o 



T R 



TuiroLt'jM ^ AngulfifcUHm) fpicls viUofis conlco-ob- 

 lonois, deiicibus calycinis ietaceis, fub^ualibus, fo- 



]i:)iis lincaribus. Hurc. Clirr'. 375. "Trefi 



corneal, hairy /pikes, hazing hijily iudeiHures to^ the em- 



palements 



lea 



ves. 



turn. 



Trifolium montanum, angulliirimum, fpica- 

 C. B. P. 238. Spked Mountmn Trefoil -j:ith the 



uarrozvcji leaves. 



^i ^ 



i 



9 



ife 



efc 



fP 



ments ivhich are equal. Trifolium arvenfc humilie fpi- 



.^ A y^ ~Wm MM — . .-* l_/ / 1 vT M^ rt ^ T ^ A\ r */ 4/* ^ T' y^ -* / 



-/f?^/ Trefoil. 



1 



^^ 



Ivcibus inflatis bidentatis reflexis, caulibus repentibus. 

 Here. ClifF. "73. Trefoil "^^ith rotindifo heads, reflexed 

 bladder erapalements ^vith two teeth, and a creeping fialh 

 Trifolium fragiferuiii frifcum. C. B. P. 329. Straw- 



berry Trefoil. _ 



II. TviUOLiiJfA {M. Officinalis) leguminibus racemofis 



nudis dilpennis, caule ercao. Hort. ClifF. 376. Tre- 



31 



of pods containingtwofeed. 

 (^flalk. MclilotusofficinarumGermanica^.C.b.i'. 



3' ^ 1 . Canmon Melilot. 

 12. Trifolium {M. Cm^/^^) fpicis oblongis, Icgumim- 

 bus feminudis mucronatis, caule ercfto. Hort. Cliff. 

 37^. Trefoil with oblong fpikes^ half naked aciite-point- 

 \dpods, and an tlprlght fialh Lotus hortcnfis odora. 

 C. B. P. 330. Sweet Trefoil 



Tlie firft forr, which is v;ell known in England by the 

 title of red Clover, needs no defcription ; this has 

 been' frequently confounded with the red Meadow 

 Trefoil by the botanifts, who have fuppofed they were 

 the fime fpecies^ but I have often fown the feeds of 



in the fame bed, which have conftantly pro- 

 duced the two fpecies without varying. The ftalks of 

 theMeadow Trefoil are weak and hairy; the ftipul^e, 

 which embrace the foot-ftalks of the leaves are narrow 



both 



w 



and very hairy •, the heads of flowers are rounder'and 

 nnf fo hr>;rv n<; thofe of the Clovcrl whofe flalks are 



ftrons:, almoft fmooth, 



and rife twice the 



^v» 



heiglu of the otTier ; the heads of flowers are large, 



oval, and hairy; the petal of the flowers open much 



wider, and their tubes are fliorter.than thofe of the 



other -/but the Clover has been fo much cultivated 



in Engfand for near a hundj-ed.years pafl:, that the 



, feeds have been fcattered over moft of the Engliih 



' paftures, fo that there are few of them who have not 



' .-Clover mixed with the other Grafles; and this has 



■■" often deceived the botanitts, who have fuppofed that 



■ -'the Meadow Trefoil has been improved to this by 



- "i dreffing of the'Iand. : ' --; ' ■ ' • '"-': 



. -i Since the red Clover has been cultivated in England, 



s 



J 



k 



R 



fown after the Barley is harrowed in, otherwiicit will 

 be buried too deep •, and afcer the feeds are fown, the 

 ground ihould be rolled, which will prefs the feeds 

 into the ground ; but thisfnould be done in dry wea- 

 ther, for moiilure v/ill often caufe the feeds to burd, 

 and when tlie ground is wet, the feeds will Hick to 

 the roll. This is tlv.- method wliich is generally prac- 

 tifed by mod people in the fowing of this iced with 

 Corn, but it will be much better if fown alone -, for 

 the Corn prevents tlie growth of the plants until it is 

 reaped and taken off the ground, fo that one whole 

 feafon is loft \ and many times, if there be a grer.c 

 crop of Corn upon the ground, it fpoils the Clover, 

 fo that it is hardly worth Handing-, v/hereas, when ic 

 is fown without any other feed, the plants will come 

 up more equal, and come on much fafter than that 

 which was fown the fpring before under Corn. 

