RUB 
part (or head of the root) come out many fide roots, 
which extend juft under the furface of the ground to 
a great diftance, whereby it propagates very faft •, for 
thefe fend up a great number of fhoots, which, if 
carefully taken oif in the fpring, foon after they are 
above ground, become fo many plants. Thefe roots 
are of a dark colour on their outfide, fomewhat tranf- 
parent, and have a yeliowifti red pith in the middle, 
which is tough and of a bitterifh tafte j from the root 
arife many large, four-cornered, jointed ftalks, which 
in good land will grow five or fix feet long, and, if 
fupported, fometimes feven or eight •, they are armed 
with fhort herbaceous prickles, and at each joint are 
placed five or fix fpear-fhaped leaves, about three 
inches long, and near one broad in the middle, 
drawing to a point at each end j their upper furfaces 
are fmooth, but their midrib on the under fide are 
armed with rough herbaceous fpines ; the leaves fit 
clofe to the branches in whorls. From the joints of 
' the ftalk come out the branches, which fuftain the 
flowers •, they are placed by pairs oppofite, each pair 
crofling the other ; thefe have a few fitiall leaves to- 
ward the bottom, which are by threes, and upward 
by pairs oppofite ; the branches are terminated by 
loofe branching fpikes of yellow flowers, which are cut 
into four fegments refembling ftars. Thefe appear in 
June, and are fometimes fucceeded by feeds which 
feldom ripen in England. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Spain, and in the 
fouth of France ; this hath perennial roots like thofe 
of the firft fort, but are much larger •, the ftalks of 
this are fmaller than thofe of the firft fort, and are al- 
moft fmooth ; their lower parts are garnifhed with 
narrow leaves, placed by {evens in whorls round the 
ftalks, but upward they diminifh to four, three, and 
two toward the top ; thefe are rough on both fides 
at each joint of the ftalk comes out two fhort foot-ftalks 
oppofite, having two fmall rough leaves, and end with 
branching foot-ftalks, fuftaining fmall yellow flowers. 
This fort flowers the latter end of June, but does not 
produce feeds here. 
The third fort grows naturally in Spain and the Ba- 
leriac Iflands ; I received the feeds of this fort from 
Gibraltar, and alfo from Minorca, where the plants 
grew out of the crevices of the rocks. The roots of 
this fort are much fmaller than thofe of the wo for- 
mer, but are lefs fucculent ; they ftrike deep into the 
ground, and fend up feveral {lender four-cornered 
ftalks which are perennial ; they grow a foot and a 
half long, and divide into many branches, whole 
joints are very near each other ; they are garnifiied 
with fhort ftiff rough leaves, placed by fours round 
the ftalk •, they are about an inch long, and half an 
inch broad in the middle, of a lucid green, and con- 
tinue all the year. This hath not produced flowers in 
England. 
There is a fort which grows naturally in Wales, and 
alfo upon St. Vincent’s rock, which has four leaves 
at each joint, but thefe are narrower and longer than 
thofe of the third fort •, the ftalks of this are peren- 
nial, and the leaves evergreen •, fo that Mr. Ray has 
miftaken this plant, having fuppofed it to be the 
fecond, which hath annual ftalks riling much higher, 
therefore I ftiould rather think it might be the third 
fort, if they were equally hardy •, but the third fort is 
fo tender, as to be always killed by fevere frofts in 
England, if expofed to the open air. 
