CLOVER was introdimed into the agrictil tun of Great Britain about the 16th century, from the Low Countries, where it had been long cultivated as green food for cattle in situations where natural pastures were scarce. The species of clover are annual, biennial, or perennial plants. Tile most approved variety of the biennial clovers is the common red or broad clover,which is usually sown with bar ley or oats, or sometimes among wheat or rye in spring. In Scotland clover is often sown among wheat, in Norfolk invariably with bar ley, and in Belgium among rye. It is usual to sow rye-grass in a small proportion with clover seed', especially where clover, having been often repeated on the same land, is apt to fail. A very extensive use of clover-hay in London is to cut it into chaff, and to mix this with oats and beans for dray horses, which have little or no hay given them in any other way ; but the most profitable use of clover is to cut it green for horses and cattle.
The white or Dutch clover, the cow-grass, the yellow trefoil, and the hop trefoil are all use fully employed as fodder. The only annual clover which is cultivated is the French clever, a most valuable addition to the plants usually sold for fodder, from the short time in which it arrives at perfection if sown in spring; so that, where clover has failed, this may be sown to fill up the bare places.
On good laud, an acre of clover will produce as much as three tons and a half of dry hay ; that is, two tons the first cutting, and one and a half the second. Greater crops arc obtained on very highly manured land.
Clover seed was imported to the extent of 09,813 ewts. in 1848.