The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-01
WHAT'S The TRUE SHAMROCK?
AUTHORITIES DIFFER ABOUT
IRELANDS EMBLEM.

ysrsous Plants Named ~ the True sham.
roc,-Ouce IL Was IN Article OF Fosd
-Aneaent Beliefs About II Sun RE.
seryed-st. Patrick and the 6hanrecA.
There's a dear little plant that grows In our lds
sTSas Saint Patrick himself sure, who set ~
And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile.
And the tear from his eye Outlines got II.
II crows through the bog. through the orsH~
through the mireiAnd;
And they call II the dear little Shamrock Of Ire
iand.-Old Song.
Had the writer Of the Irish ditty Of which
the above stanza forms part been a. posi-
tive as to the identity Of the plant itself
as he il of it's introducer into the Little
Green Isle, and had his assertions been sup
ported BY the necessary proof, he would
have set the minds Of men at rest on SUBJ
ject which yet remains an open and dis
puted question. Authorities still diner as
TO what the true shamrock is; and there Ia no
ground for the belief that 1t was introduced
into Ireland by St. Patrick.
In the ancient literature OF Erin the
word occurs vsriously a. seamsog. seamrog,
seamroRe, shamrote. shamrocke, sham
roke, shamrogh or shamroote. shamrug,
shamroge, seamar-oge and chambroch.
The word shamrock Is Erse, being derived
from seamrog, q compound OF seaman,
meaning trefoil. and OF. httle-httle clover.
Seaman is supposed to be the same as sumar,
obtained from the Celtic name Of the clover
-visumarus.
Az TO the plant itself, 1t Ii generally con-
sidered that true shamrock IL either the
Black Nonesuch or the Dutch clover, with
q decided preference for the first named,
on no less an authority than the curator
OF the Dublin Botanic Gardens, and other
competent persons. There are. however,
some who hold that TrifoiiSm yspsns or
Tritolium minus Ia the true shamrock.
Other writer's have adopted the fancy Of
Bioheno, who advocated the right Of the
wood sorrel to this honor. This last belief
may have arisen from the appearance OF the
word seamsoge. meaning wood sorrel. In
old Irish writings. referring to the sham
rock, but by those competent TO judge this
Ia thought 10 be misprint. the word seam
rose. signifying meadow trefoil, having
been meant.
The earliest references TO the shamrock
In Irish literature deal with 1t 90 Q food
plant.
Campion in his Historic Of Ireland
dated 1871. says In speaking Of the food Of
the common people. -Shsmrots~, water
oresses, and othsr hsrbes they feed upon;
oa,mele and butter they cram together
Matthias I,obel. the Flemish botanist,
Who published his 'stirpium Adver.aria
Nova In 1870. APPEAR TO be the hrst botan-
ical writer 20 mention the plant. Ne
enumsrat~s the purple and the white tre-
foil. and says Of the latter. 1T 10 stated 10
he good for fs,tenins cattle adding that
the Iri.h grind the flowers and leaves into
a meal, which they knead with butter. and
thrust into their srosning bellies, when
A .o,ustimss hspI,-ns they are seh.d aud
nigh madd.nsd With . thres day. hunssf
Lim und sJ-nssr. IN 1896 slso ts.lls ~
on wstsiue.r, wlisn Ieduasd ~ Starvation
dI.TiAS tl,s Munster saIs
IN lbs 'Itinsrary' - fynas hofySon,
written IA isss, this pas~sSa oooof. y, DC
so,tption ~ tho Insh 'Ih.y willingly
eel Li.s hsTls shsinues, t,slns - siasips
taste, whloh, - 'lsy i1n .i'd 80" oi.a.a'
10 s8d tao, ths, Snatch hss S-ssls oui ~
IA. dilaa.a.' Ills slsi"insBl Las sissn
rl.. W ll,s ls.llsi thai thu ssisfH.ss sas
The shslnfook, although s,sli,s ltaNs hisi,d
ns.i NITysbH's 'ssalsiiIOs,s' sih tils ss~id
soIssa Ofsis sosaessAe . uhoilais plant,
9Th .aj Juios, ~l''h s'".s abundant,
ln lIl.ll sSOdlAIda
liz .i..InIosI food ~ tho in-l 49, cup
t,,...d ~ MAKE then rifVnS AID tsh
gIss o Nahdy i.is's IA lLls iass "a
..r. snilsa ~ lLm " isro tils a,ui i-l..
,ns iuAiiliss ~ iis iY,so sss siso slsaiss-i
fI',ln 10 sisiain.1i a, ti.s f.ii ~ Ah,,iin
I,,nns . 90 ~ Agh=isI ~ iis iaii
~ AIs,l. Ca no se,-s ihsi e. hil.s - sham
t,.aas 80. ., ailaiils 49, slslii '.lsssiisi'i 90
..isilas ti.s fss,sa ssIla, Used sl,si
llsosi llG iI.s slasi1i..s - ~, sit'"ls n
fsad bl lislsHd 49, sal,sl lsiiiiad ~ ~"
M esislsA 10 l.rllsssd 60 hsss bssd
sss,v, sIT A 10 tsi ,l.s lsssssd ,.si,nss tlias
a. ssxns 9Th u.s hs,lDtal L.ass ~ Lee
ed as.s sss raSks is sS'lss,siss. ~ tho
lIiss slufs VI tks agsnisD uy'l ls<i A.
kasllsk ,ss.slIss. se.ess 'nsi,. .'"'s
'Tis iiuS dsy u hsssh y.sny . ~