166 THE CHIEF SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL CROPS 



feet and is often cut for hay. While not a true 

 clover, it is a closely related legume and its roots sup- 

 port a great number of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, 



making it a useful 

 plant for soil renova- 

 tion, especially on the 

 old, gullied, abandoned 

 hillside farms of the 

 South. It usually 

 comes in spontane- 

 ously in such localities, 

 but if not, the seed can 

 be obtained 

 in the market 

 and may be 

 planted the 

 same as clo- 

 ver seed. After lying for a 

 few years in Lespedeza pas- 

 ture, these worn-out fields 

 may again be brought into 

 profitable cultivation by a 

 liberal use of fertilizers and 

 the frequent planting of 

 cowpeas. 

 / ""i^c*^ v^.^^.v... Burr Clover (^Medicago 



macalata). — This is another legume that comes up 

 spontaneously in some parts of the South. It is an 

 annual which germinates in the fall, growing 

 slowly throughout the winter and maturing early 

 in the spring. It thus affords pasturage at a time 

 when the ordinary grasses are dormant. It grows 



Japan Clover. 



