MED 



Mcdicagoof Tournefort together, making them one 

 genus under the title Medicago, but I'ourncfort 

 makes the diftinguijliing charafter of JVIedicago to 

 confift in having a falcated comprefTed pod. There- 

 fore I fliall here leparate thofc pLuits whole pods are of 

 thatform, from the others whofe pods are twilled like a 

 fcrewi and as the title of iVIedica was firfl: applied to the 

 Lucern, fo I Ihall continue it to thofe Ipecies as have 

 fuchpods, andrefcrtheutherstothegenusof Medicago. 



The Species are^, 



1. Me Die A {Saliva) pedunculis racemofis, leguminibus 

 contortis, caule erefto glabro. Lin. Sp. 1096. Me- 

 dick with branching foot-ftalks^ contorted pods^ and an 

 efetl fniQoth ftalk. Medica major, ereftior, floribus 

 purpurafcentibus. J. B. 2. 382. Greater upright Me^ 

 dick with purplijfj flowers^ commonly called La Lucerne^ 

 and by the French^ Burgundy Hay. 



2. Medica {Falcata) pedunculis racemofis, legumini- 

 bus lunatis, caule proftrato. Flor. Suec. 620. Medick 

 with branching fcot-ftalks^ mcon-Jhaped pods^ and trail- 

 ing Jlalks. Medic • fylveftris, floribus croceis. J. B. 

 2. 383. JVild Medick with Saffron-coloured flowers. 



3. Medica [Radiata) leguminibus reniformibus, mar- 

 oine dentatis, foliis ternacis. Hort. Cliff. 377, Me- 

 dick with kidney-Jhoped pods indented on the borders^ and 

 trifoliate leaves. Medicago annua, trifolii facie. 

 Tourn. Inft. R. H.. 412. Annual Medicago with the 



appearance ' of 'Trefoil. 



Medica (Hifpanica) caule herbaceo procumbente, 

 foliis pinnatis, leguminibus ciliato-dentatis. Medick 

 with a trailing herbaceous flalk^ winged leaves^ and pods 

 having hairy indentures, Medicago vulnerarire facie 

 Hifpanica. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 412. Spanijh Medicago 



4- 



zvith the appearance of Ladies Finger. 



5. Medica {Italica) caule herbacecproflrato, foliis ter- 

 natis,foliolis cuneiformibus fuperne ferratis, legumini- 

 bus margine integerrimis. Medick with a profirate her- 



'' iaceous ftalk^ trifoliate leaves' whofe lobes are wedge- 



Jhoped^ d7id fawed at the topy and the borders of the pods 

 '_ -entire. ' Medicago Italica, annua maritima, trifolia, po- 

 ' lycarpos, frudu torofo noii fpinofo. Mitchel. Hort. 

 ' PilT.- Jnnualy It alia^^' maritime Medicago' with trifoliate 





leaves^ and bearing mu^ fruit ^^ which is thick and with- 



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>- A 



ciitfpines. 

 6. Medica (Cr^/zV^) caule herbaceo proflratx), foliis ra- 

 dicalibus integerrimis,' caulinis pinnatis leguminibus 

 ,'dentatis, Medick with a projlrate herbaceous fialk^ the 

 bottom leaves entire^ thofe on the flalks winged^ and in- 



vulnerari^e facie Cretica. 



7 



dented pods. Medicago 



Tourn. Inft. 412. Cretan Medicago^ with the appearance 

 cf Ladies Finger. 



. Medica {Arborea) leguminibus lunatis margine in- 

 tegcrrimjs caule arboreo. Hort. Cliff. 376. Medick 

 with moon-fhaped pods whofe borders are entire^ and a 

 '/r^^-'//j^^y?i«//&.- Medicago trifolia, frutefcens, incana. 

 Tourn. Inft. R. H. 412. Shrubby^ hoary^' three-leaved 



- Medica^ or the Cytifus Firgilii. 



The firft fort hath a perennial root "and annual 

 ftalks, which rifes near three feet hiorh in good land ; 

 thefe are garnilhed with trifoliate leaves at each joint, 

 whofe lobes are ipear-ftiaped, about an inch and a 



^r-- * 



half long, 'and half an inch broad,' a little fawed to- 

 ward their top, of a deep greeri, and .placed alter- 

 nately on the ftalks^ Theflowers grow in fpikes, which 

 are from two to 'near three inches in leno^th, ftand- 

 ingupon naked foot-ftalks which are two inches lono-, 

 rifingfrom the wings' of tKe ftalk ; they are of a Pea 

 ■ blopni or, butterfly kind, of a fine purple colour, 

 and . are fucceeded by comprefTed .moon-fhaped pods, 

 which contain feveral kidney-lhaped feeds. It flowers 

 ' in June, and the feeds ripen in Septehiber. '^ ^ * 

 ' There are the following varieties of this plant : ,V. . . 

 One with Violet-coloured flowers. ■■-■ . -- 



nother with pale blue flov/ers. 



