An Account of the Culture, or Planting and Ordering of Saffron; by the Honourable Charles Howard, Esquire

PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. March 25. For the Month of March, 1678. The Contents. A Relation of the Culture, or Planting and Ordering of Saffron; by the Honourable Charles Howard, Esquire. An Account of the Tin-Mines in Cornwall; by Dr. Christopher Merret. Experiments of the Refining of Gold with Antimony; by Dr. Jonathan Goddard. A Relation of a monstrous Birth; by Dr. S. Morris of Petworth. An Account of three Books: I. The Royal Pharmacopæa; by Moses Charras, the (French) Kings Chief Operator in his Royal Garden of Plants. II. Decameron Physiologicum; by Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury. III. An Account of Mr. Joseph Moxon's Undertaking and Essays, in the History of Handy crafts. An Account of the Culture, or Planting and Ordering of Saffron; by the Honourable Charles Howard, Esquire. Saffron-heads planted in a black rich Sandy Mold, or in a mixt Sandy Land, between white and red, yields the greater store of Saffron. A Clay or Stiff-ground, be it never so rich, produceth little Saffron; though increase of Heads or Roots, if the Winter prove mild and dry: but the extremity of cold and moisture will rot them. So that the finest light Sandy Mold, of an indifferent fatness is esteemed most profitable. Plough Plough the Ground in the beginning of April, and lay it very smooth and level. About three weeks or a month after, spread upon every Acre twenty Loads of rotten Dung, and plough it in. At Midsummer plough it again, and plant the Saffron-heads in rows, every way, three Inches distant one from another, and three Inches deep. The most expedite way of planting, is to make a Trench the whole length of the Field, three Inches deep with a Spit-shovel. The Spit-shovel is to be made of a thin straight Iron ten Inches long, and five Inches broad, with a Socket in the side of it to put a staff or handle. Lay the Saffron-heads three Inches distant in the Trench, and with the Shovel spit up three inches of Earth upon them. Observe this order in planting of whole Fields, whereby the Heads will lie every way three inches square one from another. Only Paths or shallow Trenches are to be left two or three yards asunder, which serve every year to lay the Weeds to rot, that are to be weeded and pared off the ground. As soon as the Heads begin to shoot or speer within the ground (which is usually a fortnight before Michaelmas) howe or pare the ground all over very thin; and rake lightly all the Weeds and Grass very clean, lest it choak the Flowers, which will soon after appear; and are then to be gather'd, and the Saffron to be picked and dried for use. The Ground must be very carefully fenced from Sheep or Cattel, which by treading break the Saffron-grass, and make the chives come up small. In May the Saffron-grass will be quite withered away, after which, the Weeds and Grass the ground produceth may be cut or mowed off from time to time to feed Cattel till about Michaelmas, at which time the Heads will begin to speer within the ground. Then howe, pare and rake the Ground clean, as before, for a second crop. The like directions are to be observed the next year for a third crop. The Midsomer following dig up all the Saffron heads, and plant them again in another new Ground (dunged and ordered as aforesaid) wherein no Saffron hath been planted, at least not within seven years. The Flowers are to be gathered as soon as they come up, before they are full blown, whether wet or dry. Pick out the chives clean from the shells or flowers, and sprinkle them two or three fingers thick, very equally, on a double Saffron-paper. Lay this on the Hair-cloth of the Saffron-Kiln, and cover it with two or more Saffron-papers, a piece of Woolen-cloth or thick Bays, and a Cushion of Canvas or Sack-cloth filled with Barley-straw, whereon lay the Kiln-board. Put into the Kiln clean, throughly kindled Char-coal, Oven-coals, or the like, keeping it so hot that you can hardly endure your fingers between the Paper and the Hair-cloth. After an hour or more turn in the edges of the cake with a Knife, and loosen it from the paper. If it stick fast, wet the outside of the paper with a feather dip'd in Beer, and then dry the papers. Turn the cake, that both sides may be of a colour. If it stick again to the paper loosen it, and then dry it with a very gentle heat, with the addition of a quarter