450 On Clovers. 



These observations were made in June, principally in Dorset, 

 Berks, and Gloucestersliire. 



2. T. pratense, var. peTCtme, Cow-grass ; and 3. T. pratense, 

 A'ar, medium,* Zigzag, or Marl-grass. 



The latter clover is distinguished from the others by a pecu- 

 liar angular bend from each joint. Its flowers are of a bright 

 purple, in larger heads than those of the common meadow 

 clover. I venture to mark this as a variety of T. pratense, not 

 only from a review of its history, but as the result of direct 

 experiment. Sinclair says of his T. pratense pei'enne, — " When 

 examining the rich grazing lands in Lincolnshire, I found this 

 plant to be more prevalent than any other species of clover. In 

 clayey districts, and in soils of a peaty nature, this species of 

 clover was more conspicuous than in the alluvial soils. The 

 natural appearance of this plant in these celebrated pastures is 

 such as to recommend it strongly for cultivation. It being 

 strictly perennial, and the root only slightly creeping, it may 

 he used for the alternate husbandry, for which the T. medium 

 is inadmissible on account of its creeping roots, constituting 

 what in arable land is termed twitch^ 



The creeping habit here referred to is common to the 

 T. medium and T. pratense perenne, and in this respect these 

 two forms agree with the T. Pennsylvaniciim, which is further 

 described as follows : — 



" Stem much branched, flexuous ; leaflets ovate-elliptic, obtuse, 

 quite entire ; stipulas awned ; heads ovate, cylindrical, solitary, 

 dense." 



But besides this, I find from experiment that seed of the wild 

 T. medium becomes indifferently T. pratense, T. j)ratense perenne, 

 and therefore regard the three forms as only varieties. 



While at the Agricultural College I experimented largely upon 

 the different clovers, and having gathered seeds of T. medium 

 from a sand district, its usual wild habitat, planted them in some 

 stiff land on the Forest Marble. Without detailing the inter- 

 mediate steps, suffice it to state that I was enabled to produce 

 all the three forms under discussion from this seed, and have, 

 therefore, now no hesitation in pronouncing these three forms to 

 be mere varieties of the common Broad-leaved or Red Clover. 



This is not a mere botanical distinction, but has its importance 

 in an agricultural point of view : there can be no doubt that 

 the sand form was originally obtained because the ordinary 

 clover had begun to fail, and it was found often to meet the 

 difficulty, but this in turn has become merged into further 



* This plant will be found well figured in 'Science and Practice in Farm Culti- 

 vation,' by the author. 