 Therefore from many years trial I would advife the 

 feeds to be fown in Augufl:, when there is a profoeft 

 of rain foon after •, for as the ground is at tJiat feafon 

 v^arm, fo the firfl; fhower of rain will bring up the 



., plants, and thefe will have time enough to get ftrenc^th 

 before the winter : and if, fome time in Oftober, 

 when the ground is dry, the Clover is well rolled, 

 it will prefs the ground clofe to the roots, and caufe 

 the plants to fend out more fl^oots ; the fame fliouid 

 be repeated in March, which will be found very fer- 

 viceable to the Clover, The reafon of my preferring 

 this feafon for the fowing of the feeds rather than 

 the fpring is, becaufe the ground is cold and wet in 

 fpring, and if much rain fall after the feeds are fown, 

 they will rot in the ground \ and many times when 

 the feed is fown late in the fpring, if the feafon lliould 

 prove dry, the feeds will not grow, fo that I have al- 

 ways found the other feafon has been the bell. 

 ' Aboutthe latterend of May this Grafs will be fit to ciit, 

 .when there Ihould be great care taken in making it; 

 for it will require a great deal more labour and time 



r io dry than common Grafs, and will flirink into lefs 



- compafs ; blit if it be not too rank, it will make 

 extraordinary rich food for cattle. . The time for 

 cutting it is, when it begins to flower ; for if it fl:ands 

 much longer, the lower part of the ftems and the 



- under leaves will begin to dry, whereby it will make 

 ... a lefs quantity of hay, and that not fo well flavoured. 



^ Some people cut three crops in one year of this Grafs, 

 but the belt way is to cut but one in the fpring, and 

 feed it the remaining part of the year, whereby the 

 land will be enriched, and the plants will grow much 



ftronger. 



-* *^»*» 



*-> 



' r'j 



^ _ 



- V. 



there has been great improvement made of the clay 



xV lands, which before produced little but Rye-grafs, and 



. • other coarfe bents •, which, by being fpwn with red 



Clover, have produced more^ than fix times the quan- 



' ■ tity of fodder th?y had formerly on the fame land, 



'?-■ whereby the farmers have been enabled to feed a much 



vgreatcr fl:ocJ< of cattle than they could before, which 



has enriched the ground', and prepared it for Corn ; 



^- and where the land is kepFIh tillage, itTs the ufual 



.;\ni.ethod now aniong the farmers, to lay down their 



^^' ground with Clover, after having had two crops of 



. . Corn, whereby there is a cdnftarit rotation of Wheat, 



. Barley, Clover, or Turneps oh the farrieland.'-'^./^i.' 



^The Clover-feed is' always fown with Barley iri'the 



"fpring, and when the Barley is taken off, the Clover 



.V fpreads and covers the ground, and this remains two 



"' years', after which the land is ploughed again for Corn. 



yThe Clover is a biennial plant, whofe roots decay af- 



\er they have produced feeds ; but by eating it down, 



"'bT'hiowino; it when it begins to flower, it caufes the 



' X 







roots to fend out new flioocs, whereby fome of the 

 plants are continued longer* than they would naturally 

 remain. - The common allowance of feed for an acre 

 of ground is ten pounds. Th the choice of the feeds, 

 ■ that which is of a bright yellow colour, inclining to 

 brown fliould be preferred, and'the pale-coToured thin 

 feed ftiould be feje£led; - The Clover-feed fliould be 



One acre of this plant will feed as many cattle as four 

 or five acres of common Grafs ; but areat care ftiould 

 be taken of the cattle when they are firft put into it, 

 left it burft them : to prevent which, fome turn them 

 in for a few hours only at firft, and fo ftint them as 

 to quantity ; and this by degrees, letting them at 

 firfl; be only one hour in the middle of the day, when 

 there is no moifture upon the Grafs, and fo every 

 day fuffer them to remain a fonger time, until they 

 are fully feafoned "to it ; but great care fliould be had 

 never to turn them into this food in wet weather; or 

 if they have been for fome time accuftomed to this 

 food, it will be'proper to turn them out at night in 

 :wet weather; and let them have hay, which will pre- 

 vent the ill confequer.ces of this food ; but there are 

 fome who give fliraw to their cattle while 'they are 

 feeding upon this Grafs, to prevent the ill effects of it -, 

 which mufl: not be given them in the field, becaufe 

 they will not eat it where there is plenty of better food. 

 There are others who fow Rye-grafs amongft their 

 Clover, which they let grow together, in order to pre- 

 vent the ill confequences of the catde feeding wholly 

 on Clover ; but this is not a commendable way,^ be^ 

 caufe the Rye-grafs will greatly injure the Clover in its 

 growth, and the feeds will fcatter and fill the ground 



with bents. • - - 



Where the feeds are defip-ned 



'-* 





A, 



..^ aved, the firft 



crop in the fpring fliould be permitted to ftand until 

 the feeds arc ripe, which may l^e known by theftaJks 



and heads chanj^ing to a brov/n colour ^ then it flaould 



be 



o 



*- V 



A-- - 



^^ . 



- t. 



v> 



