l;',h 
Clover-Seed and its Impurities. 
remain hard and unchanged in the ground. Under favourable con- 
ditions the seeds of clover germinate rapidly, but such " hard ! ' 
seeds may remain for weeks or months without germination, 
and some may never germinate at all. In all clover-seeds a 
small proportion of such " hard " seeds are always to be found. 
It must, then, be obvious that a certain amount of failure 
in clover-seed is due to causes which are either natural or of 
such a character that no one can be blamed for them ; yet 
careful treatment will reduce the number of broken and injured 
seeds, and due respect to the condition of the crop at the time 
of harvest will reduce the number of imperfect seeds. It is, 
however, impossible to distinguish, except by the test of ger- 
mination, what individual seeds have coverings that will resist 
the entrance of water. 
The clovers generally cultivated belong to four species, viz. 
Trifolium pratense, Linn. ; T. medium, Linn. ; T. repens, Linn. ; 
and T. hybridum, Linn. 
Trifolium pratense, Linn., or Common Red Clover (Fig. 1), 
is perhaps the most valuable of the clovers. 
It is a perennial plant, lasting for a few 
years. It has a hard, almost woody root, a 
stem about a foot high, and oval leaflets, 
often with a horseshoe mark in their centre. 
The whole plant is slightly hairy. The 
large globular heads of red flowers rest on 
a pair of leaves. The pod contains a single 
largish seed, which, in our English-grown specimens, is of a 
decided purple colour. 
Trifolium medium, Linn., or Perennial Red Clover or Cow- 
grass (Fig. 2), is a perennial plant with 
a somewhat creeping root and a zigzag 
stem. The leaflets are narrower than in 
the common red clover, and are generally 
without the horseshoe mark. The heads 
of flowers are bright red, and are on a 
stalk which rises some distance above 
the leaves. 
Trifolium repens, Linn., or White Dutch Clover (Fig. 3), 
is a low, smooth, perennial plant with a 
creeping stem, often more or less buried in 
the ground, and consequently root-like. The 
leaflets are obovate, and have frequently a 
horseshoe mark near the base. The globose 
white or pinkish-coloured heads are on long 
stalks springing from the axils of the leaves. The pod is 
longish, containing from four to six small seeds. 
Fig. 1. Trifolium pratense. 
Linn. 
Common LVd Clover. 
Fig. 2. Trifolium medium, 
Linn. Cow-grass. 
Fig. 3. Trifolium repens, 
Linn. 
Wliitc Dutch Clover. 
