MED 
for their Meadows, fo that they are content with what 
the land will naturally produce, rather than take any 
part of their manure from their arable ground ; but 
this is a very imprudent piece of hufbandry ; for if 
land is to be annually mowed far hay, can it be fup- 
pofed that it will produce a good crop long, unlefs 
there are proper dreftings allowed it ? And when 
ground is once beggared for want of manure, it will 
be fome years before it can be recovered again ; but 
I fhall referve what is necelfary to be farther en- 
larged on this fubjedt, to be fully treated under the 
article of Pasture. 
MEADOW SAFFRON. SeeC olchicum. 
M E D E O L A. Lin. Gen. Plant. 41 1 • 
The Characters are. 
The flower has no empalement it hath fix oblong oval 
petals which are equal, fpread open, and turn backward ; 
and fix awl- fh aped flamina the length of the petal, ter- 
minated by incumbent fummits , and three corniculated 
germen terminating the flyle, crowned by thick recurved 
ftigmas. The germen afterward turns to a roundifh trifid 
berry with three cells , each containing one heart-Jhaped 
feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third feftion of 
Linnaeus’s fixth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have fix flamina and three flyles. 
The Species are, 
1. Medeola ( Afparagoides ) foliis ovato-lanceolatis al- 
ternis, caule fcandente. Medeola with oval, fpear- 
jhaped, alternate leaves, and a climbing flalk. Afpara- 
gus Africanus, fcandens, myrti folio. Hort. Piff. 17. 
Climbing African Afparagus, with a Myrtle leaf , 
1. Medeola ( Anguflifolia ) foliis lanceolatis alternis, 
caule fcandente. Medeola with fpear-fhaped alternate 
leaves, and a climbing flalk. Afparagus Africanus, 
fcandens, myrti folio anguftiore. Hort. Piff. 17. 
Climbing African Afparagus , with a narrower Myrtle 
leaf. 
3. Medeola ( Virginiana ) foliis verticillatis, ramis in- 
ermibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 339. Medeola with leaves 
growing in whorls and fmooth branches. Lilium five 
martagon puflllum, floribus minutiflime herbaceis. 
Pluk. Aim. 410. tab. 328. fol. 4. The Lily or little 
Martagon, with very fmall herbaceous flowers. 
The firft fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope •, this hath a root compofed of feveral dugs 
or oblong knobs, which unite together at the top 
like that of the Ranunculus, from which arife two or 
three ftiff winding {talks, which divide into branches 
rifling four or five feet high, if they meet with any 
neighbouring fupport to which they can faften, 
otherwife they will fall to the ground •, thefe are gar- 
nished with oval fpear-fhaped leaves, ending in acute 
points, placed alternately, and fitting clofe to the 
ftalks ^ they are of a light green on their under fide, 
and dark on their upper. The flowers come out 
from the fide of the ftalks, fometimes fingly, and at 
others there are two upon a {lender Short foot-ftalk ; 
they have fix oblong equal petals which fpread open, 
and are of a dull white colour •, within thefe are ranged 
fix flamina, which are as long as the petals, terminated 
by incumbent fummits. In the center is fituated a 
germen with three horns, fitting upon a {hort flyle, 
crowned by three thick recurved ftigmas ; the germen 
afterward turns to a roundilh berry with three cells, 
each containing one heart-fhaped feed. It flow,ers 
the beginning of winter, and the feeds are ripe in the 
fpring. 
The Second fort is alfo a native of the Cape of Good 
Hope, from whence I received the feeds. This hath 
a root like the firft, but the ftalks are not fo ftrong ; 
they climb higher, but do not branch fo much ; the 
leaves are much longer and narrower, and are of a 
grayiih colour. The flowers come from the fide of 
the branches, two or three upon each foot-ftalk they 
are of an herbaceous white colour, fhaped like thofe of 
the former fort, and appear about the fame time, but 
this has not produced any fruit here. Thefe are un- 
doubtedly diftinct fpecies, for they never vary when 
they are propagated by feeds. 
