350 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



each joint are placed in a whorl six or eight spear- 

 shaped leaves of about three inches in length, and in 

 the broadest part almost an inch wide. The upper 

 surface of these is smooth, but the mid-rib on the 

 under side is armed with rough herbaceous spines. 

 The branches which sustain the flowers proceed 

 from the joints ; they are placed by pairs opposite 

 to each other, having a few small leaves growing 

 in triplets towards the bottom and in pairs as they 

 approach the top. These branches are terminated 

 by loose branchy spikes of yellow flowers, which are 

 cut into four parts, and resemble stars. 



The madder plant does not bear flowers until the 

 second or third year, when they bloom in June and 

 are succeeded by berries which contain the seeds. It 

 is propagated by shoots. In the beginning of Au- 

 gust the land is ploughed in ridges, eighteen inches 

 asunder, and a foot deep ; the young plants are 

 placed in these a foot apart from each other. They 

 thus remain for two seasons, . care being taken to 

 clear them of weeds. At the latter end of September, 

 when the leaves are fallen off, the roots are taken up 

 and dried for market. 



According to an experiment made near Tours, an 

 arpent (48,000 square French feet) of ground pro- 

 duced eight thousand pounds weight of fresh roots 

 of madder ; but in general not more than four, five, 

 or six thousand pounds are expected from the same 

 space *. 



As soon as the roots are dug up, they are taken 

 to a place of shelter, so constructed as to admit the 

 air freely from all sides. 



The French distinguish two qualities of madder, 



that which is prepared from the parent root, and that 



from the side shoots ; the first, when the roots are 



not too large, is considered the best. These two de- 



* Elemens d'Agriculture, par M. Du Hamel. 



