MED 
Medicago of Tournefort together, making them one 
genus under the tide Medicago, but Tournefort 
makes the diftinguifhing charader of Medicago to 
con lift in having a falcated compreiTed pod. There- 
fore I fhall here feparate thofe plants whole pods are of 
thatform, from the others whole pods are twilled like a 
fcrew; and as the tide of Medica was firftapplied tothe 
Lucern, fo I fhall continue it to thofe fpecies as have 
fuch pods, and refer the others to the genus of Medicago. 
1 'he Species are, 
1. Medica ( Sativa ) pedunculis racemofis, legummibus 
contortis, caule eredo glabro. Lin. Sp. 1096. Me- 
dick with branching foot-Jiaiks , contorted pods, and an 
erect fmooth ftalk. Medica major, eredior, floribus 
purpurafcentibus. J. B. 2. 382. Greater upright Me - 
dick with purplijh flowers , commonly called La Lucerne , 
and by the French , Burgundy Hay. 
2. Medica ( Fdcata ) pedunculis racemofis, legumini- 
bus Itinatis, caule proftrato. Flor. Suec. 620. Medick 
with branching foot-Jiaiks , moon-Jhaped pods , and trail- 
ing jlalks. Medica fylveftris, floribus croceis. J. B. 
2. 383. Wild Medick with Saffron-coloured flowers. 
3. Medica ( Radiata ) leguminibus reniformibus, mar- 
gine dentatis, foliis ternatis. Hort. Cliff. 377. Me- 
dick with kidney-Jhoped pods indented on the borders , and 
trifoliate leaves. Medicago annua, trifolii facie. 
Tourn. Inft. R. H.. 412. Annual Medicago with the 
appearance of F refoil. 
4. Medica ( Hifpanica ) caule herbaceo procumbente, 
foliis pinnatis, leguminibus ciliato-dentatis. Medick 
with a trailing herbaceous Jlalk , winged leaves , and pods 
having hairy indentures. Medicago vulnerable facie 
Hifpanica. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 412. Spanijh Medicago 
with the appearance of Ladies Finger. 
5. Medica ( Italica ) caule herbaceo proftrato, foliis ter- 
natis, foliolis cuneiformibus fuperne ferratis, legumini- 
bus margine integerrimis. Medick with a proftr ate her- 
baceous Jlalk , trifoliate leaves whofe lobes are wedge- 
Jhoped and flawed at the top , and the borders of the pods 
entire. Medicago Italica, annua maritima, trifolia, po- 
lycarpos, frudu torofo non fpinofo. Mitchel. Hort. 
PiflT. Annual , Italian , maritime Medicago with trifoliate 
leaves , and bearing much fruit, which is thick and with- 
out [pines. 
6 . Medica ( Cretica ) caule herbaceo proftrato, foliis ra- 
dicalibus integerrimis, caulinis pinnatis leguminibus 
dentatis. Medick with a proftrate herbaceous ftalk , the 
bottom leaves entire , thofe on the ftalks winged, and in- 
dented pods. Medicago vulnerarise facie Cretica. 
Tourn. Inft. 4] 2. Cretan Medicago , with the appearance 
of Ladies Finger. 
7. Medica (. Arborea ) leguminibus Itinatis margine in- 
tegerrimis caule arboreo. Hort. Cliff. 376. Medick 
with moon-Jhaped pods whofe borders are entire , and a ' 
tree-like ftalk. Medicago trifolia, frutefcens, incana. 
Tourn. Inft. R. H. 412. Shrubby , hoary, three-leaved 
Medica , or the Cytifus Virgilii. 
The firft fort hath a perennial root and annual 
ftalks, which rifes near three feet high in good land ; 
thefe are garnifhed with trifoliate leaves at each joint, 
whofe lobes are fpear-fhaped, about an inch and a 
half long, and half an inch broad, a little fawed to- 
ward their top, of a deep green, and placed alter- 
nately on the ftalks. The flowers grow in fpikes, which 
are from two to near three inches in length, Hand- 
ing upon naked foot-ftalks which are tv/o inches long, 
rifing from the wings of the ftalk ; they are of a Pea 
bloom or butterfly kind, of a fine purple colour, 
and are fucc^eded by comprefled moon-fhaped pods, 
which contain feveral kidney-fhaped feeds. It flowers 
in J une, and the feeds ripen in September. 
