MEDICAGO sativa. HISTORY. 335 History of Lucerne. made to refer all available information given under any of the species of Medicago indicated above, to its specific position, but to compile the general information into the concluding account of Lucerne irrespective of the plant or plants meant. Vern.-Wilayti-gawuth, HIND.; Hol, LADAK; Spastu, PUSHTU; Sebist, rishka, dureshta, AFG.; Yurushea (green) and beda (dry), YARKAND; Vilayti-ghas, Guz.; Vilayti-hullu, "KAN.; Alfafa, alfasafat, alfalfa, fisfisat, ARAB.; Isfist, PERS. References.-Dals. & Gibs., Bomb. Fl. Supp., 21; Stewart, Pb. Pl., 71; DC. Origin Cult. Pl., 102; Aitchison, Bot. Afgh. Del. Comm., 48; Saidapet Exp. Farm. Manual, 53; Murray, Pl. and Drugs, Sind, 113; Atkinson, Him. Dist., 308; Lisboa, U. Pl. Bomb., 277; Birdwood, Bomb. Pr., 126; Royle, Prod. Res., 220; Smith, Dic., 270; Bomb. Man. Rev. Acc., 102; Gas. Bombay, V., 25; N.-W. P. III., 225; Mysore and Coorg, I., 59; Indian Agri. Sept. 7th, 1889; Indian Forester, X., II; XIV., 367 Agri. Dept. Reports (Exp. Farms), Madras, 1877-78, 16 & 97; Hyderabad, Sind, 1885-86, 31; 1886-87, 7; 1887-88, 3; Agri.-Hort. Soc. of India, Transactions & Journals quoted below. LUCERNE. Habitat.-De Candolle says of this plant: "It has been found wild, with every appearance of an indigenous plant, in several provinces of Anatolia to the south of the Caucasus, in several parts of Persia, in Afghánistán, in Baluchistán, and in Kashmir. In the south of Russia, a locality mentioned by some authors, it is, perhaps, the result of cultivation, as well as in the south of Europe. The Greeks may therefore have introduced the plant from Asia Minor, as well as from India which extended from the north of Persia. This origin of lucerne, which is well established, makes me note, as a singular fact, that no Sanskrit name is known. Clover and sainfoin have none either, which leads us to suppose that the Aryans had no artificial meadow." Stebler and Schroter state that lucerne is indigenous to the following countries" Asia, Anatolia, Southern Caucasus, Persia, Afghánistán, Baluchistán, and Kashmir." History. Lucerne was known to the Greeks and Romans: they called it in Greek medicai, in Latin medica or herba medica, because it was brought from Media at the time of the Persian war, about 470 years before the Christian era. The name lucerne is sometimes supposed to be derived from the valley of Luzerne in Piedmont. De Candolle, however, suggests a more rational derivation. "The Spaniards," he says, "had an old name, eruye, mentioned by J. Bauhin, and the Catalans call it userdas, whence, perhaps, the patois name in the south of France, laduzerdo, nearly akin to luserne." "It was so commonly cultivated in Spain that the Italians have sometimes called it herba spagna. The Spaniards have, besides the names already given, mielga, or melga, which appears to come from Medica, but they principally used names derived from the Arabic-alfafa, alfasafat, alfalfa." The botanical evidence favours the inference derivable from the names of the plant, namely, that its original habitat extended from the north-west frontier of India to the shores of the Mediterranean. The writer possesses in his private herbarium many sheets of M. falcata, collected from undoubtedly wild sources in Persia, Kashmír, Chamba, &c., and from cultivation in many localities on the plains of India, more especially Behar. Of M. sativa, one sample bears no reinark as to its being wild or culti vated, namely, that collected by Dr. Giles, during the Gilgit expedition; all the others from Baluchistán (collected by Mr. Lace), from the plains of India, &c., are expressly stated to have been collected from fields. The Flora of British India states that M. sativa is grown for forage in Madras, Bengal, and the North-West Provinces. The Transactions, and Fournals of the Agri.