M E 



M E 



Spring following, they will produce 

 Flowers. 



MEADOW-SAFFRON. Vide 

 Colchicum. 



MEDICA, Medic, or La Lu- 

 cerne. 



The Characters are ; 



It bath a papilionaceous ( or But- 

 terfly J Flower, cut of whofe Empale- 

 vient ari/es the Pcintal, which after- 

 ward becomes an intcrted Pod fome- 

 what like a Ram's Horn, in which 

 are lodged kidnev-Jhafd Seeds. 

 The Species are ; 



1 . M E D I C A major ereclior, fori- 

 bus putpurafecntibus. J. B. Greater 

 upright Medic, or La Lucerne, with 

 purpliflh Flowers. 



2 . M E D I C A major ere<T:ior,floribus 

 wiolaceis. Tourn. Greater upright 

 Medic, or La Lucerne, with violet- 

 coloured Flowers. 



3. Medica major creditor, flo^ibus 

 luteis. "Tourn. Greater upright Me- 

 dic, or La Lucerne, with yellow 

 Flowers. 



4. Medica major erecltor, for; bus 

 sx njiolaceis & luteo mixtis. Toum. 

 Greater upright Medic, or La Lu- 

 cerne, with violet and yellow Fiow- 

 ers mix'd. 



Thefe Plants do not greatly differ 

 from each other but in the Colour of 

 their Flowers ; tho 1 I think that with 

 the violet-colour'd Flower produces 

 the largeft Leaves, and ilrongeft 

 Shoots ; and that with the yellow 

 Flowers, the fmalleft Leaves, and 

 weakeft Shoots : fo that the violet- 

 colour'd flowering is the bell Sort 

 to cultivate for Fodder. 



This Plant is fuppo^'d to have 

 been brought originally from Me- 

 dia, and. from thence had its Name 

 Medica : it is by the Spaniards call- 

 ed Alffa ; by the Frvntb, La Lu- 

 cerne, and Grande Trefle ; and by ie- 

 veral Botanic Writers it is called 

 $*num Burgur.diacum, i.e. Burgun- 



dian Hay. But there is little room 



to doubt of this being the Medica of 

 Virgil, Columella, Palladius, and 

 other antient Writers of Hufbandry, 

 who have not been wanting to extol 

 the Goodnefs of this Fodder, and 

 have given Direction for the CultU 

 vation of it in thofe Countries where 

 they Jiv'd. 



But notwithstanding it was fo 

 much commended by the Antients, 

 and hath been cultivated to fo good 

 Purpofe by our Neighbours in France 

 and Switzerland for many Years, it 

 hath not as yet found Reception in 

 our Country, in any considerable 

 Quantity ; tho* it is evident, it will 

 fucceed as well in England &s in either 

 of the before - mentioned Countries, 

 being extremely hardy, and refilling 

 the levered Cold of our Climate : 

 nay, I have had the Seeds which, 

 have happened to be fcattered upon 

 the Ground in Autumn, come up f 

 and endure the Cold of a fevere 

 Winter, and make very ftrong 

 Plants. 



About the Year 1650. the Seeds 

 thereof were brought over from 

 ■France, and fown in England: but 

 whether for want of Skiil in its Cul- 

 ture, whereby it did not fucceed, or 

 that the People were fo fond of go- 

 ing on in their old beaten R.oad, ai 

 not to try the Experiment, whether 

 it would fucceed here, or not, was 

 the Occafion of its being intirely 

 neglected in England, I cannot fay. 

 Llowever, I hope, before I quit this 

 Article, to give fuch Directions for 

 its Culture, as will encourage the 

 People of England to make farther 

 Trial of this valuable Plant, which 

 grows in the greateft He^t, and alfo 

 in very cold Countries, with this 

 Difference only, that in very hot 

 Countries, fuch as the Spanifh IVcjl- 

 Indies, Sec. where it is the ch ef 

 Fodder for their Cattle at this time, 



the/ 



