/■ 



h 



p^ I 



jending m long points, having a broad ir.cmbrane on 



one edgcj thele are filled with fquare ytllow feeds, 

 indented on one fide like a kidney. The whole plant 

 has a very ftrong odour. 



This plant has not as yet been cultivated in any quan- 

 tity for ufe in England, as it has generally proved a 

 very uncertain crop, occafioned by the inconllancy of 

 the weather here, for in cold wet feafons the plants 

 are frequently killed before the feeds ripen ; and if 

 any of them live long enough to perfect their feeds, 

 the pods change of a dirty colour, and the feeds turn 

 black and unfightly, when much rain falls about the 

 time of their ripening -, therefore the feeds which 

 are imported from the continent, are always preferred 

 to thofe of our own growth. .■ . 



But as the confumption of thefe feeds is very great in 

 England, there are fome perfons who are inclinable 

 to make frefh trials to cultivate the plants here, and, 

 as I have many years cultivated this in fmall quanti- 

 ties, and have made trials by fowing the feeds at dif- 

 ferent feafons, and after various manners, by which I 

 have acquired a knowledge of its culture, I Ibail here 

 give fuch diredions for the management of this plant, 

 as from experience has been found to fucceed belt. 

 The ground in which this plant thrives beft, is a light 

 hazel loam, not enriched with dung ; this fliould be 

 made clean from the roots of weeds, and well ploughed 

 twice, and harrowed fine before tlie feeds are fown. The 

 beft time to fow the feeds is the latter end of September 

 or bec^innini^ of Auguft; thefelhouldbefownjn (liallow 



The rows fhould be two feet afunder, 

 and the feeds muft be fcattered one inch diftant from 

 each other in the drills ; for if the plants^ i^re too clofe 

 together in the fpring, they may be eafily thinned 

 widi the hoe when the ground is cleaned. If the feeds 

 are fown at the'before-mentioned time, the plants will 

 appear in three weeks or a month after ; and if the 

 ■weeds appear at the fame time, the ground lliould be 

 hoed over as foon as poffible in dry weather, to deftroy 

 the weeds •, and when the plants are grown an inch 

 h, the earth fliould be drawn up to their ftems in 

 the fame manner as is praftifed for Peas, This v;ill 

 fecure their flems from being injured by fharp cut- 

 winds; and if a ridge of earth is drawn up on 

 the^north or eaft fide of each row, it will protect the 

 plants froin the pinching winds which blow from both 

 thofe quarters -, for although this plant will not be in 

 any danger from the froft in the ordinary winters, yet 

 in very fevere frofts they are fometimes killed-, but 

 as this plant will live in any fituation, where Peas 

 ftand through the winter, there will be no greater ha- 

 zard of the one crop than the other. 

 In the fpring of the year the ground rnuft be hoed 

 again in dry weather to kill the weeds, and the plants 

 Ihould be again earthed up in the like manner as Peas, 

 with whofe culture this plant will thrive •, but there 

 muft be great care taken to keep the ground as clean 

 from weeds as poffible, for if they are permitted to 

 grow, they will foori advance above the plants, and 

 areatly weaken them ; and when their pods begin to 



drills like Peas. 



■ ■ 



R I 



above will be ripe ; therefore to preferve the firft and 

 cut off the other, v/ill be found the beft method > for 

 by fo doing, the pods will ripen equally, and much 

 earlier in the fcafon. 



If the fummer proves warm, the feeds will ripen in 

 Auguft, and the plants fliould then be cut off, and laid 

 to dry for five or fix days, in which time tliey fliould 

 be turned two or three times, that the pods may dry 

 equally -, then the feeds may be either threflied out in 

 the field, or the haulm may be houfed in a barn, to be 

 threflied at a more convenient time. 

 The fecond fort grows naturally in Crete. Theftalks 

 of this are flender, and rife a foot high, fending out 

 feveral flender branches, which are garniflicd with tri- 

 foliate . leaves whofe lobes are v/edgc-fliaped, and 

 fawed at their ends, where they are indented ; thefe 

 ftand upon flender foot-ftalks.. The fiovvers are pro- 

 duced in clufters from the fides of the branches upon 

 fliort foot-ftalks, which ftand erect, being armed witli 

 fliort fpines ; the flowers are fmall, of a pale colour, 

 and are fucceeded by narrow pods ftanding parallel 

 and ereft. This is an annual plant which flowers in 

 July; the feeds ripen the end of Auguft, and the 

 plants decay foon after. 



