CLOVER CULTURE. 61 



and a few belonging to the southern states and the 

 plains. These clovers are mostly annuals. We give the fol- 

 lowing description of the most prominent of them taken from 

 the report of Dr. Geo. Vasey, botanist of the Department of 

 Agriculture for the year 1886, with illustrations showing the 

 varieties described, which will be found at the conclusion of 

 this chapter: 



TRIFOLIUM FUCATUM. 



This is one of the largest and strongest growing of our 

 native kinds, and is 'found on the Pacific coast. Under favor- 

 able circumstances it attains a height of two or three ieet. 

 The stem is decumbent, smooth, thick, and juicy. The stip- 

 ules at the base of the leaf are half an inch to an inch long, 

 ovate, broad, and clasping the stem. The leaves are trifoliate, 

 with stems or petioles three to six inches long; the leaflets 

 vary from roundish or oblong to obovate, thickish, strongly 

 veined, three-fourths of an inch to an inch and a half long, 

 and with numerous small, sharp teeth on the margins. The 

 flower heads are large (one to two inches in diameter), larger 

 than those of the common red clover on naked peduncles 

 (stems), which are longer than the leaf-stalks (sometimes five 

 to six inches long). There is a conspicuous green involucre 

 surrounding the base of the flower head deeply divided into 

 seven to nine ovate, entire, and pointed lobes, which are 

 about half as long as the flowers. The heads contain com- 

 paratively few flowers (about eight to ten), but these are about 

 an inch long, thick and inflated, the calyx about one-fourth 

 as long as the carolla, which varies from pink to purple in 

 zolor. Mr. S. Watson, in the "Botany of California," says 

 Df this: U A common species in the Coast Ranges and in the 

 foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada, through the length of the * 

 State in soine places very abundant and affording good 

 pasturage." It would seem very desirable that this species 

 should be given a fair trial in cultivation. 



TRIFOLIUM MEG ACEP-H ALUM (Large-headed clover). 



Alow species, seldom reaching a foot in height, but 

 robust and with strong, deeply penetrating roots. A number 

 of stalks usually proceed from one root, but these stems are 

 unbranching, somewhat hairy, and terminate with a single 

 large head. The leaves mostly proceed from the base of the 

 stem, there usually being but one pair on the stalk near the 

 middle. The lowest leaves are long-stalked, and with five or 

 seven leaflets instead of three, as in most clovers, but the 

 upper ones are sometimes reduced to three leaflets. The 



