Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-06

of Roman origin. The latter guess is on
the responsibility of the Rambler. The
saffron growing and drying industry be-
gan on an important scale In that town
during the reign Of Edward III. and it
had declined almost to the vanishing
point about 1903.
From the yellow stigma Of the SAT-
from flower a royal color was obtained
in classic days. Tyrian purple seems
not to have been the only royal color.
The mantle of the Irish kings was col
ored with saffron 1t Is very power
full dye today and one grain of pow
dered saffron combined with sugar in
a little water will give a strong yell
low color to ten gallons of water. At
the height Of its popularity In food
and medicine 1t was cultivated on a
grand scale in Spain, France, Sicily
and in Persia, and it Is still grown in
those countries.
No medicine could be, complete and
eff1cacious without little saffron in it.
1t was good for all the ills that flesh
is heir to. 1t was good for all dis
orders Of the lungs, liver. throat. head
and blood. 1t was as valuable for
headache as 1t was for govt and bun
ions. Heart disease or warts yielded
to the gentle influence of saffron. The
halls OF Greek houses and the Greek
tAcdlCio ana the ROMAN DdtuS were
scented with the odor of saffron. for
it was not only general medicine and
general food, but a perfume also.
1t has been written that the streets
of Rome were sprinkled with saffron
when Nero made his entry into that
city.
The Chinese and the Persians mixed
saffron with their rice, and the Ram
bier seems to have read somewhere
that it is still used in that way by
ha nf ORG in iS
certain thing If books that one reads
can be believed that in England today
saffron is used to color pastry and con-
fectionery, and perhaps it may be used
There is book in the British Museum,
and no doubt one also in the Library
of Congress, by the very old writer.
Hakluyt, in which he writes of SAT-
from as follows:
I'm a Compositio de Decenis entered
into by the abbot and vicar of Walden in
1444 saffron is mentioned as a titheable
commodity. and 1t is reasonable to as
sumo the saffron culture was well estab-
lished by this date. 1t appears that hogs
had wandered on to the saffron beds and
damaged them in 1918, for the owners Of
the hogs We're prosecuted at a court held
for the manor in that year.
"Hollinshed, in the third book Of his
CHRONICLES" gives an account of English
saffron. After describing its culture, uses
ETC., he says:
There groweth some saffron in many
places of Almaine, and also about Vienna
In Austria. which later is taken for we
best that springeth in other quarter. In
steade Of thys also some doc use the
Carthamus called amongst us SAT-
FROM, but neyther this is of any value
tibet other in any wise comparable unto
ours, whereof let this suffice as of a
commoditye brought into this Ilande not
long before the time of Edward the
Third, and not commonly planted until
Richard We Second did raign. 1t would
grow very well as l take it about Chill
tern hilies and in all the vale Of the
Whyte horse"
When the Rambler became interested
in the subject of saffron he sought to find
saffron plant in some of the gardens
about Washington and asked many ques-
tons of a good many persons without
getting on the track Of this purple au-
tumn- blooming crocus. Then he adj
dressed a note to Joseph A. Arnold. chief
of the division of publications of the De-
partment of Agriculture. asking If the
department knew anything about saffron
in Washington. And, of course it did. A
few days later the Rambler received from
Warner W. Stockberger, physicologist in
charge of drug and poisonous plant In
vestigations, the following letter:
Yours Of recent date. addressed to Mr.. Arnold.
inquiring regarding snffron, has been referred to
me for reply. beg to advise that have some
saffron plants In the medicinal plant garden at
Arlington, hut that the same are at present in
dormant condition. However. We are expecting
them to blossom about the first week in Septem-