558 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



KUDZU " (Pueraria thunbergiana). 



By vSydney M. Stent, Botanist, Division of Botany, Pretoria. 



During the last few months so much has been written and talked 

 about the wonders of Kudzu, and so many letters of inquiry on the 

 subject are received daily by this Department, that a short resume 

 of the information we possess about this plant will be useful to our 

 readers, and we hope incidentally tO' ourselves, in reducing" somewhat 

 our increasing- and voluminous correspondence on the subject. 



Kudzu, known botanically as Pueraria thunhergiana, is a woody 

 climber belonging to the bean family (Legu/ninosae). It is a native 

 of Japan, and in tliat country has many uses — the tliick roots contain 

 large quantities of starch which is used for human food, the stems 

 contain a fine fibre from which a certain kind of cloth is manufac- 

 tured, while the foliage is used and valued as fodder for all kinds of 

 stock, liorses being especially fond of it. It is said to be one of the 

 most rapid growers on record; in some cases the stems have been 

 known to attain a length of 60 feet in three months. It forms a very 

 ornamental covering for porches, verandas, or summer-houses, and 

 has been cultivated in the United States for this purpose for some 

 years, but it has recently only been exploited in that country as a 

 forage crop. 



Mr. C. y. Piper, of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, 

 has published a short pamphlet on the subject of Kudzu, and he gives 

 the following advice as to its culture : — 



CulUire. — Kudzu, when well established, covers the field 

 with a dense mass of herbage. Seeding is too expensive to advise 

 and is generally unsuccessful. Setting the rooted plants in the 

 field where they are to be grown is tlie best method. The plants, 

 however propagated, are set about 10 feet apart each way in the 

 field. They succeed best if put out very early in the spring. 

 During the first season the trailing runners cover the ground ; 

 the second season good crops are secured, but usually the largest 

 crops are not obtained till the third season and subsequently. A 

 crop of corn, soy beans, cowpeas, or peanuts can be grown between 

 the rows of Kudzu during the first season, and thus avoid losing 

 the use of the land. As Kudzu is a long-lived perennial it is 

 advisable to plant it only where the field can remain in this crop 

 for several years. Young plants are sometimes severely injured 

 by rabbits. 



Seed. — The seeds of Kudzu do not germinate very well. If 

 used, they should be jjlanted in a well-prepared seed bed and the 

 plants transplanted very early in spring after they are well 

 rooted. 



Cuttings. — Kudzu may be propagated by cuttings, but under 

 field conditions a large percentage fails, so the method can not 

 be recommended. The best success with cuttings has been secured 