-Horticultural Society of India, in this case as in many others, throws the most direct light on the origin of the Indian forms of lucerne. History of Lucerne. (G. Watt.) MEDICAGO sativa. We read, for example, in the Transactions (Vol. I, 72, 79) that Mr. W. Moorcroft noticed the variability of the flowers in the wild plant. His remarks are so interesting as to justify our republishing them here. He wrote, speaking of the higher ranges of Lama Yooroo in Kashmír : "I witnessed so striking a difference between the condition of the yellow lucerne near the summits of the dry mountains of Lama Yooroo (Ladak) and of the same plants when skirting the water-courses of Drass as might almost have countenanced a suspicion that there was a greater difference than what arose from locality alone." In a foot-note to the above it is stated" Lucerne in its natural state bears a yellow flower of a rich scent and is of great longevity; under the influence of cultivation it runs through a diminished sulphur tint into whiteness, becomes green with a stain of red, and settles permanently in pink and purple; it also loses its fragrance and becomes short-lived.' Mr. Moorcroft then alludes to the cultivation of lucerne in Pusa (1823), remarking, "I caused the Government to expend considerable sums in wells and other arrangements for the watering of lucerne grounds, of which the supply was hardly ever adequate in the dry season, and the plants of which died when their crowns were long submerged in the rains. The facts I have now seen in regard to the almost aquatic nature of this plant lead to a suspicion that, if a modification of the float system had been adopted on the edges of a river with a very slow current during the largest portion of the year, and which embraced a great portion of the grounds in a crescent, that an immense quantity of excellent forage might have been raised, and the expense of wells, the labour of cattle and of gardeners might have been saved." In a further paper on Prangos hay, Mr. Moorcroft wrote of Imbal or Droz that he found yellow lucerne, a spontaneous product; he wrote of it "it is of a constitution more hardy than that of Europe, requires no other culture than that necessary for sowing it, and lasts in vigour for a long series of years." He adds, "it is submitted that as it naturally grows along with Prangos, it would be well to imitate this habitude; the joint yield is vastly greater than that of the richest meadow land, and is produced in this country on a surface of a most sterile nature, in regard to other herbage, hence, is respect fully suggested the propriety of furnishing a few pounds of this seed to the Cape of Good Hope to be sown along with the Prangos." In a cultivation of lucerne. It is there stated that "the plant thrived well, but being report of Karnal (1836) mention is made of the experimental so common no remark seemed necessary." In the Pro HISTORY. ceedings of the Society for 1838 mention is made of Mr. Hodgson having Lieutenant Nicolson mentions that in the meadows near Kábul lucerne. year, Sir Alexander's account of the method of cultivation pursued in Afghánistán will be found in a further paragraph. The subject of Kábul lucerne, Vol II. Selections), P. 297, we read that "Kelat lucerne, of which a large however, seems to have attracted considerable interest since in quantity was furnished by Government six months ago (1843), has been sown and partly distributed. It has vegetated well, but I fail Its partly MEDICAGO sativa. CULTIVA- 336 Cultivation of Lucerne. Passing over a gap of nearly forty years, we next read, in the Journals of the Agri-Horticultural Society, of lucerne as being experimentally grown in the Saidapet Farm, Madras, from English seed. Of Benares, a writer reported the failure of a crop in 1878, and in 1884 lucerne is stated to have done well in Silos. Thus it will be seen that only occasional mention is made of lucerne in India, though enough to prove that its cultivation has been at least tried during the greater part of the past 100 years. In the recent reports of Government Experimental Farms, it is stated that the Australian and European forms were found not to succeed so well as "the country kind known as Púna Lucerne." Even the Púna Lucerne does not seem to have "an entire immunity from the attacks of insects or hurt from the heat, and so many of the plants die during the hot weather that no heavy cutting is ever afterwards got from the plots." CULTIVATION OF LUCERNE. The following interesting account regarding Kábul may be here given. Sir Alexander Burnes wrote in 1841:-"There are three kinds of grasses cultivated in Kábul―rishku, or lucerne; shuftul, or a kind of trefoil; and sibarga. The first and the last continue to yield crops for some years, but the trefoil (shuftul) is an annual. The lucerne (rishku) is sown in spring, generally about the vernal equinox; for each jureeb (or about half an English acre) two seers of Kabul (or about 28 English) are required as seed. In forty days it comes to perfection and is cut down, and will yield four full-grown crops ere winter sets in, but by early cutting six or