146 HORTl'S GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 



cient natural pastures, and tliat 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 

 (trif'olium repens). 



Native of Britain. Root perennial. 



This species of clover is so familiar to every agriculturist, 

 that a specific description of it in a work of this nature may 

 he unnecessary. 



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 grow- 

 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- 

 dressino-, 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 pro- 

 pagation of plants. 



The central root of white clover penetrates to a consider- 

 able depth in the soil, and the plant is thereby better pre- 

 pared to resist the bad effects of severe dry weather, parti- 

 cularly on sandy soils. The branches that trail on the sur- 

 face send down fibrous roots from the joints, which pene- 

 trate but a little way into the ground : hence it is, that the 

 white clover maintains itself in soils of opposite natures • 

 for if the surface be too dry to afford nourishment to the 

 branches, the principal root preserves it ; and when the 

 tenacity and retentiveness of the soil in a wet winter is 

 great enough to rot the tap-root, the fibres of the runners 

 preserve the plant in safety. From this habit of growth, 

 top-dressings and a frequent use of the roller encourage the 

 growth of this plant in an extraordinary degree. White 

 clover, when cultivated by itself, is far from forming so 

 o-ood a pasture as when combined with the natural grasses ; 



