48 o 
It is now indubitably afcertained that this plant is a native* of 
England, though unknown to Ray, Miller,, and feveral other fubfe- 
quent botanifts. It has been long cultivated for ufe in this and in 
many other countries ; but Englifh Saffron is generally preferred here 
to that which is imported from 1 abroad, and may be diftinguifhed 
by its parts being larger and broader. All the different plants of this 
genus are by Linnseus conhdered only as varieties of the C. fativus. 
]acquin, a however, makes a diftincT; fpecies of the fpring Crocus:, in 
this he has been followed by Curtis, who has publifhed a figure of 
the plant in his botanical magazine : and Miller, who defcribes four 
fpecies of this family, thinks all- of them " muft be allowed to be 
fpecifically different, fmce they do not vary to each other. 
The ftigmata. of the Crocus here figured, which conftitute the 
officinal Saffron, are eafily to be diftinguiihed from thofe of the other 
varieties, and in the neighbourhood of Saffron- Walden, and in fome 
parts of Cambridgefhire, where the plant is. chiefly cultivated, are 
prepared for ufe in the following manner. In autumn, when the 
flowers* appear, they are gathered every morning, and are fpread A 
upon a table ; the ftigmata along with a portion of the ftyle, are 
then picked from* the other part of the flowers, which are thrown 
away as ufelefs. The ftigmata being thus collected in fufKcient quan- 
tity are then dried, which is effected by means of portable kilns, of 
" b 
a peculiar conftrudtion, over which a hair cloth is ftretthed; and upon 
this are placed a few fheets of white paper, on which the ftigmata are 
ftrewed, about two or three inches thick, and then covered with 
feveral meets of paper, over which is laid a coarfe blanket, five or fix 
times folded, or a canvas bag filled with ftraw; and when the fire has 
heated the kiln, a board, on* which a weight is put, is placed upon 
the blanket in order to prefs the Saffron into a cake. For the firft' 
hour a pretty ftrong fire is employed ; the Saffron is then found to 
be formed into a cake, which, after being* turned, is fubjedted for 
another hour to the fame degree of heat: it is then turned a fecond 
time, and a more gentle heat is applied for about twenty-four hours, 
or till the cake becomes dry, during which time it is turned every 
half hour. 
a Vide /. c . b See Ditt. c For a full account of the cultivation and management of 
Saffron, fee Douglafs m Phil Tranf. vol. 35. p. 566. And Millers Dtil 
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Saffron 
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