102 ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS. 



especially in Algeria, ■which in Central Europe sometimes 

 becomes naturalized in vineyards and round ancient 

 cultivations.-' Gay seems to have mistrusted the indica- 

 tions of the floras of the south of Europe, for, contrary 

 to his method with other species of which he gives the 

 localities out of Algeria, he only quotes in the present 

 case the Algerian localities; admitting, however, the 

 identity of name in the authors for other countries. 



The cultivated variety of Porrum has not been found 

 wild. It is only mentioned in doubtful localities, such 

 as vineyards, gardens, etc. Ledebour^ indicates for A. 

 arapeloprasum the borders of theCrimea,and the provinces 

 to the south of the Caucasus. Wallich brought a specimen 

 from Kamaon, in India,* but we cannot be sure that it 

 was wild. The works on Cochin-China (Loureiro), 

 China (Bretschneider), and Japan (Franchet and Savatier) 

 make no mention of it. 



Article II. — Fodder. 



Luoern — Medicago sativa, Linneeus. 



The lucern was known to the Greeks and Romans. 

 They called it in Greek medicai, in Latin medica, or herba 

 medica, because it had been brought from Media at the time 

 of the Persian war, about 470 years before the Christian 

 era.* The Romans often cultivated it, at any rate from the 

 beginning of the first or second century. Cato does not 

 speak of it,^ but it is mentioned by Varro, Columella, and 

 Virgil. De Gasparin ^ notices that Crescenz, in 14.78, does 

 not mention it in Italy, and that in 1711 TuU had not 

 seen it beyond the Alps. Targioni, however, who could 

 not be mistaken on this head, says that the cultivation 

 of lucern was maintained in Italy, especially in Tuscany, 



' Kooh, Synopsis Fl. Qerm. ; Babington, Man. of Brit. Bot. j English 

 Bot., etc. 



• Ledebour, Mora Ross., iv. p. 163. 



• Baker, Journal of Bot, 1874, p. 295. 



• Strabo, xii. p. 560 ; Pliny, bk. xviii. o. 16. 



• Hehn, C idturpflanzen, etc., p. 855. 



• Gasparin, Cowra d'Agric, iv, p. 424. 