of 100 l. weight laid upon the Kiln-board. The Saffron-cake being sufficiently dry'd is fit for use, and will last good many years, being wrapt up and kept close. The best Saffron is, that which consists of the thickest and shortest chives, of a high-red and shining colour, both without and within alike. Saffron is oftentimes burnt, and in knots, spotted and mixed with the yellows that are within the shells. It's usually observ'd, that one Acre doth yield, at the least, 12 pounds of good Saffron one year with another, and some years 20 pounds. Good Saffron is seldom or never sold at so low a rate as 30 shillings per pound, frequently at three pounds per pound, and upward. Wherefore one Acre bearing 12 pounds at 40 shillings the pound, cometh to 24 pounds per annum. The gathering and picking of one pound of Saffron is worth one shilling, which cometh to twelve shillings per Acre. The Fire and care of drying may come to 3 shillings more, at 6 pence the pound; which is in all 15 shillings. The Grass that is mowed and cut off the ground for the use of Cattle, will be very near worth as much as will counteract the picking and drying the Saffron; the Soil being enrich'd not only by the Dung, but the Saffron itself, as appears by the rich crops the ground yields for several years after without any other manuring or improvement. Sixteen Quarters of Saffron heads are sufficient to plant one Acre. A Quarter of these Heads is usually sold in the place for 10 shillings, which comes to 8 pounds per Acre. Twenty Loads of rotten Dung laid on the ground, may be worth 40 shillings at 12 pence a Load for the Dung, and as much for carriage into the Field. For thrice ploughing the ground 20 shillings. For planting the Heads about 4 pounds. Which in the whole makes 14 pounds, the charges of planting an Acre, which will bear three crops. So that all things reasonably computed it appears, that an Acre of Saffron will be worth, notwithstanding all casualties, one year with another, over and above the 14 pounds charges, for the first years planting (at the least) 20 pounds per annum. Besides the great increase of the Saffron heads, which will be as three for one. The Kiln. It consists of an Oaken Frame, lathed on every side, twelve inches square in the bottom, two foot high, and two foot square at the top; upon which is nailed a Hair-cloth, and strained hard by wedges drove into the sides; a square Board and a Weight to press it down, weighing about a quarter of a hundred. The insides of the Kiln cover'd all over with the strongest Potters-clay, very well wrought with a little Sand, a little above two inches thick. The bottom must be lined with Clay four or five inches thick, which is the Hearth to lay the fire on: level where-with is to be made a little hole to put the Fire. The outside may be plaister'd all over with Lime and Hair. A Relation of the Tinn-Mines, and working of Tinn in the County of Cornwal; by Dr. Christopher Merret. The Stones from which Tinn is wrought are sometimes found a foot or two below the surface of the Earth, but most usually betwixt two walls of Rocks (which are commonly of an Iron colour, of little or no affinity with the Tinn) in a Vein or Load (as the Miners call it) betwixt 4 and 18 Inches broad, or thereabout. Some say, the Load runs North and South: but in truth it runs East and West, and all other ways with very great variety. Sometimes there is a rich and fat Metal; sometimes hungry and starved; sometimes nothing but a drossie substance, not purely Earth, nor Stone, nor Metal; but a little resembling the rejected Cynders of a Smiths Forge: appearing sometimes of a more flourishing colour tending to Carnation; and sometimes more unbratlie: and where this is found, the Miners judge the Metal to be ripe. The Pits are 40, 50, and sometimes 60 Fathoms deep, and more. The Load being very rich and good, above that is ten fathoms from the grass, or thereabouts. And below that, there's a strange cavity or empty place, wherein is nothing but Air for many fathoms deep, as the Miners have tried with long Poles and Pikes. This cavity lies between hard Stony walls, distant one from another about six or nine Inches. The Labourers tell stories of Sprights or small People, as they call them: and that when the Damp ariseth from the subterraneal Vaults; they hear strange noises, horrid knockings, and fearful hammerings. These Damps render many lame, and kill others outright, without any visible hurt upon them.