T R I 
ending in long points, having a broad membrane oii 
one edge ; thefe are filled with fquare yellow feeds, 
indented on one fide like a kidney. The whole plant 
has a very ftrong odour. 
This plant has not as yet been cultivated in any quan- 
tity for ufe in England, as it has generally proved a 
very uncertain crop, occafioned by the inconftancy of 
the weather here, for in cold wet feafons the plants 
are frequently killed before the feeds ripen ; and if 
any of them live long enough to perfedt their feeds, 
the pods change of a dirty colour, and the feeds turn 
black and unfightly, when much rain falls about the 
time of their ripening •, therefore the feeds which 
are imported from the continent, are always preferred 
to thofe of our own growth. 
But as the confumption of thefe feeds is very great in 
England, there are fome perfons who are inclinable 
to make frelh trials to cultivate the plants here, and, 
as I have many years cultivated this in imall quanti- 
ties, and have made trials by fowing the feeds at dif- 
ferent feafons, and after various manners, by which I 
have acquired a knowledge of its culture, I fnall here 
give fuch directions for the management of this plant, 
as from experience has been found to fucceed belt. 
The ground in which this plant thrives belt, is a light 
hazel loam, not enriched with dung •, this fhould be 
made clean from the roots of weeds, and well ploughed 
twice, and harrowed fine before the feeds are fown. The 
belt time to fow the feeds is the latter end of September 
or beginning of Auguft; thefe fhould be fown in fhallow 
drills like Peas. The rows fhould be two feet afunder, 
and the feeds mult be fcattered one inch diltant from 
each other in the drills ; for if the plants are too clofe 
together in the fpring, they may be eafily thinned 
with the hoe when the ground is cleaned. If the feeds 
are fown at the before-mentioned time, the plants will 
appear in three weeks or a month after ; and if the 
weeds appear at the fame time, the ground fhould be 
hoed over as foon as poffible in dry weather, to deftroy 
the weeds •, and when the plants are grown an inch 
high, the earth fhould be drawn up to their Items in 
the fame manner as is pra&iled for Peas. This will 
fecure their Items from being injured by fharp cut- 
ting winds ; and if a ridge of earth is drawn up on 
the north or eaft fide of each row, it will protect the 
plants from the pinching winds which blow from both 
thofe quarters •, for although this plant will not be in 
any danger from thefroftin the ordinary winters, yet 
in very fevere frofts they are fometimes killed •, but 
as this plant will live in any fituation, where Peas 
ftand through the winter, there will be no greater ha- 
zard of the one crop than the other. 
In the fpring of the year the ground mull be hoed 
again in dry weather to kill the weeds, and the plants 
fhould be again earthed up in the like manner as Peas, 
with whofe culture this plant will thrive ; but there 
muft be great care taken to keep the ground as clean 
from weeds as poflible, for if they are permitted to 
grow, they will foon advance above the plants, and 
greatly weaken them ; and when their pods begin to 
form, they cannot be too much expofed to the fun 
and air, whereby they will be lefs liable to fuffer from 
moifture. 
When the feeds are fown in autumn, the plants will 
grow much ftronger, and have many more fide 
branches than thofe which come up in the fpring, fo 
will produce a much greater crop of feeds, and thefe 
will produce their flowers five or fix weeks earlier, fo 
will have a better feafon to ripen •, but in order to 
have them better ripened, the top of the plants fhould 
be cut off with garden (hears about the middle of 
June, by which time the pods will be formed on the 
lower part of the ftalks, which will be greatly for- 
warded by topping of the ftalks in the fame way as is 
commonly pradifed for garden Beans ; for where the 
plants are buffered to extend in length, the lower pods 
often mifcarry, or are lefs nourished, and thofe on the 
top of the ftalks are late before they ripen ; fo where 
the topping of the plants is omitted, the pods at bot- 
tom will open and caft out their feeds, before thofe 
T R I 
above will be ripe ; therefore to preferve the firft and 
cut off the other, will be found the beft method ; for 
by fo doing, the pods will ripen equally, and much 
earlier in the feafon. 