The firfb fort is that which is cultivated for the ufe 
of the dyers and callico printers, and is fo effential to 
both manufactories, as that neither of thofe bufmeffes 
can be carried on without this commodity ; and the 
confumption of it is fo great here, as that upon a mo- 
derate computation, there is annually fo much of it 
imported from Holland, as the price of it amounts 
to more than one hundred and eighty thoufand pounds 
fterling ", which might be faved to the public, if a 
fufficient quantity of it were planted in England, 
where it might be cultivated to greater advantage 
than in Elolland, the lands here being better adapted 
to grow this plant. But as the growing of this plant 
f 
RUB 
in quantity, has been for feveral years difcontintied, 
fo the method of culture is not well known to many 
perfons here ^ and as there is at prefent an inclination 
in the public to regain this loft branch of trade (for 
formerly there was not only enough of this commo- 
dity railed in England for our own confumption, but 
alfo great quantities of it were fent abroad,) lb we 
fhall here give a full account of the culture of the 
plant, and alfo of the method of preparing the root 
for ufe ; and fhall begin with the method now prac- 
tifed in Zealand, where the beft and greateft quantity 
of Madder is now raifed. 
In all the Netherlands, there is no where better 
Madder cultivated, than in Schowen, one of the 
iflands of Zealand, which is performed in the follow- 
ing manner : 
The land which is defigned for Madder, if it is 
ftrong and heavy, is ploughed twice in autumn, that 
the froft in winter may mellow it and break the clods j 
then it is ploughed again in the fpring, juft before 
the time of planting the Madder ; but if the ground 
is light, then it is ploughed twice in the fpring ; at 
the laft ploughing it is divided into lands of three feet 
broad, with furrows between each land four or five 
inches deep. Madder requires a loamy fubftantial 
foil, not too ftiff and heavy, nor over light and Tandy ; 
for although it may thrive tolerably well in the latter, 
yet fuch land cannot have a fecond crop of Madder 
planted upon it in lefs than eight or ten years inter- 
val ; but in Schowen, where the land is fubftantial, 
they need not ftay longer than three or four years, 
in which interval the ground is fown with Corn, or 
planted with any kinds of pulfe. It is granted, that 
the beft land for producing of Madder is in Scho- 
wen, where a gemet of land, which is three hun- 
dred fquare rods of twelve feet each, will yield from 
one thoufand pounds to three thoufand pounds weight, 
according to the goodnefs of the land and the fa- 
vourablenefs of the feafons ; but in light land, the 
quantity is from five hundred to a thoufand pounds 
, weight. 
The time for planting of Madder begins toward the 
end of April, and continues all May, and fometimes 
in very backward fprings, there is fome Madder 
planted the beginning of June. The young fhoots 
from the fides of the root are taken off from the mo- 
ther plant, with as much root as poffible ; thefe are 
called kiemen, and are planted with an iron dibble in 
rows at one foot afunder, and commonly four kiemen 
in a row. 
The quantity of thefe flips (or kiemen) as is required 
to plant one gemet of land, are fold at different 
prices, according to the price which Madder bears, or 
to the demand for the plants j they are often fold 
from fixteen to twenty guilders, and fometimes they 
have been fold for ten to eleven pounds Flemifh, but 
the lowefl price is from fifteen guilders to three pounds 
Flemifh. 
The expence of planting out a gemet, of land with 
flips (or kiemen) cofts for labour only, from fixteen 
to twenty guilders, according as the land is heavy or 
light : there are generally employed fix men to plant, 
two to rake the ground, thefe earn each a guilder a 
day \ and five or fix women or boys, called carpers or 
pluckers of the fhoots or kiemen, thefe earn twelve 
Dutch pence a day, or two fchiliings. 
The firft: year the Madder is planted, it is cuftomary 
to plant Cabbages or Dwarf Kidney-beans, in the fur- 
rows between the beds, but there is always great care 
taken to keep the ground clean from weeds •, this is 
generally contradfed for at two pounds Flemifh for 
each gemet of land. 
In September or Odlober, when the young Madder is 
cleaned for the laft: time thatfeafon, the green haulm 
(or ftalks) of the plants, is carefully fpread down over 
the beds, without cutting any part off, and in No- 
vember the Madder is covered over the haulm with 
three or four inches of earth. 
This covering of the Madder, is performed either 
with the plough or with the fpade ; if it is done by 
the 
