9 
370 C R O 
flowering. This has a frnall flower of a deep blue co¬ 
lour. Parkinfon has the fame number. Ray has fix. 
2. Crocus vernus, or fpring crocus: leaves broader, 
with flat edges ; ftigma very thortly trifid. The fpring 
crocus has a pretty large compreft'ed bulb, covered with 
a light brown netted (kin, from which arife four or five 
leaves of a purplifh colour on their lower parts ; from 
among thefe come out one or two flowers, fitting clofe 
between the young leaves, never rifing above two inches 
high, and having an agreeable odour. Out of the center 
of the tube arifes a (lender ftyle, crowned by a broad flat 
ftigma of a golden colour. After the flower is part, the 
germ puflies out of the ground. The fpring crocus in 
its wild ftate is moft commonly white with a purple bafe 
in Swiiferland, according to Haller ; purple or white in 
Auftria, according to Jacquin ; Gefner gathered it with 
a yellow flower on the mountains of Glams ; Scopoli 
does not mention its colour, but fays that it is not un¬ 
common in Carniola. It is a native alfo of Italy and 
Spain. In Britain it is not indigenous; it was formerly 
in confiderable quantity in Batterfea-meadows, near the 
mill, apparently wild ; it has been found alfo in the mea¬ 
dows about Nottingham, by Dr. Deering. 
The varieties of fpring crocus are very numerous. 
Mr. Miller recites only twelve, i. Broad-leaved, pur¬ 
ple, variegated : this has a flower of a deep blue, and 
ftriped. 2. Broad-leaved, plain purple. 3. Broad-leaved, 
violet-coloured, or large deep blue. 4. White, with a 
purple bottom. 5. Broad-leaved, white, variegated. 
6 . Broad-leaved, with many violet-purple flowers ftriped 
with white. 7. Broad-leaved, afli-coloured. 8. Broad¬ 
leaved, large yellow. 9. Broad-leaved, fmall pale yel¬ 
low. 10. Broad-leaved, fmall yellow, ftriped with black, 
ri. Narrow-leaved, fmall brimftone. 12. Narrow-leaved, 
fmall white. Parkinfon has no lefs than twenty-feven, 
all of which he has named and deferibed particularly. 
Modern catalogues fet down many varieties of the fe- 
veral colours, which are blue and purple, yellow and 
white, or ftriped ; new ones are alfo conftantly imported 
from Holland, each of which has a French or Dutch 
title. The moft common varieties now in our gardens 
are the Scotch, beautifully ftriped; the blue; the blue 
ftriped; white; vellow of feveral (hades, larger and 
fmaller ; yellow ftriped with black ; cloth of gold. 
Propagation and Culture. If the feeds of the (pring cro¬ 
cus were fown, there might be a greater variety of them 
obtained than is at prefent; but, as they propagate very 
faft by offsets, the feeds are very rarely regarded. All 
thefe feveral varieties of crocufes are very hardy, and 
will increafe exceedingly by their roots, efpecially if they 
are fuffered to remain two or three years unremoved; 
they will grow in almoft any foil or iituation, and are 
very great ofhaments to a garden early in the fpring of 
the year, before many other flowers appear. They are 
commonly planted near the edges of borders on the (ides 
of walks ; in doing which, you Ihould be careful to plant 
fuch forts in the fame line as flower at the fame time, 
and are of an equ.il growth, otherwife the lines will feem 
imperfeiff. Thefe roots, lofing their fibres with their 
leaves, may then be taken up, and kept dry until the 
beginning of September, obferving to keep them from 
vermin, for the mice are very fond of them. When you 
plant thefe roots, after having drawn a line upon the 
border, make koles with a dibble about two inches deep 
or more, according to the lightnefs of the foil, and two 
inches diftance, in which you mud place the roots with 
the bud uppermoft ; then with a rake fill up the holes in 
fuch a manner as that the upper part of the root may be 
covered an inch or more, being careful not to leave any 
of the holes open ; for this will entice the mice to" them, 
and, when once they have found them out, they will de- 
ftroy all your roots, if not prevented. This is the way 
in which thefe flowers were commonly difpofed in gar¬ 
dens ; but the better way is to plant them fix or eight 
near eacli other in bunches between fmall ftirubs, or on 
(the borders of the flower-garden ; where, if the varieties 
2 
c u s. 
