GROWING YOUR OWN

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is responsible at least in part for our positive associations with clover. In his teachings, he used clover -- the usual three-leafed kind -- to represent the Trinity of God. Thus the shamrock, an old Irish word applied to a number of plants in the Trefolium genus, became the national symbol of Ireland.

"The Irish believe shamrocks are lucky for Irishmen," Dr. David Stewart says, "and if you find a four-leaf clover it's lucky for anyone."

Clover can be found everywhere across North America since being introduced in the 1700s. Birds spread the seeds westward quickly, and the plant is so adaptable that arriving pioneers thought clover was a native plant.

Now, farmers sow clover as forage because it grows in poor soil and mixes well with other grasses. Like cattle in good pasture, people living a life of ease and luxury are said to be "knee-deep in high clover."

Stewart has published a booklet on growing four-leaf clovers (available from Lucky Clover Publications, Route 1, Box 646, Marble Hill, Mo. 63764). Following are some of his suggestions:

1. First you have to find a few four-leaf clovers, looking in sunny, moist spots.

2. Carefully untangle the runner (called a stolen) the plant sends out. The roots are less than an inch deep. Remove the plant with as much soil and roots as possible. Keep plants moist and out of the sun until transplanted.

3. Choose a sunny spot with reasonably good soil that can easily be watered. Give them plenty of room to roam.

4. Clear away all other weeds and grasses. Loosen and prepare the soil as for any other bed crop.

5. Water plants often and generously, especially the first year. If they don't receive water for an extended time, they may continue producing three-leafed clovers but will stop producing four leaves. If you do let them dry out, a vigorous watering program will bring them back into four-leaf production quickly.

6. Keep your fledgling plot weeded the first year. Clovers don't mind the company of grasses, but aggressive plants will diminish your clover production or squeeze them out in time.

7. Don't mow over the spot for the first year. After that, mow them just like any other part of the yard. Mowing won't hurt the low-growing clover but will keep taller weeds and grasses in check.

8. When harvesting four-leaf clovers, it is best to clip them off with scissors or a knife rather than pulling them out. Pulling too hard can dislodge roots and disturb future growth.