MED 
Both thefe forts propagate freely by offsets froni 
the roots, fo that when they are once obtained, there 
will be no neceffitv of Sowing their feeds, which com- 
monly lie a year in the ground, and the plants will 
not be ftrong enough to flower in lefs than two years 
more, whereas the offsets will flower the following 
feafon. The time for transplanting and parting of 
the roots is in July, when their ftalks are entirely de- 
cayed, for they begin to {hoot toward the end of Au- 
guft, and keep growing all the winter, and decay in 
the Spring. Thefe roots Should be planted in pots 
filled with good kitchen-garden earth, and may re- 
main in the open air till there is danger of froft, when 
they maft be removed into Shelter, for they are tod 
tender to live through the winter in the open air ; but 
if they are placed in a warm green-houfe, they will 
thrive and flower very well, but they do not produce 
fruit unlefs they have fome heat in winter *, therefore 
where that is defired, the plants fiiould be placed in 
a Stove kept to a moderate degree of warmth. During 
the winter, when the plants are in vigour, they 
Should be frequently, but gently watered 5 but when 
the ftalks begin to decay, they muft have very little 
wet, for much moifture will rot them while they are 
in an ina&ive ftate ; during which time, if the pots 
are placed where they have only the morning fun, 
they will require little or no water : but when they 
begin to {hoot out their ftalks, they fliould be removed 
to a warmer Situation, and fliould then be frequently 
but gently watered. 
The^ flowers of thefe plants make no great appear- 
ance, fo the plants are not preferved for their beauty j , 
but as their ftalks are climbing, and their leaves are 
in full vigour in winter, during that Seal or th y add 
to the variety in the green-houfe. 
The third fort" is a native of North America ; it is 
' by Dr. Linnaeus joined to this genus, in which I have 
followed him •, though, if I remember rightly, the 
chara&ers of this fort do not exa&ly agree with thofe 
of the other, for the flower is either polypetalous, or 
is cut into many fegments, and has but five flamina % 
it being fome years Since I faw the flowers, I can- 
not be very certain if I am right. This hath a fmall 
fcaly root, from which arifes a Angle flalk about 
eight inches high, garnifhed with one whorl of leaves 
at a fmall diftance from the ground, and at the top 
there are two leaves {landing oppofite ; between thefe 
come out three {lender foot-ftalks which turn down- 
ward, each fuftaining one pale herbaceous flower with 
a purple pointal. It flowers in June, but I have not 
feen any fruit upon it. 
This plant is hardy enough to live in the open air, 
but does not propagate faft here, as it produces no 
feeds, fo can only be encreafed by offsets. 
MEDIC A. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 410. tab. 231. Me- 
dicago. Tourn. Inft. 412. Lin. Gen. Plant. 805. 
[This plant takes its name from Media (as Pliny 
writes) becaufe when Darius Hyftafpis carried hist 
army into Greece, he had with him a great many facks 
of this feed for provender for his cattle, and fo the 
feeds came to be Scattered in Greece.] Medick, or La 
Lucerne. 
The Characters are. 
The flower hath a bell-fhaped empalement of one leaf, cut 
into five equal acute points. The flower is of the butterfly 
kind ; the ftandard is oval, entire, and the border is re- 
flexed ; the two wings are oblong, oval, and fixed by an 
appendix to the keel the keel is oblong, bifid, cbtufe , 
and reflexed toward the ftandard. It has ten flaminai 
nine of which are joined almoft to their tops, the other 
is fingle ', they are terminated by fmall fummits. It hath 
an oblong comprejfed germen which is incurved, fitting on 
a Jhort flyle, terminated by a fmall ftigma •, this and the 
flamina are involved by the keel and ftandard. The ger- 
men afterward turns to a comprejfed moon-jhaped pod, in- 
clofing feveral kidney -Jhaped feeds . 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third fesftion 
of Linnaeus’s Seventeenth clafs, which includes the 
herbs with a butterfly flower, having ten flamina in 
two houfes. He alfo has joined the Medica and. Me- 