There are the following varieties of this plant : 
One with Violet-coloured flowers. 
Another with pale blue flowers. 
And a third with variegated flowers. 
Thefe variations of their flowers have accidentally 
rifen from feed, therefore are not to be fuppofed dif- 
ferent plants ; yet thofe with the pale blue and vari- 
egated flowers are never fo ftrong as thofe with pur- 
ple, fo are lefs profitable to the cultivators. * 
M E D 
This plant is fuppofed to have been brought origi- 
nally from Media, and from thence had "its name 
Medica ; it is by the Spaniards called Alfafa ; by 
the French, La Lucerne, and Grand T re fie •, and by 
feveral botanic writers it is called Fcenuro Burgundia- 
cum, i. e. Burgundian Hay. But there is little room 
to doubt of this being the Medica of Virgil, Colu- 
mella, Palladius, and other ancient writers of hui- 
bandry, who have not been wanting to extol the 
goodnefs of this fodder, and have given direction for 
the cultivation of it in thofe countries where they 
lived. 
But notwithftanding it was fo much commended by 
the antients, and hath been cultivated to fo good pur- 
pofe by our neighbours in France and Switzerland for 
many years, it hath not as yet found fo good recep- 
tion in our country as could be wiflied ; nor is it cul- 
vated in confiderable quantities, though it is evident, 
it will fucceed as well in England as in either of the 
before-mentioned countries, though will not bear 
cutting fo often here, yet is extremely hardy, and re- 
fills the fevereft cold of our climate : as a proof of 
this, I muft beg leave to mention, that the feeds 
which have have happened to be fcattered upon the 
ground in autumn, have come up, and the plants 
have endured the cold of a fevere winter, and made 
very ftrong plants the following feafon. 
About the year 1650, the feeds of this plant were 
brought over from France, and Town in England ; 
but whether for want of fkill in its culture, whereby 
it did not fucceed, or that the people were fo fond 
of going on in their old beaten road, as not to try 
the experiment whether it would fucceed here or nor, 
was the occafion of its being entirely negleded in 
England, I cannot fay, but it is very certain that it 
was negleded many years, fo as to be almoft forgot- 
ten. However, 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 heat, and 
alfo in very cold countries, with this difference only, 
, that in very hot countries, fuch as the Spanifh Weft- 
Indies, &c. where it is the chief fodder for their cat- 
tle at this time, they cut it every week ; whereas in 
cold countires, it is feldom cut oftener than four or 
five times in a year. And it is very likely that this 
plant may be of great fervice to the inhabitants of 
Barbadoes, Jamaica, and the other hot iflands in the 
Weft-Indies, where one of the greateft things they 
want is fodder for their cattle •, fince by the account 
given of this plant by Pere Feuille, it thrives ex- 
ceedingly in the Spanifh Weft-Indies, particularly 
about Lima, where they cut it every week, and bring 
it into the market to fell, and is there the only fodder 
cultivated. 
It is alfo very common in Languedoc, Provence, aad 
Dauphine, and all over the banks of the Rhone, where 
it produces abundantly, and may be mowed five or 
fix times in a year. Horfes, mules, oxen, and other 
domeftic cattle, love it exceedingly \ but above all 
when it is green, if they are permitted to feed on 
it, and efpecially the black cattle, which will feed 
very kindly upon the dried plant ; the excels of which 
is, by many people, thought to be very dangerous ^ 
but it is faid to be exceeding good for milch cattle, 
to promote their quantity of milk •, and is aifo laid to 
agree with horfes the bell of all, though fheep, goats, 
and moft other cattle, will feed upon it, efpecially 
when young. 
The directions given by all thofe who have written of 
this plant are very imperfed, and generally fuch as, 
if pradifed in this country, will be found etffrely 
wrong •, for many of them order the mixing of this 
feed with Oats or Barley, (as is pradifed for Clover) 
but in this way it feldom comes up well, and if it 
does, it will draw up fo weak by growing amongft 
the Corn, as not to be recovered under a whole year, 
if ever it can be brought to its ufual ftrength again. 
Others have direded it to be fown upon a low, rich, 
moift foil, which is found to be the worft next to a 