of thefe flowers are planted in different patches, and pro¬ 
perly intermixed, they will make a much better appear¬ 
ance than when they are difpofed in the old method of 
ftraight edgings. In January, if the weather is mild, 
the crocus will often appear above ground ; and in Fe¬ 
bruary their flowers will appear, before the green leaves 
are grown to any length, fo that the flower feems at firft: 
to be naked ; bi\t, foon after the flowers decay, the green 
leaves grow to be fix or eight inches long, which fhould 
not be cut off until.they decay, norwithftanding they ap¬ 
pear a little unfightly ; for, by cutting off the leaves, the 
roots will be fo weakened as not to arrive at half their 
ufual bignefs, nor will their flowers the fucceeding year 
be half fo large. Their feeds are commonly ripe about 
the latter end of April, or the beginning of May, when 
the green leaves begin to decay. 
The autumnal crocufes are not fo great increafers as 
are thofe of the fpring, nor do they produce feeds in our 
climate, fo that they are lefs common in the gardens; 
thefe mud be taken up every third year, otherwife the 
roots will run long, and produce no flowers; but they 
fhould not be kept out of the ground longer than the 
beginning of Auguft, for they commonly produce their 
flowers the beginning of October, fo that if they remain 
too long out of the ground they will not produce their 
flowers fo ftrong, nor in fuch plenty, as when they are 
planted early. 
Method of cultivating Saffron, prefented to the Royal Society 
by Sir James Douglas. 
Choice and Preparation of the Ground. The greateft: part 
of the tradt between Saffron Walden and Cambridge is 
an open level country, with few inclofures; and the 
cuftom there is, to crop two years, and let the land be 
fallow the third. Saffron is generally planted upon fal¬ 
low ground, and, all other things being alike, they pre¬ 
fer that which has borne barley the year before. The 
faffron grounds are feldom above three acres, or lefs than 
one ; and in choofing, the principal thing they have to 
regard is, that they be well expofed, the foil not poor, 
nor a very ftiff clay, but a temperate dry mould, fuch 
as commonly lies upon chalk, and is of an hazel colour; 
though, if every thing elfe anfwers, the colour of the 
mould is pretty much negledted. Profeffor Bradley af- 
ferts, that he lias feen it profpering well in common 
heath ground, where the furface had been burnt; and 
that fome gentleman had, by his advice, planted fome 
acres of it on fuch ground, hardly worth one (hilling an 
acre, with fuccefs. He doubts not but their example 
will be followed by many who have fuch fort of land; 
there being no want of manure in this cafe but the afhes. 
In the true fpirit of a proje&or lie remarks, that the firft; 
promoters of this eafy part of hufbandry will be the 
greateft: gainers, becaufe as it becomes more general, the 
price of faffron will affuredly fall; nay, lie even qiieftions 
not, but in a few years, we (liall fee rather too much 
than too little, and that the markets will become over- 
(iocked. This prophecy, however, has not been ful¬ 
filled, nor have we heard any more of the heath-culture 
of faffron. 
The ground being made choice of, about Lady-day, 
or the beginning of April, itmuftbe carefully ploughed, 
the furrows being drawn much clofer together, and deep¬ 
er, if the foil will allow It, than is done for any kind of 
corn, and accordingly the "charge is greater. About five 
weeks after, during any time in the month of May, they 
lay between twenty and thirty loads of dung upon each 
acre, and, having fpread it with great care, they plough 
it in as before. The (liorteft rotten dung is the bell; 
and the farmers, who have the conveniency of making 
it, fpare no pains to make it good, being fure of a pro¬ 
portionable price for it. About Midfumrner they plough 
a third time, and between every fixteen feet and an half, 
or pole in breadth, they leave a broad furrow or trench, 
which ferves both as a boundary to the feveral parcels, 
when there are feveral proprietors to one inclofure, and 
to 
