168 TILLERS OF THE GBOUND CHAP. 



fully, for several years, white, lemon, yellow, and 

 buff varieties were obtained, and these varieties are 

 now grown in every garden. 



Here is another experiment, rather a pretty one, 

 which was carried out by the great Dutch botanist 

 called de Vries. He was out one day on an ex- 

 cursion in Holland, his native country, and he had, as 

 he puts it, the great good-luck to find two " four- 

 leaved " clover plants. Perhaps somebody here has 

 looked for these plants without de Vries' good fortune. 

 At least, we all know that these plants, like " even- 

 leaved " ashes, bring good -luck to the finder. 

 Some of us, perhaps, if we have never found a 

 four-leaved clover have found the commoner " even 

 ash." We know that if a girl finds such an ash, 

 she has only to go out into the road, singing 



An even ash I now possess, new plucked from the tree, 

 The first young man that I shall meet, my own true love 

 shall be, 



and then she will be happy ever after, just as in 

 a fairy tale. 



Well, it is not probable that de Yries wanted to 

 use his four-leaved clovers for magic, either black 

 or white. Let us see what he did do with them. 



He brought the precious plants home into his 

 garden, and there cultivated them for " three long 

 years," says the original. He had the satisfaction 



