XA'DIA, Madia, a genus of plants of the natural order composites, sub order co-nim bi:fens, having seeds without pappus, the outer ones situated between the leaves of the involucre, the flowers yellow, the exterior ones rather shortly ligulate, those of the disk tubular. The plants of this genus are annual, of upright habit, rough with glandular hairs, and very viscid; they are important on account of the utility of the seeds as a source of vegetable oil. M. sativa, a native of Chili, is there called madi or melosa, and is generally cultivated as an oil plant. It is 3 to 5 ft. high, has ovato-lanceolate, entire leaves; the flowers terminal, and crowded upon the leafy branches. It has been known in Europe since the beginning of the 19th c., but first began to be cultivated in fields as an oil-plant in 1839. The results of experiments in its cultivation have not, however, in most cases been so favorable as was expected; yet it deserves attention, hs it is only annual, does not suffer from frost, does not demand a very good soil, and produces an excellent oil. 3fadia oil is richer than poppy oil, almost entirely inodorous, of a bland, agreeable taste, and very suitable for oiling machines, as it does not freeze even at a cold of 10° F. The oil-cake is a good food for cattle. The straw and chaff have poisonous properties. It is, however, a great disadvantage that the flowers ripen gradually in suc cession, so that the first are already fallen oft when the last are not yet ripe. The cultivation of .3/.. sativa has not yet been attempted on a considerable scale in Britain. —Another species, M. ekgans, is cultivated in flower-gardens.
3fADISON, a co. in n. Alabama, having the state line of Tennessee for its ta.
boundary, and the Tennessee river for its s.. is drained by the Flint river, emptying into the Tennessee; 800' sq.m.; pop. '80, 37,625-37,433 of American birth, 19,033 colored. Its surface is undulating, rising in the n. into high hills, and in the s. stretch ing into wide fertile prairies. It has a large proportion of tillable land, as well as extensive forests. Its soil, with a limestone foundation, is fertile, and produces live stock, every kind of grain, tobacco, cotton, wool, sorghum, and sweet-potatoes. In '70, it produced 6,3:34 lbs. of honey. Cash value of farms in '70, $2,194,834, numbering 2,768. It had in '70, 93 mantifacturing establishments, including foundries, manu factories of sashes and blinds, carriages and wagons, cotton goods, flour and saw mills, employing 449 hands, with a capital of $167,440, and an annual product of $501, 096. It is intersected by the Memphis and Charleston railroad. Seat of justice, Hunts ville.
3fADISON, a co. in n.w. Arkansas, having a range of the Ozark mountains for its s. boundary, is drained by the War Eagle, King's river, and the Main Fork, all branches of the White river; 750 sq.m.; pop. '80, 11,455-11,439 of American birth, 124 colored. Its surface is mountainous. Groves of oak, chestnut, pine, and fir grow on the hili sides, in which are found deposits of iron ore, marble, and limestone. The products of its soil are adapted to the raising of live stock; oats, corn, rye, wheat, tobacco, wool, sweet-potatoes, honey, sorghum, and flax are cultivated. Seat of justice, Huntsville.