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Timaru Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 3462, 5 January 1901, Page 2

In our issue of Thursday last'"there was a little paragraphs which referred to a discussion said to have takjsc! plaice *>n the sports- ground as to the alleged absence I of the shamrock from New Zealand, and; the question whether it wouM grow anywhere but, in Ireland. writer ofl the paragraph ended by saying; that the* question had been set at ssst r as "a resident of Timaru had brasgjkfc to tha "Herald" office three planter .-of- f be sham-« ,' rock grown here, and that. " undoubtedly it was the genuine article:.?." The paragraph had escaped editoriaPnotice, or the-, few words which we hav«Ajuet«d wculc'l not Save been inserted. Wfiafcois "thi? genuine article" in rock? There is a grease divergence of opinion on the subject and there is as little agreement among! st the experts, whether an-sSruarian or botanical. At various times; these has be en hot controversy as to thsrTpTant whichi is entitled to the name, an«B.the. question is not yet settled, and nevsap-vriß be.- We know at least tliree plaaiw.aach ofwiich is pronounced , "to be ttar genuine" shim-, rock by good Irish aufSfrrity backed by extensive use r in Ireland?? every time that. St. Patrick's- ■ Day comes- round in due course. These three plants are - (1) a I variety of the lesser Yellow Trefoil (Tri- ? folium Minus) ; (2) a wriety-of the..common White Cjlover (Tri&lium Repens).; (3)l j (Oxalis Acetbsella). Im-, .] mense; qaantj-ties of the--Je"sser Yellow: Tre ? ,, -foil.arf as shamrock" St. Patrick*-'s-Day. It is contendedj'li&jKr- ' ever, that neither ffe nor. any. variety ( -of j white dove r can be <fhe shamrock, i they were introducad into Ireland <:■& a comparatii ely recent-date, and tliajjafore belong su) the.adoptiOE.ijof'the plant as the Irish national 'emble'R l {.w3}icli can be Hraced baak to. a dim,. &gjti<j|uitj\ All of tf'.e plants have have the leaf with three ; tut' it may be contended fy-. -favour of the woodsorrel that it &; f indigenous-,- taj. Ireland, which cannot fife ,'soicl of tb*-> two others. JWa have kncwn of this sljamrock controversy for many a long- year—almost further bacl-xiaaa- we- cs»>tp look; and. though we 3ia,xpe ; heard; a, multitude of positive expryissed" as; to whjr.t plant is t&6 ; true- shamrock, there hxs always an. eqiiAlly- si.i*ng opinion, I and ,equ Jtty;. well: supported* in favov.r of some ot?ip«-"plant. Xor- the purpose tof this short airtK/ie we hunted up eight authoritids,-,. and wulv, two exceptions all aoSait'-the esirstiiig.. divergence of opinion aboiis the shaniAie'i, aad do not presume to pass juclgniiSatt in tia'case. The first is -tttYm Tsmbs' " Knowledge-. of tljte. Time" ',?T-ol; X., p. 87), where- there 's. tile assertion that "the eriginal i shamrock Svas undcAibtedly the Oxalis " ; 'but the ■statement is qualified by the addition tfeat "t&e name became applied to :aIL sorts, of" tref oiled plants." The second : ey.ce- t -,fiX)a is "Chambers' " Book of Days " ' (Vol 1., p,"384), which says :—"The shamrock or T3\nall white clover (Trifolium Repens of botanists) is almost universally •worn, to the hat over "all Ireland 'on St Patrick's Day. The popular notion is } tha:'t when St. Patrick was preaching the | d-octrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish, ', he used ibis plant, bearing three leaves upon one stem, as a symbol or illustration of ' the great mystery." There is nothing improbable about the legend, whatever the plant may have bsen, but Chambers' de- • gcription, "three leaves upon one stem," is not accurate.. He should have said " one leaf composed of three leaflets." In the same paragraph in the " Book of Days" Chambers says:—"lt is certainly a curious coincidence, if nothing .more,

that the; trefoil in Arabic is. called -' shanv-rakh,'-and was held sacred hvlrau- (ancient Persia) as emblematical, of the Persian Triads." We, in common, with -a multitude of. much higher authorities, must rest content with, leaving, the,: identity of the, shamrock in doubt; but let neither Englishman, nor Scotsman crow- over the Irishman on that account. The. Englishman is uncertain as to the species of rose which is his-national emblem. He makes it a double rose, bub there were no double roses in. Britain when the emblem, was introduced into the. national eseuteheeni;. As for tha Scotsman, though it has been said that every donkey knows a Scotch thistle; when he- sees it;, it is, a. fa-ctxthat many- different species- havet been, dignified with, that name, and that the. point has never- been satisfactorily settled. Those who. ate particularly, interested in- thie 'subject af the Scotch thistle; will find a lot ofcoadensed information about it in > John limbs' "Knowledge For the Time" (Vol. : X.„ pp. 8839).. The> WeJshman. alone*-, of those who inhabit the British Isles,, can enjey the- emblem of his in peace. A brajre. and: faithful racey and a strong emblem> though men as a rule may object to eat it. In- leaving the. shamrock, let us-, like. Mr Silas- Wegg,v drop into poetry:-^.. The plant that, blooms; for eyeryv • With the. rose combined, .' ; '■/ ■-■'.'■ r ; And the thistle- twinfcd, '.■■''. j Defy the strength of foes to sever: ■ Finn be the triple; they- formy..j Despite all change of weather; In_ sunshine,, darkness, calm-or., storm*. Stfll may they-fondly grow together.