160 HOW TO GROW GOOD CLOVER. 



minor — Lesser Broomrape, — which is at once dis- 

 tinguished in a clover .field by its upright brownish 

 spike of dead, dry-looking, lipped flowers ; the stem 

 without true leaves, but clothed witli small brown 

 leaf-like processes (bracts of the botanist), which, with 

 the stem, are clothed with hairs. 



This plant, which is much larger and very different 

 from the clover, is parasitic on the principal division 

 of the clover root ; so that if the soil be carefully 

 removed from the broomrape, it will be found to 

 swell at the base, into which the clover root may be 

 detected to be fastened, and a very odd appearance 

 indeed has the small-stemmed clover united to so 

 comparatively large a parasite. 



The seeds of the broomrape are so small as scarcely 

 to be detected in a sample of clover seed; indeed, 

 several may be fastened to a seed as dust, so that 

 whatever care may be used in the selection of seed 

 will hardly prevent this pest. Any great injury to 

 the clover crop may be speedily stopped by hand- 

 picking the broomrape ; for, although it will some- 

 times branch up again, it will be much lessened, and 

 the few secondary shoots will usually be very weak. 



Clovers are attacked by Epiphytes — that is, minute 

 fungoid plants growing upon the leaves; but the 

 natural history of these is too obscure for a general 

 treatise, nor are they of sufficient interest to the 

 practical farmer.* 



* To such as may be intei'ested in the study of the "rusts" of 

 Clover, and some other plants, we would earnestly recommend a 

 perusal of some most interesting papers on the subject, by M. C. 

 Cooke, Esq., beautifully illustx-ated by Messrs. West & Sowerby, 

 which will be found in the Po]nclar Science Review — a serial which 

 should have a place in the house of every country gentleman. 



