingftalks, which divide into branches 



■rifing four or five feet high,, if they meet with any 



.neighbouring fupport to which they*': can faften, 



, othei^wife they will fall to tfie ground-, thefe are gar- 



■-;niftied with oval fpear-fhaped leavesV ending in acute 



'pomts, placed alternately, and fitting clofe to the 



ftalks -, they are of a Jieht sireen on their unHer fide, 



and dark on their upper. The flowers come out 



• xrom the fide of the ftalks, fometimH fingly, arid at 



"others there are "two upon a flehder fhort foot-ftalk 1 



flfey have fix oblpng. equal petals which fprea^ 9P?P> 



and are of aduU white colour ; within thefe are ranged 



'fix ftamina,'which are as lorig^as the petals, terminated 



;by ingumbent fummits.*"' .In the^center is fituated a 



gt;;rmen with three horns, fitting upon ia fhort ftyle, 



crowned by thr^e thick recurved ftigmas ^ tj^e germep 



-afterward turns to a roundifh berry with three cells, 



each containinfr one heart-Ihaped feed.'.- tt" flowers 



ine beginning of winter, and the feeds are ripe in the 

 fprincr. 



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1 ne iecond fort is alfo a native of the Cape of Goo4 

 Hope, from whence I received the feeds/ This hath 

 a root like the firft, but the ftalks are not fo ftrong 1 

 jhey climb higher, but do not branch fo much; the 

 leaves are much longer and narrower, and are of a 

 grayifh colour. The flowers come from the fide of 

 the branches, two or three upon each foot-ftalk •, they 

 ^tc of an hcrbaceous'white colour,' fhaped like thofe of 

 the former fort, and 'app5?Sf about the fame time, but 



The flowers of thefe plants -"'ifiake no' great appear- 

 ance, fo the plants are not preferved for their beauty ; 

 but as their ftalks are climbing, and their leaves are 

 in full vigour in winter, during that feafoa th y add' 

 to the variety in the green-noule. ^ 

 The third fort is'^'a" native of North America; it is 

 by Dr. Linnasus joined to this genus, in which I have 

 followed him ; though, if I remem.ber rightly, the 

 charafters of this fort do notexaftly agree with thofe 

 of the other, for the flower is either polypetalous, or 

 is cut into many fegments, and has but five ftamina; 

 it being fome years fince I faw the flowers, I can- 

 not be very certain if I am right. This hath a fmall 

 fcaly root, from which arifes a fingle ftalk about 

 eight inches high, garniflied with one whorl of leaves 

 at a fmall diftance from the ground, and at the top 

 daereare two leaves ftandingoppbfite-, between theie 

 come out three flehder foot-ftalks which ti3fn dowh- 

 ward, each fuflaining one pale hcrbaceou| flower with 

 a purple pointal..* It flowers in TunCa but I have not 

 feen any fruit upon it.^>^'^ : • ' ' A>>^ '}. '^' ^' 

 .This plant is hardy enough to live in the open air,' 

 but does not propagate fajOt here^ Srit produces no 

 t feeds, fo can onlj^ be encreafed by ofiTsets. 

 MEDICA7Tourn.1fnft.R. H. 410. tab. 231. P^e- 

 \ dicago. Tourn. Inft.^ 412. ' Lin. Gefir Plant.' '8o5* 

 ■ [This plant takes its name from Mediaf (as Pliny 

 I writes) becaufe when Darius Hyfta^is^* carried his 

 ' army into Greece, he had with him a great many facks 

 of this feed for provender for his cattle, and fo the 

 feeds came to be fcattered in Greece.] Medick, or La 

 Lucerne; :/.:;£■:: V ^- J- 



X M 



r^The^ Characters are, 



^hejower^hatb qbellf^^ leaj^^ cut 



\ into five equal acute point si-^ " The flower is of the butterfly 



'[ kind', %e ftandard is 'oval^^ entire,/ and the border is re- 



l jfexea\ '^Toe two wings are oblong, oval, and fixed by ah 



appendix^ to the keel C the keel is oblong, bifid, obtufe^ 



and reflexed toward th€jfandard;^'-^-S'hastenfta?nina, 



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thish 



s not produced any\fruitliere/^.,Thefe are un- 

 doubtedly diftind: fpecies;" for they heyj^r vary when 

 they are propagated by leedsl^^i-^ir: ?tf1 ^-»:J: '?r;' •- 



■ -• I 



; nine of which are joine^dlmofi'^to^their" t6ps\ 'the "other 

 \ is fingle \ they-are terminated by fmall fummits. It hath 

 \ an oblong compr effed germen ^hich is incurved, fitting on 

 \ a fhort ftyle, terminated bj a fmall ftigma ; this and the 

 \ ftamina are involved hy the keel and ftandard. The ger- 

 l men afterward turns Yo a compreffed ^ moon-fljuped pod, in^ 

 ■ clofing feveral kidney-pdped feeds.^ ' • * , '''**/' 



; This genus of plants , is ranged in the third feftio 

 of Linnasus's feyenteentli clafs, which includes the 

 herbs with a butterfly flower, having ten 'ffarmha in 



two houfes;-vHe alio has joined theMedi'ca and Me-^ 



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