M E 



the moft unfavourable Years it has 

 ripen'd in full four Months from 

 jRjwing. 



In cultivating this Plant, the 

 Ground fhould be well plough'd 

 and drefs'd, and the Rows of Corn 

 placed four or five Feet afander, 

 and about two Feet afunder in the 

 Rows i fo that with a fmall Bread- 

 plough the Ground may be often 

 ftirr'd, whereby the Weeds will be 

 intirely deftroy'd 5 which, if duly 

 obferv'd while the Plants are young, 

 there will be no occaiion to repeat 

 it, after they are got up to a Height j 

 for then the Plants will prevent the 

 Growth of Weeds, by overfliadow- 

 i'ng the whole Ground. 



The bed Time to plant thefe 

 Seeds is in the Beginning of April, 

 when the Weather is fettled ; for if 

 it be fbwn too fbon, the cold 

 Nights and wet Weather often de- 

 ftroy the Seeds j and if it be fbwn 

 too late, and the Autumn fhould 

 prove bad, it would not ripen 

 well. 



The large Sort, when cultivated 

 as a Curioiity, fliould be fown upon 

 a moderate Hot-bed in the Begin- 

 ing of March j and in the Middle 

 of April they fhould be careruliy 

 tranfplanted where they are to re- 

 main 5 and if the Seafon proves 

 favourable, the Seeds will ripen 

 very well : but without being thus 

 early rais'd, this Sort feidom comes 

 to much in this Country. 



MEADOW SAFFRON j -vi^le 

 Colchicum. 



MEDICA ; Medick, or La Lu- 

 cerne. 



The CharaBers are ; 



It hath a, papilionaceoHs (or 'But- 

 terfiy) Flower , out of whofe Empals- 

 mmt rifes the Vointal, which after- 

 Tpards becomes an intorted Fod, fome- 

 yphat like a Ram's Horn, in which 

 are lodg'd Kidney fl?,pip' d Seeds, 



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The Species are ; 

 1 . Medica ; major ereBior, jlori- 

 bus p rpurafcentibus. y. B. Greater 

 Upright Medick or La Lucerne, with 

 purpliih Flowers. 



^ 2. Medica ; major, ereBior, fio- 

 ribus, 'violaceis, Tourn. Greater Up- 

 right Medick, or La Lucerne, with 

 Violet-colour'd Flowers. 



3. Medica ; major, ereBior, fio- 

 ribus luteis, Toum, Greater Up- 

 right Medick, or La Lucerne, with 

 yeliow Flowers. 



4. Medica 5 major, erector, pa- 

 ribus ex violaceo 0> iuteo mixtis* 

 Tourn. Greater Upright Medick, or 

 La Lucerne, with Violet and yellow 

 Flowers mix'd. 



Thefe Plants do not greatly dif"- 

 ter from each other but in the Co- 

 lour of their Flowers i tho' I think 

 That with the Violet-colour'd Flow- 

 er produces the largefl Leaves, and 

 flrongeil: Shoots j and That with 

 the yellow Flowers, the fmallefl 

 Leaves, and weakefl Shoots : fo 

 that the Violet-colour'd Flowering 

 is the befl Sort to cultivate for 

 Fodder. 



This Plant is fuppos'd to have 

 been brought originally from Medior^ 

 and from thence had its Name 

 Medico, : It is by the Spaniards call'd 

 AlfafA ; by the French, La Lucer?ie, 

 and Grande Trefie ; and by fcveral 

 Botanick Writers it is call'd Feenmn. 

 Burgundiacum, i. e. Burgundian Hay, 

 But there is little Room to doubt 

 of this being the Medica of Virgil, 

 Colu?ne.la, Falladius, and other an- 

 cient Writers of Husbandry, who 

 have not been wanting to extol the 

 Goodnefs of this Fodder, and have 

 given Diredion for the Cultiva* 

 ton of it in thole Countries where 

 they liv'd. 



But notwithftanding it was fo 

 much commended by the Antients, 

 and hath been cultivated to fo good 



Purpofs 



