:., ll.OWl'KS OI- IHI-: III.I.DS AND M I'ADOWS 



Rfil Cl(ncr is one of ihc niusi u-^dul ])I:lius tor iiic.ulow hinds, 

 ll is sown in spring' wiili corn, and uhi-n die corn is cm it iLirnishus 

 ,L winicr toddc-r, L^rowinL; up widi il. Il is also ploughed in as a 

 ijrecn crop, enriching; the soil hy die power it has ol lixint;' nitrogen 

 by bacterial aj^ency. It was lirst 141-0 w n in l(^^ in this country. 



EssKNTiAi- SriaiKic Ciiaracti;ks: — 



78. 7^)-ifoliiiin f)ratcnsi\ L. — Stem rij^id, hairy, Icallcts broad, enure, 

 slijjules blunt, ovate, Howers [)LirpIe, sessile, in round heads, calyx 

 ilown\'. 



White or Dutch Clover (Irilolimn repens. !..) 



This is one of the Lei^^iiniinosa- which, so far as we know, is of 

 (|uite recent date. The Xorlh Temperate and .Xi'ctic Zones are its 

 home, i.e. in .Arctic I'.urope, \. .\tric-a, \. and W. Asia, hulia, and 

 N. .AnuM'ica. in (ireat Mrilain it is tound in e\'er\" coluuv as lar noiih 

 as the Shetlands, and in the Highlands it is tound ^rowini,;' at :!7oo It. 

 It is a native of Ireland and the Channel Islands. 



Trulv wild upon most sandy stretch<-s of pastrnx-, the Hutch or 

 While C'lo\er is to be tound in fields, on banks, upland as well as 

 lowland, in all parts of the country; but it is rather more common 

 in the eastern and southern counties than in the west and northern 

 counties. With its occurrence is coimected the honey output of most 

 hives, as the Red Clover is inaccessible to the hive bee. 



While Alsike and Red Clover are more or less erect, Dutch Clover 

 is a creeping;', trailing plant, with numerous, widespreadinq;, simple 

 stems, with leaflets in threes, ey.i^-shaped at either end, slightly notched 

 at the ti}) and t(Wthed, with a green or purple or white spot in the 

 centre. The leafdike organs on the leaf-stalks are narrowly elliptic, 

 and drawn out into a point, with purple veins. 



The white, rarely purplish, flowers are in clusters, and when young 

 are erect, but later bent down, on long stalks, the heads being in 

 umbels. The ten caly.x teeth are about equal, and riblied, with bristle- 

 like teeth. The corolla, like the pea Hower, is twice the length of the 

 caly.x, the standard being brown, not falling. 



The pods are long, and contain four seeds. 



Rarely does the White Clover exceed 2 to 3 in. in height. The 

 flowers are in liloom from May to September. It is perennial, and 

 increases by root division. 



The Dutch Clover has a \'ery simple flower, in which the wings 

 are united to the keel at one point, and the stamens and pistil are 

 enclosed in the keel. They protrude when it is depressed and return 



