Five-leaved Clover 35 



o 



tion why the quinquefoliolate variety is so 

 seldom met with in the wild state. For even if 

 it did occur more often, the plants would hardly 

 find circumstances favorable enough for the 

 full development of their varietal character. 

 They must often be so poor in anomalous leaves 

 as to be overlooked, or to be taken for instances 

 of the commonly occurring quadrifoliolate 

 leaves and therefore as not indicating the true 

 variety. 



In the beginning of my discussion I have as- 

 serted the existence of two different races of 

 ** four-leaved " clovers, a poor one and a rich 

 one, and have insisted on a sharp distinction be- 

 tween them. This distinction partly depends 

 on experiments with clover, but in great part 

 on tests with other plants. The previously 

 mentioned circumstance, that clover cannot be 

 pollinated on a sufficiently large scale otherwise 

 than by insects, prevents trials in more than one 

 direction at the same time and in the same 

 garden. For this reason I have chosen another 

 species of clover to be able to give proof or dis- 

 proof of the assertion quoted. 



This species is the Italian, or crimson clover, 

 which is sometimes also called scarlet clover 

 {Trifolium incarnatum). It is commonly used 

 in Europe as a crop on less fertile soils than 

 are required by the red clover. It is annual 



