﻿Five-leaved 
  Clover 
  347 
  

  

  was 
  able 
  to 
  introduce 
  a 
  new 
  and 
  far 
  more 
  easy 
  

   mark, 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  seedlings, 
  for 
  my 
  selec- 
  

   tions. 
  This 
  mark 
  has 
  since 
  remained 
  constant, 
  

   and 
  has 
  brought 
  about 
  a 
  rapid 
  continuance 
  of 
  

   the 
  improvement, 
  without 
  necessitating 
  such 
  

   large 
  cultures. 
  

  

  This 
  seedling 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  

   clover 
  usually 
  begins 
  with 
  a 
  first 
  leaf 
  above 
  

   the 
  cotyledons 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  structure 
  from 
  

   those 
  that 
  follow. 
  It 
  has 
  only 
  one 
  blade 
  

   instead 
  of 
  three. 
  But 
  in 
  my 
  variety 
  the 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  leaflets 
  may 
  extend 
  

   to 
  these 
  primary 
  organs, 
  and 
  make 
  them 
  binate 
  

   or 
  even 
  ternate. 
  Now 
  it 
  is 
  obvious 
  that 
  an 
  indi- 
  

   vidual, 
  which 
  begins 
  with 
  a 
  divided 
  primaiy 
  

   leaf, 
  will 
  have 
  a 
  greater 
  tendency 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  

   large 
  number 
  of 
  supernumerary 
  leaflets 
  than 
  a 
  

   plant 
  which 
  commences 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  way. 
  

   Or 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  primary 
  leaves 
  afford 
  a 
  

   sure 
  criterion 
  for 
  the 
  selection, 
  and 
  this 
  selec- 
  

   tion 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  seed-pans. 
  In 
  conse- 
  

   quence, 
  no 
  young 
  individual 
  with 
  an 
  undivided 
  

   primary 
  leaf 
  was 
  planted 
  out. 
  Choosing 
  the 
  

   20 
  or 
  30 
  best 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  seed-pan, 
  no 
  

   further 
  selection 
  was 
  required, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  

   lot 
  could 
  be 
  left 
  to 
  cross-fertilization 
  bv 
  insects. 
  

  

  mt 
  

  

  The 
  observation 
  of 
  this 
  distinguishing 
  mark 
  

   in 
  the 
  young 
  seedlings 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  discovery 
  

   of 
  another 
  quality 
  as 
  a 
  starting-point 
  for 
  fur- 
  

  

  