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OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



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387 



most probable opinion seems to be, that it came origi- 

 nally from the East, where it had acquired that high repu- 

 tation in medicine, which it has now almost lost in Europe, 

 although it is still cultivated in Italy, Sicily, Germany, Hun- 

 gary, France, Spain, and also sparingly in England, where 

 it is commonly said to have been introduced in the reign of 

 Edward the Third, by Sir Thomas Smith, who brought it 

 into the neighbourhood of Walden in Essex, which place 

 has, on that account, since received the name of Saffron 

 Walden. Although Essex was not the only county into 

 which Saffron was introduced, it was cultivated there in 

 great abundance, at the end of the sixteenth and beginning 

 of the seventeenth century. About the middle of the eigh- 

 teenth century, it had migrated into the parishes of Huxton, 

 Ickleton, and Triplow, bordering on the Roman way, called 

 thelkenild-street ; and westward of these to Gogmagog Hills, 

 in the parishes of Duxford, Newton, Hareton, Ilauxton, 

 Great and Little Shelford, Sawston, Staplefora, and even as 

 far as Fulborn, which is to the north of the hills ; all in the 

 county of Cambridge. The quantity of land occupied in 

 cultivating Saffron has been gradually decreasing during the 

 last twenty or twenty-five years, which is supposed to arise 

 from the importation of foreign Saffron. It is now confined 

 to two or three parishes only, of which Stapleford is one ; 

 and if some means be not employed to encourage it, the 

 cultivation of Saffron will probably soon be entirely lost in 

 this country. Whether, says Mr. Miller, Saffron be of any 

 national consequence, I am not a competent judge ; I only 

 know, that when the culture is entirely dropped, it will be 

 no easy matter to revive it. Our modern European term of 

 Saffron is derived from the Arabic saha/aran ; hence the 

 Moorish and Spanish azafran, azafraon, safra; the Italian 

 zaffarano ; and the German, Danish, Swedish, and French 

 taffran or safran. Lewes assures us, that Saffron is a very 

 elegant and useful aromatic, of a strongpenetrating smell, and 

 warm, pungent, bitterish taste ; it is said to be more cordial 

 and exhilarating than any of the other aromatics, and is par- 

 ticularly serviceable in disorders of the breast, in female 

 obstructions, and hysteric depressions. Hill also says, that 

 the whole class of medicinal subjects cannot afford a greater 

 cordial than Saffron ; which also promotes perspiration, and 

 removes obstructions of the viscera. Mr. Miller enumerates 

 four varieties of the Autumnal Crocus ; 1 . the sweet-smelling, 

 with deep blue flowers, varying to a sky-blue ; growing natu- 

 rally on the Alps and Swiss mountains; 2. Autumnal Moun- 

 tain, which has a flower of a paler blue colour ; 3. Many- 

 flowering Bluish, with many sky-blue flowers ; 4. Small- 

 flowering,, with a deep blue flower.^ With respect to pro- 

 pagation and culture, the Autumnal Crocuses are not so pro- 

 ductive as the Vernal ; and as they do not bring forth seed in 

 our climate, they are less common in gardens. These plants 

 must be taken up every third year, or the roots will run long 

 and produce no flowers ; they should not, however, be kept 

 out of the ground longer than the beginning of August, for 

 they commonly produce their flowers at the beginning of 

 October, otherwise they will not produce so many nor such 

 strong flowers as when planted early. The following is the 

 method of cultivating Saffron, as it was presented to the 

 Royal Society by Sir James Douglas. 1. The Choice and 

 Preparation of the Ground. The greatest part of the tract 

 between Saffron Walden and Cambridge, is an open level 

 country with few enclosures, and the custom there is, to 

 crop two years, and let the land lie fallow the third. 

 Saffron is generally planted on fallow ground, and if all 

 other advantages be equal, that will be preferred which 

 has borne Barley the year before. The Saffron grounds are 



seldom above three acres, or less than one ; and the principal 

 rule in choosing is, that they be well exposed, the soil not 

 poor, nor a very stiff clay, but a temperate dry mould, such 

 as commonly lies upon chalk, and is of an hazel colour. 

 The ground being made choice of about Lady-day, or the 

 beginning of April, it must be carefully ploughed, the furrows 

 being drawn much closer together, and deeper if the soil will 

 allow it, than is required for any grain; and hence the charge 

 is greater. Five weeks afterwards, or any time in the month 

 of May, between twenty and thirty loads of dung are laid upon 

 each acre, spread with great care, and ploughed in as before : 

 the shortest rotten dung is the best ; and the farmers who pos- 

 sess the conveniency of making it, spare no pains to make 

 it good, being sure of a proportionable price for it. About 

 Midsummer they plough a third time, and between every 

 sixteen feet and a half, or pole in breadth, they leave a broad 

 furrow or trench, which serves both as a boundary to the 

 several parcels, when there are several proprietors to one 

 enclosure, and to throw the weeds in at the proper season. 

 To this head likewise belongs the fencing of the grounds, 

 because that is generally, though not always, done be- 

 fore planting. The fences consist of what they call dead 

 hedges or hurdles, to keep out not only cattle of all sorts, 

 but especially hares, which would otherwise feed during the 

 winter on the Saffron leaves. Concerning the weather, it is 

 only necessary to observe, that the hottest summers are cer- 

 tainly the best, and therefore if there be gentle showers from 

 time to time, they can hardly miss of a plentiful crop, unless 

 the extreme cold, snow, or rain, of the preceding winter, 

 have injured their heads. 2. Planting or Setting the Roots. 

 The only instrument used for this is a narrow spade, com- 

 monly termed a apit-shovel. The time of planting is com- 

 monly in the month of July, a little sooner or later, as the 

 weather answers. The method is : One man with his spit- 

 shovel raises between three and four inches of earth, and 

 throws it before him about six or more inches ; two persons 

 generally women, following with heads, place them in the far- 

 thest edge of the trench he makes, at about three inches' dis- 

 tance from each other : as soon as the digger or spitter has 

 gone once the breadth of the ridge, he begins again at the 

 other side, and digging as before, covers the roots last set, 

 and makes the same room for the setters to place a new row, 

 at the same distance from the first that they are from one 

 another. Thus they proceed, until a whole ridge, commonly 

 containing one rod, is planted ; and the only nicety in dig- 

 ging, is to leave some part of the first stratum of earth un- 

 touched to lie under the root, and in setting to place their 

 roots directly upon their bottom. Formerly, when roots were 

 very dear, they did not plant them so thick as they do now, 

 and that some notice is always taken of the size of the roots, 

 so as to leave the largest farther apart. The quantity of roots 

 planted in an acre, is generally about sixteen quarters, or 

 an hundred and twenty-eight bushels, which, according to 

 the distances before assigned to be left between them, and 

 averaging the diameter of the plants at one inch, ought to 

 amount to three hundred and ninety-two thousand and forty 

 in number. From the time that the roots are planted, till 

 about the beginning of September, e>r sometimes later, there 

 is no farther labour required, but as they begin to spire, and 

 are ready to shew themselves above ground, (which is ascer- 

 tained by digging a few out of the earth,) the ground must be 

 carefully pared with a sharp hoe, and the weeds be raked 

 into the furrows, otherwise they would hinder the growth 

 of the plant*. 3. Gathering and Drying the Flowers. The 

 (lowers are gathered as well before as after they arc fully 

 blown, and the most proper time for gathering is early in the 