If the ftimmer proves Warm, the feeds will ripen in 
Auguft, and the plants fhould then be cut off, and laid 
to dry for five or fix days, in which time they fhould 
be turned two or three times, that the pods may dry 
equally •, then the feeds may be either threfhed out in 
the field, or the haulm may be houfed in a barn, to be 
threfhed at a more convenient time. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Crete. The ftalks 
of this are {lender, and rife a foot high, fending out 
feveral (lender branches, which are garnifhed with tri- 
foliate leaves whofe lobes are wedge-fhaped, and 
fawed at their ends, where they are indented ; thefe 
(land upon (lender foot-ftalks. The flowers are pro- 
duced in clufters from the fides of the branches upon 
fhort foot-ftalks, which (land erect, being armed with 
fhort fpines •, the flowers are fmall, of a pale colour, 
and are fucceeded by narrow pods (landing parallel 
and erect. This is an annual plant which flowers in 
July •, the feeds ripen the end of Auguft, and the 
plants decay foon after. 
The third fort grows naturally in Spain and Italy ; 
this is alfo an annual plant, whofe roots decay foon after 
the feeds are ripe. The ftalks trail upon the ground, 
and extend a foot and a half in length, fending out 
feveral fide branches ; thefe are garnifhed with fmall 
trifoliate leaves, whofe lobes are wedge-fhaped and 
fawed at their points. The flowers are produced in 
clufters at the wings of the (talk •, they are fmall, of 
a pale yellow colour, and fit very dole to the ftalks ; 
thefe are fucceeded by fhort hooked pods, which fit 
clofe to the ftalks in clufters, lpreading out every 
way. It flowers in July, and the feeds ripen in autumn. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in Siberia. The root 
of this is biennial ; the ftalks trail upon the ground, 
and extend a foot in length, fending out many fide 
branches ; thefe are garnifhed with trifoliate leaves, 
having roundifh lobes, which are fawed on their 
edges. The flowers come out from the wings of the 
ftalks upon foot-ftalks, growing in clufters ; they are 
fmall, of a yellowifh white colour, and are fucceeded 
by oval compreffed pods, containing two feeds in 
each. It flowers in June, and the feeds ripen in 
September. 
The fifth fort alfo grows naturally in Siberia ; this is 
alfo a biennial plant, whofe roots decay foon after the 
feeds are ripe. The ftalks of this are very (lender, 
and trail upon the ground ; they extend a foot and a 
half in length, and divide into feveral branches. The 
leaves are trifoliate j the lobes are wedge-fhaped, in- 
dented at the point, and fawed •, they are narrower 
than either of the former. The flowers are produced 
in clufters upon (lender foot-ftalks, which fpring 
from the wings of the flalk-, they are fmall, and of 
a bright yellow colour ; thefe are fucceeded by narrow 
erect pods, which contain three or four lrnall feeds. 
This flowers and perfects its feeds about the fame time 
as the former. The feeds of both thefe plants were 
fent me by the late Dr. Amman, Profeffor of Botany 
at Peterfburgh. 
Thefe plants are frequently cultivated in gardens for 
the fake of variety, but I do not know any ufe is 
made of either of the forts except the firft. The 
feeds of thefe fhould be fown in the places where the 
plants are defigned to ftand, for they will not bear 
tranfplanting. If they are fown in autumn, in the 
fame way as is before directed for the firft fort, the 
plants will come earlier to flower, and good feeds may 
be obtained with more certainty than from the fpring 
plants. All the culture thefe require is to thin them 
where they ftand too clofe, and keep them clean from 
weeds. A few plants of each fort in a garden will 
be fufficient, as they have no great beauty. 
The feeds of the firft fort are very rarely ufed for in- 
ternal medicines, but are much ufed in fomentations, 
bathings, and cataplafms, and alfo in emollient glyf- 
ters, being ripening, difiblving, and anodyne, and 
good 