The third fort grows naturally in Spain and Italy -, 

 tliis is alfo an annual plant, whofe roots decay foon after 

 the feeds are ripe. The ftalks trail upon the ground, 

 and extend a foot and a half in length, fending out 

 feveral fide branches; thefe' are garniflied with fmall 

 trifoliate leaves,, whole lobes are wedge -^fliaped and 

 fawed at their points. The flowers are produced in 



thev are fmall, of 



clufters at the wings of the ftalk 



J 



hig 



tmg 





form, they cannot be too much expofed to the fun 

 and air, whereby they will belefs liable to fufferfrom 



moifture. - • 



When the feeds are fown in autumn, the plants wfll 



grow much ftronger, and have many more fide 

 branches than thofe which come up in the fpring, fo 

 will produce a much greater crop of leeds, and thefe 

 will produce tiicir flowers five or fix week's earlier, fo 

 will have a better feafon to ripen ; but in order to 

 have them better ripened, the top of the plants fliould 

 be cut off with garden fliears about the middle of 

 June, by which time the pods wifl be formed on the 

 lower part of the ftalks, which will be greatly for- 

 warded by topping of the ftalks in the fame way as is 

 commonly pradtifed for garden Beans ; for where the 

 plants are fuffered to extend in length, the lower pods 

 often mifcarry, or are lefs nouriflied, and thofe on the 

 top of the ftalks are late before they ripen ; fo where 

 the topping of the plants is omitted, the pods at bot- 

 tom will open and caft out their feeds, before thofe 



a pale yellow colour, and fit very clofe to the ftalks ; 

 thefe are fucceeded by fliort hooked pods, which fit 

 clofe to the ftalks in clufters, fpre.adrng out every 

 way. It flowers in July, and the feeds rfpea in autumn. 

 The fourth fort grows naturally in Siberia. The root 

 of this is biennial ; the ftalks trail upon the ground, 

 and extend a foot in length, fending out many (ide 

 branches.; thefe are garniflied with trifoliate leaves, 

 having roundifli lobes, which are fawed on their 

 .; edges. The flowers come out from the wings of the 

 '. ftalks upon foot-ftalks, growing in clufters ; they are 

 fmall, of a yellowifli white colour, and are fucceeded 

 by oval comprefl^ed pods, containing tv;o feeds in 

 each. It flowers in June, and the feeds ripen in 



September. ,■".■■. 



,v,^The fifth fort alfo grows naturally in Siberia ; this is 

 '"alfo abiehniatplant, whofe roots decay foon after the 



feeds" are ripe. The ftalks of this are very flender, 



. < and trail upon the ground j they extend a foot and^ a 



, half in length, and divide into feveral branches. The 



^ leaves are trifoliate; the lobes are wedge-fliaped, in- 



.. dented at the point, and fawed ; they are narrower 



than either of the former. The flowers are produced 

 :" in clufters upon flender foot-ftalks, which fpring 

 V from the wings of the ftalk; they are fmaU, and of 



a bright yellow colour ; thefe are fucceeded by narrow 

 , ereft pods, which contain three or four fliiall feeds. 



This flowers and perfc£ts its feeds about the fame time 



as the former. The feeds of both thefe plants" were 



fent me by the late Dr. Amman, ProfeflTor of Botany 



at Pcterfl^urgh, . ' '- 



. Thefe plants are frequently cultivated in gardens for 

 the fake of variety, but I do not know any ufe is 

 made of either of the forts except the firft. The 

 feeds of thefe ftiould be fown in the places where the 

 plants are defigned to ftand, for they will not bear 

 tranfplanting. If they are fown 'in autumn, in the 

 fame way as is before direfted for the firft fort, the 

 plants will come earlier to flower, and good feeds may 

 be obtained with more certainty than from the fpring 

 plants. All the culture thefe require is to thin them 

 where they ftand too clofe, and keep them clean from 

 weeds. A few plants of each fort in a garden will 

 be fufficient, as they have no great beauty. 

 The feeds of the firft fort are very rarely ufed for in- 

 ternal medicines, but are much ufed in fomentations, 

 bathings, and cataplafms, and alfo in emoUient glyf- 

 ■ ters, being ripening, diflblving, and anodyne, and 



good 