eight crops may be drawn,—the last may sometimes be inferior from premature cold. One jureeb yields on an average ten camel-loads of grass at each cutting; as a camel carries about 500lb, this is a produce of 5,000lb the jureeb or 10,000fb the English acre; and for four or five crops 40,000lb English. The third crop is considered the best, and from it the seed is preserved. Of this the half acre sown with two seers Kábul will yield 40 seers or about 560lb. This plant requires the best black soil, much manure, and is watered five times each crop, in fact whenever it droops. It is sometimes sown along with barley, but in that case the grain by exhausting the soil injures the crop. The seed is never exported, but the grass is so plentiful, though all the cattle are fed on it, as much to exceed the consumption; it is, therefore, dried, and that produced at any distance from a market is generally stored in this manner and sold during the winter. A camel load of it (or about 600lb English), whether green or dry, sells for one Kábul rupee, a coinage of which 115 are equal to 100 Company's rupees. Lucerne generally lasts for six years, but it will yield for ten years, if manure be abundantly scattered over it. In the report of the Mission to Yarkand in 1873, the following further particulars are given which show the importance of lucerne at the present time in Upper India or immediately beyond the frontier : "Sown in August and September: sprouts in March and April. Is cut three times in six months, and after each receives a top-dressing of manure, and free irrigation, one sowing lasts three years, after which the roots decay. When sown, the seed is mixed with an equal quantity of barley, otherwise the lucerne does not thrive. It is extensively grown as a fodder crop, and is stored in bundles for winter use." A writer in the Indian Forester (X., 111) says that "in dealing with the important question of fodder-reserves, it is profitable to notice the great success which has attended the cultivation in this country of guinea-grass (Panicum jumentorum) and lucerne (Medicago sativa). Lucerne is grown in small quantities in most places where Europeans are to be found, but guinea-grass is not so generally known." The writer then adds: "Lucerne is cultivated with very little difficulty. It should be sown broadcast on ground well broken up and manured. According to Pogson and other authorities, the spring is the best time for sowing, and lime the best manure. The outturn of lucerne varies according to circumstances, and should not be less than that of guinea-grass. In 1883, 4 bighas under lucerne at Dera Ghazi Khan produced 930 maunds of green fodder in six months (January to June).' In the Bombay Gazetteer for the district of Cutch it is said to be grown as food for horses and to thrive well. In the Saidapet Manual and Guide it is stated, "under irrigation this plant produces a large quantity of valuable fodder. A few pounds of English seed sown in September 1869 grew satisfactorily and yielded three cuttings of excellent fodder; it did not appear to be injured by the heat of the sun, though the thermometer exposed in the sun part of the time registered 135°, and the crop then looked vigorous and healthy. A similar result was obtained with some seed sown in 1876." In concluding this account of lucerne it may be said European experience has formulated the following facts regarding successful cultivation: I. Dry seasons, and a warm sunny exposure suit lucerne best. 2. The best soil is a warm calcareous one; cold impervious clay being unsuitable. 3. The ground must be kept well cleared of weeds; grass is its greatest enemy. 4. Clean seed must be secured, that is, seed free from admixture with Medicago denticulata, M. maculata, &c. 5. 6. The crop should be reaped before flowering. Its cultivation is remunerative only where the crop can be allowed to grow for at least three years. MEDICINES. CULTIVA The reader is referred to the remarks under Domestic & Sacred (Vol. III., 191) for an explanation of this subject heading. Space will not permit of a collective article on Medicines being here given. The magnitude of such a review may be learned from the fact that in the writer's Catalogue of the Economic Products, shown at the Calcutta International Exh:bition (Vol. V.), 1,248 indigenous drugs of India have been briefly described, making a volume of 503 pages. But doubtless, in the preparation of the material for the present work, that list has been