ON CROCUSES 129 



grown in Persia and Cashmere in remote ages. Bird- 

 wood speaks of saffron as a native of Cashmere, and 

 states that "the Saffron Crocus and the Hemp plant 

 followed the Aryan migrations together throughout the 

 temperate zone of the globe." 



The writers of the Elizabethan epoch made many 

 references to Saffron Crocuses, and did not limit the 

 application to the lilac - flowered Crocus sativus. In 

 "The Tempest," Act iv. scene i, Ceres cries to Iris 



" Hail, many-coloured messenger, that ne'er 

 Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter ; 

 Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers 

 Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers." 



And Shakespeare refers to saffron in several other of his 

 plays. Gerard grew several species of Crocus, and was 

 particularly enthusiastic about the yellow, which was 

 perhaps introduced in his own day, as he writes : " It 

 hath flowers of a most perfect shining yellow colour, 

 seeming afar off to be a hot glowing coal of fire. That 

 pleasant plant was sent unto me from Rabinus, of Paris, 

 that painful and most curious searcher of simples." 

 Parkinson described thirty-one sorts of Crocus. Dean 

 Herbert made a careful study of the genus, and published 

 a monograph of the Crocuses in 1847, in which he de- 

 scribed forty-one species, in addition to many varieties. 

 Later, Mr. George Maw also published a monograph of 

 the genus, in which he dealt with upwards of sixty 

 species, besides varieties. 



These facts will show amateur gardeners who are 

 tempted to hold the Crocus lightly because it is a some- 

 what common flower, that it is really one of great 

 importance. Insignificant as it may appear to some, 

 it has its roots deep down in the world's history. It 



