HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 223 



TRIFOLIUM repejis. White Clover, White Trefoil, Dutch 

 Clover.* 



Native of Britain. Root perennial. Curt. Lond. 193 ; Flo. 

 Dan. 990 ; E. Bot. 1769. 



This species of clover is so familiar to every Agriculturist, that a 

 specific description of it in a work of this nature may be unneces- 

 sary. 



The value of white clover to the Farmer is well known. It 

 is common in most, or rather, it is present in every kind of pasture 

 land in Britain. From the circumstance of grov/ing spontaneously 

 in almost every kind of soil, few plants vary so much in size : in 

 very dry and poor sandy soils it is often so small and grows so flat 

 among the lower leaves of the herbage, that it is not perceptible 

 unless a turf is cut, and carefully examined by dividing it; hence, 

 on breaking up and manuring such soils, or simply manuring by 

 top-dressing, a spontaneous crop of white clover appears where 

 it was never observed before, and without any supply of seed: this 

 has led to strange conclusions respecting the propagation of 

 plants. 



The central root of white clover penetrates to a considerable 

 depth in the soil, and the plant is thereby better prepared to resist 

 the bad effects of severe dry weather, particularly on sandy soils. 

 The branches that trail on the surface send down fibrous roots from 

 the joints, which penetrate but a little way into the ground : hence 



* The White or Dutch Clover of the shops has been supposed an liybrid variety 

 of the true perennial white clover of ancient natural pastures, and that it continues 

 only a short time in the land when sown ; and not continuing permanent, as is the 

 case with the white clover of natural pastures. I cannot find any facts in direct 

 proof of this supposition. There are, doubtless, more than one variety of white 

 clover (Trifulium repens) ; I have selected three seemingly very distinct varieties 

 from ancient natural pastures, and these three varieties are now under experiment 

 in the Woburn Abbey Experimental Grass Garden; — the results of these trials 

 will, it is hoped, shortly decide the points in doubt respeciing this valuable agricul- 

 tural plant. Raising the plants from seed, on the same and on different soils, is the 

 only mode of determining the truth in instances of this kind. Besides these three, 

 there are, in the Experimental Grass Garden, the proliferous variety of white 

 clover, which produces small heads of leaves out of the centre of the heads of 

 flowers, long ago observed by Mr. Curtis. I have found this variety at Acre House ; 

 and tlie variety with brown or purple leaves was communicated many years since 

 from Ireland, by J. Istead, Esq., and more recently by the ingenious Mrs. Turber- 

 ville of Hasfield. 



