HOW TO GROW GOOD CLOVER. 153 



district would scarcely offer half a dozen species in 

 the one field that could not be found in all; and, 

 indeed, in a field that had lain fallow for several 

 years not half of the present list would be found. 



That these, then, have to a great extent been sown 

 with the seed is quite certain ; but what tends further 

 to strengthen the argument is, that the Veronica 

 Biixbaiimii (Buxbaum's Speedwell) and the Petro- 

 selinum segetum (Corn Parsley) are not native to the 

 farm ; and, indeed, it is doubtful whether very many 

 of our agrarian weeds are true natives, as on exami- 

 nation many weeds will only be found in special 

 crops, and these occur in the same crops all over the 

 world wherever those crops can be cultivated. Our 

 own country, then, has, doubtless, imported a large 

 portion of her weed flora from abroad, just as we 

 have traced in the United States, European (not 

 American) plants, tracking the settlers from England, 

 Ireland, and Scotland. It is thus that the European 

 daisy (Bellis perennis) has got the name of the " White 

 Man's Eoot." 



Seeing, then, that the clover seeds are so liable to 

 be dirty, it becomes an important inquiry as to 

 whether it is possible to get pure seed ; and in reply 

 to this query we should answer, from a long expe- 

 rience, that though one seldom sees pure clover seed, 

 yet it sometimes falls in our way, or at least so pure 

 that its weeds are reduced to a minimum. Such 

 samples may be expected to be high-priced ; but still, 

 how much cheaper than a dirty article! — for, inde- 

 pendently of having only the seed of the croj) you 

 wish to cultivate, you are saved the annoyance which 

 must arise when a weed has taken root, in that 



