The true saffron (_Crocus sativus_) is a low-growing, fall-blooming,
bulbous plant of the iris family, native to southern Europe, where it
is cultivated commercially. It was formerly grown as a small garden
crop in some localities in this country, chiefly in Lancaster and
Lebanon Counties, Pa. The stigmas of the flowers form the saffron of
commerce. Saffron is used in cookery and for coloring confectionery,
and was formerly widely used in medicine.
A rich, well-drained garden soil favors a vigorous growth of the plant,
but a better quality of saffron is secured on land of medium fertility.
It is propagated from bulbs (corms), which may be planted in August
about 6 inches apart each way and 6 inches deep in well-prepared soil.
When grown on a large scale the bulbs are often set late in the spring.
The ground is laid off in rows about 20 inches apart, and a furrow 6
to 8 inches deep is opened for each row. In this furrow the bulbs are
set in two parallel rows about 4 inches apart and about 2 inches apart
in the row. The furrows are then filled and the surface of the soil
brought to a uniform level. Thorough cultivation and freedom from weeds
are essential for good results.
The purplish blossoms usually appear about October, but the main leaf
growth of the plant is made in the following spring. The bulbs may
remain undisturbed for three or four years, or they may be taken up
yearly and the clusters divided. All unsound bulbs should be rejected,
as they are often attacked by a fungus which readily spreads to the
sound bulbs, causing them to rot. During the blossoming period, which
frequently lasts from two to three weeks, the flowers are collected
daily just as they open. The orange-colored stigmas are then removed
from the flowers, either by pulling them out or by cutting them off
with the finger nail, after which the flowers are thrown away. The
stigmas are dried immediately, a common method being to spread them in
a thin layer on a sieve which is suspended over a low fire. When fully
dry they are placed in linen bags and stored in a dry place.
The yield of saffron is variously estimated at from 10 to 30 pounds
per acre, according to the situation where it Is grown. About 50,000
flowers are required to produce a pound of dry saffron; consequently,
the amount of hand labor involved in removing the stigmas is quite
large. The price usually received for saffron in normal times is not
far from $8 a pound, but the prices in June, 1920, ranged from $14 to
$15 a pound. Owing to the high cost of production, it is not thought
probable that saffron culture would prove profitable in the United
States.