644 



RUBIACEjE. CCXV. RUBIA. 



ground is ploughed over with a shallow furrow, and in the 

 course of the operation the sets are deposited in each furrow, 

 leaning on and pressed against the furrow-slice. This, however, 

 is a bad mode, as there is no opportunity of firming the plants at 

 the roots, and as some of the sets are apt to be buried, and others 

 not sufficiently covered. 



The after culture consists in hoeing and weeding, with stirring 

 by pronged hoes, either of the horse or hand kind. Some earth 

 up, but this is unnecessary, and even injurious, as tearing the 

 surface roots. 



The Madder crop is taken at the end of the third autumn 

 after planting, and generally in the month of October. By far 

 the best mode is that of trenching over the ground, which not 

 only clears it effectually, but fits it at once for another crop. 

 But where madder has been grown on land prepared by the 

 plough, that implement may be used in removing it. Pre- 

 viously to trenching, the haulm may be removed with an old 

 scythe, and carted to the farmery, to be used as litter to spread 

 in the straw-yards. 



Drying the roots is the next process, which, in very fine sea- 

 sons, may sometimes be effected on the soil, by simply laying 

 the plants on it as they are taken up ; but in most seasons they 

 require to be dried on a kiln, like that used for malt or hops. 

 They are dried till they become brittle, and then packed up in 

 bags for sale to the dyer. 



The produce from the root of this plant is different according 

 to the difference of the soil, but mostly from 10 to 15 or 20 

 hundred weight, where it is suitable to its cultivation. 



In judging of the quality of Madder roots, the best is that 

 which, on being broken in two, has a brightish red or purplish 

 appearance, without any yellow cast being exhibited. 



The use of the Madder roots is chiefly in dyeing and calico 

 printing. The haulm which accumulates on the surface of the 

 field in the course of 3 years, may be carted to the farm-yard, 

 and fermented along with horse-dung. It has the singular pro- 

 perty of dyeing the horns of the animals who eat it of a red 

 colour. 



Madder seed in abundance may be collected from the plants 

 in September of the second and third years, but it is never so 

 propagated. Madder is sometimes blighted, but in general it 

 has but few diseases. 



Madder is cultivated in Holland only on the very best soils, 

 and with plenty of manure. At the end of May or April, ac- 

 cording as the young plants are large enough to be transplanted, 

 the land must be ploughed in beds of 2 feet, and 2^ feet wide ; 

 the beds are then harrowed and raked, and the young suckers of 

 the roots or plants are to be put down in rows, at intervals of 

 a foot or a foot and a half, and at 6 or 8 inches distant in the 

 row. During the entire summer the land should be frequently 

 stirred, and kept free from weeds. In the month of November, 

 when the leaves are faded, the plants are covered with 2 inches 

 of earth, by a plough, having the point of the coulter a little 

 raised or rounded, so as not to injure the young plants. In the 

 following spring, when the young roots are 4 or 5 inches long, 

 they aie gathered or torn off, and planted in new beds, in the 

 same manner as above stated ; and then, in the month of Sep- 

 tember or October, after the faded leaves have been removed, 

 the old roots are taken up. The madder thus taken up should 

 be deposited under cover, to protect it from the rain, and after 

 10 or 12 days, placed in an oven moderately heated. When 

 dried sufficiently it is gently beaten with a flail, to get rid of the 

 clay that may adhere to the plants ; and by means of a small 

 wind-mill, is ground and sifted, to separate it from any remain- 

 ing earth or dirt. It is then replaced in the oven for a short 

 time, and when taken out, is spread upon a hair cloth to 

 cool ; after which it is ground and cleaned once more. It is 



then carried to a bruising mill, and reduced to fine powder, and 

 then packed in casks or barrels for the market. 



Var. ft, Iberica (Fisch. in litt. ex D. C. prod. 4. p. 589.) 

 leaves on longer petioles, downy on the veins and nerves beneath. 

 !{.. H. Native of Iberia. The roots of this variety are said to 

 be better for the purposes of dyeing than those of the species. 



Dyer's Madder. Fl.June. Clt. 1596. PI. straggling. 



