1882.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
293 
The Culture of Saffron and other Drugs. 
Every nowand then there is an excitement 
concerning unusual crops—the “Multicaulis 
craze ” on a small scale over again. Many of 
our readers may recollect the “ Coffee plant,” 
which was to allow every farmer to grow his 
own coffee, and have an abundance to sell. 
No doubt the one who sold the seeds of the 
Chick Pea at a large price for a small packet, 
found the “ Coffee plant ” profitable. Where 
is it now ? About a dozen years ago excite¬ 
ment prevailed all along the line over Opium 
culture. A person in Vermont had raised 
the poppy, and collected Opium. The same 
man sent a sample of opium to a Philadelphia 
chemist, who certified that the sample con¬ 
tained even more Morphia than the best im¬ 
ported opium, and many were the inquiries 
from those who would at once go into poppy 
growing, and opium gathering. Sometimes 
the best cure for such a craze is, not to op¬ 
pose it, but to give the details of the particu¬ 
lar culture. Of course, the production of 
opium here and there in a small way, was no 
new thing, and knowing that one of our 
friends in Wisconsin had been successful 
in it, he at our request gave the process in 
full, from sowing the poppy, to collecting 
the minute yield. Every necessaiy step was 
given, and every operation that he described 
was necessary to success. Probably eveiy 
farmer who read these clearly described de¬ 
tails, was at once cured of all desire to culti¬ 
vate opium. So far as we are aware, the 
only one who made any money out of opium 
culture was the Vermont man, who sold 
seeds of the “Genuine Opium Poppy,” (kept 
at all seed stores), and a book of directions. 
Just now there are inquiries about Saffron. 
Some one has ascertained that the wholesale 
price of Saffron is $15 or more per pound. 
He knows that the plant will grow in this 
country, for 50 years ago his grand-mother 
the safflower (Carthamus tinctoiius). 
used to have it in her garden, and collected 
the Saffron. Now he would know where the 
seeds can be had, about the cultivation, etc. 
It is quite likely that an article has appeared in 
some paper, setting forth the probable profits 
of Saffron culture. Though we have not yet 
seen it, but these unusual inquiries are gen¬ 
erally to be traced to such a source. Saffron is 
worth $15 per pound, and our inquirer is 
right in the fact that his grand-mother used 
to collect saffron. But this Saffron, is not 
that Saffron. There is Saffron and Saffron, 
the one being $15, and the other $0.50 per lb. 
The plant to which the correspondent re¬ 
fers, though usually called Saffron, is more 
properly Safflower. Its 
botanical name is Cartha- 
mus tinctorius. It is closely 
related to the Thistles, and 
may be described as a 
thistle-like plant, a foot or 
two high, wfith smooth, 
but prickly leaves, and 
heads of dark orange-color¬ 
ed flowers. It is an an¬ 
nual, and its seeds may be 
had at the seed-stores. The 
plant has been cultivated 
in Eastern countries so 
long, that its native place 
is unknown. Formerly it 
was used in immense quan¬ 
tities as a dye, and the 
commerce in it has been 
large. A few generations 
ago it was usual to devote 
a part of the garden to 
those medicinal plants in 
common use, and Safflower 
had a place with Balm, 
Rosemary,Rue, and others, 
which were duly cut, and 
hung in the garret to dry, 
for use ‘ ‘ in case of sick¬ 
ness.” Who does not re¬ 
member the odor of the 
old garret ? As to the 
Safflower, or “Saffron,” 
the flowers were pulled 
from the heads, dried, and 
put away in papers. They 
are not regarded as having 
any medicinal qualities, 
but some years ago a fam¬ 
ily was regarded as poorly 
prepared for measles with¬ 
out them. So much for that 
‘ ‘ Saffron. ” The other, or real Saffron, is a pe¬ 
culiar product, and is obtained from a species 
of Crocus ( C. sativus), which, as the engrav¬ 
ing shows, is much like the common spring 
crocuses of the garden, but it blooms in au¬ 
tumn. It is supposed to be a native of Asia 
Minor, but has become naturalized in most 
European countries; it is sometimes seen in 
cultivation in our gardens. Like other cro¬ 
cuses, this has a long style, the ovary being 
down below ground, and divides at the top 
to form three stigmas, as shown separate 
in the engraving. It is this part which 
forms the true Saffron. The flowers are 
gathered in the morning, these stigmas sep¬ 
arated, and the rest of the flower thrown 
away; they are dried on paper, and sent to 
market loose, or are pressed to form cakes. 
It has been found that it takes 4,320 flowers 
to yield stigmas enough to make one ounce 
of Saffron—of course 16 times as many to 
make a pound, and our inquiring friend 
may consider, whether, if he had the plants 
all cultivated to his hand, he could afford to 
do the collecting of these stigmas even at 
what seems to be the high price of $15 per lb. 
One may say of the true Saffron, that while 
in early times it was supposed to have valua¬ 
ble medicinal properties, it is now used only 
for coloring and flavoring some medicinal 
compounds, and for this purpose the demand 
is much less than formerly. We gladly 
enough encourage every culture that prom¬ 
ises profitable results, but there are many, 
like that of Opium and Saffron, that we know 
must end in failure, whatever may be the 
price of the product, and we feel that we do' 
our readers a good service in showing them 
the facts upon which our belief is founded. 
Planting the Celery. 
Probably no gardening operation has been 
more thoroughly revolutionized within a few 
years than.the growing of Celery. Some 
fifteen years ago, Celery was a rarity in the 
family garden; it was supposed to take so 
much labor in the making and proper ma¬ 
nuring of trenches, that few besides the 
wealthy, who could afford a “gardener,” 
undertook its culture. Now, especially owing 
to the teachings of the American Agricultur¬ 
ist, it is found that it is quite as easy to grow 
Celery as it is to grow cabbages, and the 
method which has been found practicable in 
market gardens, is now followed in the pri¬ 
vate garden. The great step in advance in 
Celery culture was, to abandon the English 
method of planting it at the bottom of a 
trench, and to cultivate the plants upon 
level ground. The planting in the Northern 
States is usually done this month. Those 
who grow Celery largely will have the 
plants at hand in the seed-bed, but those 
who cultivate but a small quantity, find it 
THE TRUE SAFFRON ( Cl'OCUS Sativus). 