And a third with jariegated flowers. 



Thefe variations "of their flowers have accidentally 



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. Tills plant is fuppofcd to have been brono-ht 



crigi. 

 Its name 



nally from Media, and from thence had i 

 Medica : it is by the Spaniards called Alfafa'*' i'.! 

 the French, La Lucerne, and Grand '^Ircfic; and V 

 feveral botanic v;iitcrs it is called Fcenuni Buroundi>'^ 

 cum, i. e. Burgundian Hay. But there is lircle'roo"" 

 to doubt of this being the Medica of Virryj] (j^\,^ 

 mella, Palladius, and other ancient v/hters of ]j!,r 

 bandry, who have not been wanting lo extol x' * 

 goodnefs of this fodder, and have given diredio-i fo 

 the cultivation of it in thofe countries where t'^" - 



lived. 



But notwithftanding it was fo much commended bv 

 the antients, and hath been cultivated to foo-ood pur 

 pofe by our neighbours in France and Switzeriandfor 

 many years, it hath not as yet found fo o-ood recep- 

 tion in our country as could be v/iftied ^ nor is it cul- 

 vated in confiderable quantities, though in is evident 

 it will fucceed as well in England as in either of the 

 before-mentioned countries, though will not bear 

 cutdng fo often here, yet is extremely hardy, and re- 

 fifts the fevereft cold of our climate : as a proof of 

 this, I muft beg leavr to mention, that the feeds 

 which have have happened to be fcattered upon the 

 ground in autumn, have come up, and the plants 

 have endured the cold of a fevere winter, and made 

 very ftrong plants the following feafon. 

 About the year 1650, the feeds of this plant were 

 brought over from France, and fown in England ; 

 but whether/or want of flrill in its culture, whereby 

 it did not fucceed, or that the people were fo fond 

 of going on in their old beaten road, as not to try 

 the experiment whether it would fucceed here or not 

 was the occafion of its being entirely neglcfted ia 

 -England, I cannot fay, but it is very certain that it. 

 T?vas neglcfted many years, fo as to be almoft forgot- 

 ten^ However, I hope, before I quit this article^j to 

 ^ give fuch directions for its culture, aswiJJ encourage 

 the people of England to. make farther trial of this 

 valuable plant, which growls in the greateft heat,* and" 

 alfo in very cold countries, witli this difference only, 

 ^ that iri'veiy hot countries, fucJj as "the Spaniffi Well- 

 Indies, &c. where it is the chief fodder for their cat- 

 tle at this tjnie, they cut it every week ; whereas in 

 cold countires, it is feldom cut oiftencr than four or 

 five times In a year. And it is very likely that this 

 plant may be of great fervice to the inhabitants of 

 B^badoes, Jamaica, and the other hot iflands in the 

 Weft-Indies, v/here one of the greateft things they 

 want is fodder for their cattle ; fincc by the account 

 given of this plant by Pere FeuiUe, it thrives ex- 

 ceedingly in the Spanilh Weft-Indies, particularly 

 about Lima, where they cut it every week, and bring 



It into the market to lell, and is there the only fodder 

 cultivated. 



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: It is alfo very common in Languedoc, Provence, aad 

 \ Dauphine, and,al! over the banks ofthe Rhone, where 



it produces abundantly, and may be mowed five 6 



fix rimes in a year, rlorfcs, m.ules, oxen, and other 



domeftic cattle, love it exceedindv ; but above all 



.' when it is green, if they are perinitted to feed on 



' it, and efpecially tlie black "cattle, which will fec^d 



very'lcmdly upon the dried plant j the excefs of which 



■ is, by many people, thought to be very dangerous > 



\ biit;_it is faid to be exceeding good for milch cattle, 



; to promote their quantity of milk ; and is alio faid to 



agree with horfes the beft of all, thou2;h ."hecp, goats, 



and moft other cattle, will feed upon it, elpeciany 



when young. ,^^. -.;■•- - ■ - - . " '\ 

 The" directions given by all thofe v;ho have written or 

 this plant are very imperfefl, and generally inch as, 



1 



if pradllfed in this country, will be found enureiy 



oftliem order the mixing of this 



v/rohg ; for many 



feed with Oats or Barley, (as is practifed for Clover) 



but in this way it feldom comes up well; and ir it 



^ . . -__^ does,' it will draw up fo weuk by growing amongit 



rifen from leed, therefore are not to be fuppofed dif- the Corn, as not to be recovered under a whole ye^r, 



ferent plants ryet thofe with the pale blue and vari- 

 egated flov/ers are never fo ftrong as thofe with pur-' 

 pie, fo are lefs profitable to the cultivators. " ' 



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V. 



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if eyer it can be brought to its ufual ftrength ag^'"- 

 : 6thers have direfted it to be fown upon a low, rich, 



moift foil, which is found to be the vrorft next, to a 



- . - - ... . clay 



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