increased to close on 2,500 substances (taking animal, vegetable, and mineral all into account) which | have medicinal virtues, rightly or wrongly, assigned to them by the people | of India. A bare list of the names of such substances would be comparatively valueless. What might be of value would be a careful classification under Therapeutic sections. This will be found, however, in many works, as O'Shaughnessy's Bengal Pharmacopeia, 113 to 187, Stewart's Panjab Plants, App. 77-106, &c. In the official correspondence conducted in 1880 by the Home Department, Government of India, regarding a proformation was brought together regarding the indigenous drugs that might| be used for the imported ones, of each therapeutic class. (See also Lisboa, Useful Plants of Bombay, being Vol. XXV. of the Bombay Gazet such posed teer, Pp. new edition of the Pharmacopæia of India, much valuable in 254-263.) Medlar, Indian, see Pyrus Pashia, Ham.; ROSACEE; Vol. VI. MEERSCHAUM. Meerschaum, Ball, in Man. Geology Ind., 445-446. This well known substance is a hydrous magnesium silicate. It is chiefly TION. 337 338 339 MELALEUCA Leucadendron. 340 341 342 HISTORY. OIL. 343 The Cajuput Tree. obtained in Asia Minor, Greece, Moravia, Spain, &c., but Mr. Ball remarks that it would be in no wise a surprise if the magnesite deposits of Salem and the adjoining districts, or the magnesium clays and serpentines of the Nicobar Islands, were found to contain Meerschaum MELALEUCA, Linn.; Gen. Pl., I., 705. Melaleuca Leucadendron, Linn.; Fl. Br. Ind., II., 465; Myrtacea. The remarks which here follow are believed to be mainly a compilation of information regarding Cajupat (var. B), but the habitat is that of the type form of the species. It has not been found possible to isolate the economic facts given by authors under the two varieties respectively. Var. a-Leucadendron; Roxb., Fl. Ind., Ed. C.B.C., 591. Syn.-MYRTUS LEUCADENDRON, Linn. References.-Arbor alba Cuju Puti, in Rumph. Amb. Herb., II., 72, t. XVI. The Flora of British India remarks that this form is cultivated in India, and Roxburgh informs us that it was introduced into the Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, in 1811. It is a much larger tree than the next formthe true Cajuput-oil tree. It would, however, seem desirable to ascertain if the oil, even though of inferior quality, could be obtained from this tree since the uses of the oil in arts might be thereby greatly extended. Var. B-minor; Roxb., Fl. Ind., Ed. C.B.C., 590. The Cajuput-oil of commerce is apparently prepared from this form. References.-Arbor alba minor Cuju Puti, RUMPHIUS. Amb. Herb., II., Collective References, &c., to both forms. Vern. Kayaputi, HIND.; Cajuputte, ilachie, (PATNA) BENG.; Káyákutí, BOMB.; Cajupútá, MAR.; Kijápúté, kayápúte, TAM.; Cajuputi, káyú pútia, MALAY.; Tram, COCHIN-CHINA. References.-Roxb.. Fl. Ind., Ed. C.B.C., 590-592; Roxb., Trans. London Med. Bot. Soc., 1829; Voigt, Hort. Sub. Cal., 45; Kurs, For. Fl. Burm., I., 472; Pegu Rept.; LX Gamble, Man. Timb., 188; Mason, Burma and Its People, 491,744; Laureiro, Flora Cochin-China, II., 468; Pharm. Ind., 90; British Pharm. (1885), 283, 380; Flück. & Hanb., Pharmacog., 277, 278; U. S. Dispens., 5th Ed., 1003; Fleming, Med. Pl. & Drugs (Asiatic Reser. XI 185; Ainslie, Mat. Ind., I., 259; O'Shaughnessy, Beng. Dispens., 337; Irvine, Mat. Med. Patna, 24; Sakharam Arjun, Cat. Bomb. Drugs, 56; Bent. & Trim., Med. Pl., 108; Dymock, Mat. Med. W. Ind., 2nd Ed., 331; Year Book Pharm., 1874, 632; 1879, 466; Med. Topog., Ajm., 132; Watts', Dict. Chemistry, Vol. I., 710-713; VII, 231; viii, 370; Birdwood, Bomb. Prod., 36; Crawford History of the Indian Archip., I., 513; Gazetteers :-Burma, I., 131; Mysore and Coorg, I., 60 ; Indian Forester, VI., 124; XI., 274, 275, 277. Habitat.-An evergreen tree, often of large size, found in Tenasserim, Mergui, and Malacca; distributed to the Malay Islands and Australia. History. The account given by Flückiger & Hanbury on this subject (and indeed not of the history only but of every feature of Cajuput) has been practically reproduced by all subsequent writers. Ainslie (of what may be called modern authors) appears to have been the first Indian writer who described the drug, as Roxburgh was the first botanist who drew attention to the peculiarities of the plant. Both these writers quote freely from Rumphius, the Governor of Amboyna, who studied the plants found in the Dutch East Indies, between 1627-1702. Rumphius gave a detailed |