COW-GRASS AND RYE-GRASS. 
Rev. E, ADRIAN PEACOCK, L.Th., F.L.S., F.G.S., 
Vicar of Cadney, Brigg; Organising and Botanical Secretary, Kote ipso Naturalists 
Union ; Curator of the Lincolnshire County Herbari 
AN intermittent correspondence on Cow-grass has been going on for 
some months past in ‘The Field,’ but no new facts seem to have 
been brought forward during the discussion. Some points, however, 
that want settling, if possible, have come to the front. Three 
are especially interesting, and may be stated thus. First, to what 
species of Trifolium does the English name Cow-grass rightly 
belong? Secondly, what in scientific nomenclature is the so-called 
Cow-grass of modern seedsmen’s catalogues? ‘Thirdly, the eternal 
question of perenniality. All these points are surrounded by diffi- 
culties, but, we believe, admit of a satisfactory explanation. Taking 
them as they come, we find on turning to our notes, that if priority 
holds good in English names, as in the Latin nomenclature, there 
can be no doubt about the first difficulty. The name Cow-grass 
appears first in print, to our knowledge, in 1789, in ‘The Trans. Soc. 
Arts,’ vol. 2, p. 57. Arthur Young used it again in 1797, ‘ Agric. 
Suffolk,’ p. 84. G. Sinclair again in 1825, ‘ Hort. Gram. Woburn., 
p- 218. In all these cases it is applied to one species, 77ifolium 
medium of Hudson, which, in unbotanical language, can always 
recognised by its zigzag growth, lax stalked heads, long pointed 
stipules (i.e., leaf footstalk eae ae — and deeper 
coloured flowers. It is known ames Cow- grass, Marl 
Clover, Cow-clover, Meadow Clover, fy Zigzag Trefoil. We could 
give authorities for all these. It is a valuable food plant in 
permanent pasture, but quite unfitted for alternate husbandry o 
temporary leys, for its creeping roots cling to the fallows like the 
dreaded Twitch or Couch-grass, 7riticum repens 
In the next place, what is the Cow-grass of oder commerce, 
of temporary or permanent seeds? The so-called annual 
perennial Red Clovers of seed merchants? ‘Two varieties at least 
of the typical Red Clover, Z7rifolium pratense of Linnzus, are 
represented by two strong forms and many intermediate crosses, we 
believe. The type species may be thus described to distinguish it 
at a glance from the 7. medium of Hudson above. Heads dense 
and set without a stalk upon the highest leaves or very shortly 
stalked above them, leaf stipules blunt and abruptly bristle-pointed, © 
leaflets generally marked with a curved arrow-head in white on the 
upper surface, root spindle-shaped. 
January 1897. 