14 R. PEREGR!NA (Lin. spec. p. 158.) herbaceous ; leaves 4-6 

 in a whorl, sessile, lanceolate, shining above, smooth, but sca- 

 brous from hooked prickles on the margins and keel, and along 

 the angles of the stem ; peduncles axillary, dichotomous ; lobes of 

 corolla ovate, cuspidately awned. I/. H. Native of south 

 and middle Europe, in rough places ; in the west of Britain in 

 thickets, and on stony or sandy ground. D. C. fl. fr. 4. no. 3389. 

 Smith, engl. hot. t. 851. R. A'nglica, Huds. angl. 1. p. 54. R. 

 tinctorum, With. brit. p. 193. R. tinctorum a, Lam. fl. fr. 2. 

 p. 605. R. lucida, D'Urv. cat. p. 17. Petiv. brit. t. 30. f. 3. 

 Moris, hist. sect. 9. t. 21. f. 2. Flowers dusky yellow, pen- 

 tamerous. Root creeping, fleshy, tawny red. Berries black. 



Foreign Madder. Fl. July. England. PL straggling. 



15 R. LU'CIDA (Lin. syst. veg. xii. p. 732.) herbaceous; leaves 

 4-6 in a whorl, elliptic, shining, with a smooth keel, but scabrous 

 from prickles along the margins and angles of the stem ; pedun- 

 cles axillary, trichotomous, short ; lobes of corolla lanceolate, 

 acuminated, inflexed at the points. %. H. Native of south and 

 middle Europe, in rugged places. Smith, fl. graec. 142. D. C. 

 fl. fr. 4. p. 268. R. tenuifolia, D'Urv. cat. p. 17. R. rotun- 

 difolia, Poir. suppl. 2. p. 106. Leaves permanent. Flowers 

 dusky yellow, pentamerous. 



Var. j3, angustifblia (Guss. prod. fl. sic. 1. p. 183.) stem 

 smoothish ; leaves elliptic-oblong or lanceolate. I/ . H. Native 

 of Sicily and the south of France. 



fining-leaved Madder. Fl.July. Clt. 1762. PI. straggling. 



16 R. Bocc6Ni (Petagn. inst. bot. 2. p. 255.) herbaceous; 

 leaves 4 in a whorl, ovate, shining above, scabrous on the keel 

 and margins, and angles of the stem ; peduncles axillary, tricho- 

 tomous ; lobes of corolla 4-5, acute. "H.. H. Native of Naples 

 and Sicily, among calcareous rocks. Ten. fl. neap. t. 10. Guss. 

 prod. sic. 1. p. 182. Bocc. mus. t. 75. Barrel, icon. t. 547. 

 Flowers greenish- white, sweet-scented. Habit of R. lucida. Root 

 yellow. Leaves permanent. Angles of stems prickly. Stamens4-5. 



Bocconi's Madder. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1823. PI. straggling. 



17 R. SPLE'NDENS (Hoffms. et Link, fl. port. 2. p. 67. t. 85.) 

 herbaceous ; leaves 4-6 in a whorl, obversely oblong, acute, 

 having the nerve on both surfaces and margins scabrous from 

 prickles, as well as the angles of the stems ; panicles axillary ; 

 lobes of corolla prickly. "If.. H. Native of Portugal, in hedges 

 about Lisbon. R. sylvestris, Brot. fl. lus. 1. p. 153. but not of 

 Mill. Flowers yellow, pentamerous. 



Glittering-leaved Madder. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1812. PI. 

 straggling. 



18 R. INTRICA'TA (Hook, et Arn. in bot. misc. 3. p. 362.) 

 glabrous, smoothish ; stems diffuse, herbaceous, divaricately 

 branched, intricate, acutely 4-angled ; leaves small, oblong- 

 linear, hardly acute, almost nerveless ; branches of panicle di- 

 varicate ; flowers pedunculate, bractless ; berries globose. 

 Native of Chili, among hedges of Cacti at San Isedro. 



TnJncate-branched Rubia. PI. diffuse. 



19 R. OLIVEI'RII (A. Rich, in mem. soc. hist. nat. Par. 5. p. 

 132.) stems suffruticose, rather hexagonal, scabrous from retro- 

 grade prickles or bristles ; branches powdery, downy ; leaves 

 usually 6 in a whorl, oboval, mucronate at the apex, with hispid 

 margins ; peduncles axillary, usually by threes, tripartite, and 

 3-flowered at the apex ; corolla subcampanulate, 5 -parted. 1. 

 H. Native of the island of Scio, where it was collected by 

 Oliveir and Bruguiere. 



