SAFFRON. See Caocvs.
Saffron is cultivated in fields for use, and is no where raised with so much suc cess as in England, the English saffron being generally allowed to be greatly su perior to any other. The usual way of propagating it is by the bulbs, of which it annually produces new ones. These are planted out in trenches at five inches dis tance, or less, and they seldom fail. They produce only leaves the first year, but in September, or October, of the year fol lowing, they flower. The saffron is ga thered as soon as the flowers open, and is then separated from all filth, and form ed into cakes by a very careful pressure and gentle heat. At the end of October, when the flowering season is over, the bulbs are taken out of the ground and hung up in a dry place, and in spring are put into the ground again.
It is not, however, the entire flower of the plant that produces it, but only some of its internal parts. It is met with in the shops in flat and thin cakes, into which it has been formed by pressing, and which consists of many long and narrow fila ments, that are smallest in their lower part, where they are of a pale yellow colour ; in their upper part they are broader and indented at their edges, and of a very strong and deep orange colour, approaching to redness. They are some
what tough, moderately heavy, very easily cut, of en acrid, penetrating, but not un pleasant smell, somewhat affecting the head, and of a bitterish and hot, but high ly cordial taste. Thrown into water, they almost instantaneously give it a strong yellow or reddish colour, according to the quantity used. The filaments are the cristated capillaments, into which the pistil of the flower divides at its head ; they are of a deep reddish orange colour, while growing, and there are only three of them in each flower.
Hitherto saffron has not been subject. ed to a correct chemical analysis. From the experiments of Neumann, it does not appear that any volatile oil can be pro cured from it by distillation. It is proba ble, however, that it owes its strong smell to such a principle, though in too small a quantity to be easily obtained separate. The colouring matter of saffron is equally soluble in alcohol and water.