The San Francisco call., 1910-08-14
CLOVER sUPERsTITIoNs


CLOVER SUPERSTITIONS
In some places it was believed that
il a farmer brought home with him a
handful OF clover from each corner Of
his neighbor's field his cattle would
thrive during that year. dream of a
clover field meant health and prosper
ity. Occasionally a leaf of the white
clover is found that has four or more
parts, and this is popularity accepted as
a token of great good fortune, and
four leaved clover is supposed to invest
the finder with great magical powers.
Samuel Lover in his -Four Leaved
Shamrock" gives voice to the supersti-
tion:
III seek four r-eayed shamrock-in all the
fairy dells
And IL find the charmed leaves, oh, how III
weave my spells;
But j would play the enchanter's part in cast
ing bliss around
Oh, not tear or aching heart should in the
world be found.
IN FAIRY TALES
The fairy folk-every one knows that
there are fairies-have appropriated
the clover as one of their especial
plants, and wherever fairy foot has
touched the ground, there comes up
four leaf clover which is endowed
with magical power. Whoever finds
one is Immediately taken under the
protection of the little people, If it is
a maiden, she will see her true love
before the day closes. If a youth, 1t
ensures him success in his wooing. If
a lover is going on journey and his
sweetheart can put a four leaf clover
in his shoe without his knowledge, he
Will have a safe return.
The fortunate posSessors of this tails
man are the only mortals who can hold
converse with the fairies. 1t will bring
all sorts of good luck at play, and this
han bn cit
of the club which in France is called
'Trefie," having been put on the play
ing cards
The clover grows in almost every part
of the world and its uses are mani
fold. 1t enriches the ground where it
grows. 1t provides fine pasturage and
superior fodder In times of famine
in Ireland, 1t has been reported that
when reduced to the last extremity, it
was used as food by the starving peo-
pie. And it delights the senses with its
beauty and sweet odor The bee and
the clover are fast friends, indeed one
can scarcely exist without the other.
Some years ago an effort was made
to introduce the red clover into Aus
tralia. 1t grew well but failed to pro-
duce any seed. After one or two un
successful efforts number of humble
bees were imported from America and
let loose when the clover had begun to
blossom, and from that time the red
clover has been success in Australia.
Bee keepers say the finest quality of
honey is obtained from the white clover,
and on a bright summer day great
numbers may be seen lowering over a
field of clover.
Giving I'm CLOVER,
1t was no doubt this luxuriance of
sweets, both of odor and taste, that
gave rise to the expression, Living in
clover The earliest record of this
saying is in 1710; during that century
it was frequently used to denote the
height of luxurious living.
STATE FLOWER OF VERMONT
The red clover is the state flower of
Vermont, chosen by the pupils of the
public schools, and New England litera-
ture is filled with tributes to it's virtues.
Thoreau in his Summer likens the
"blushing fields Of clover" to the
western sky at evening" Emerson
in both his prose and poetry lauds it.
The old country poets have not over
looked it. Dryden, Shakespeare, Burns
and Tennyson sing its praises, but the
bards of Ireland write most enthusias-
tically about the beauty of their ma
tional flower.