16 MISC. PUBLICATION 194, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Sour clover or annual melilot is an annual legume which, like 

 lespedeza, reseeds in pastures each year and thus becomes more or less 

 permanent. It is very sensitive to soil acidity and therefore is found 

 growing only on soils of limestone origin or those but slightly acid. 

 Its distribution and value are confined to the southernmost States. 



Strawberry clover is a perennial legume with about the same habit 

 of growth as w^hite Dutch clover. It is reported to be grown as a 

 regular farm crop in Australia and New Zealand, where it apparently 

 thrives on excessivelj'^ wet soils and yet is able to resist drought. In 

 the United States it is growTi only locally in sections 3-a, 4-a, and 

 5-a, and so far has not proved useful in the humid Eastern States. 

 Its chief recommendation is its ability to grow on very wet soils. 



Yellow trefoil or black medic is a winter annual like the hop clovers 

 but more widely distributed and usually making a larger growth. 

 It is most abundant on the black prairie soils of Alabama and Missis- 

 sippi, where it occasionally furnishes a considerable part of the 

 pasturage in early spring. Its abundance varies greatly from year to 

 year, and it cannot therefore be depended upon for grazing. 



Common or Japanese lespedeza, a self-seeding annual, is widely 

 distributed, being naturalized as far north as southern Iowa. Because 

 of its abihty to reseed under most conditions, it is useful in pastures 

 from southern Indiana and Illinois south to the Gulf of Mexico. It 

 is a standard hay and pasture plant everywhere in section 1-b and 

 region 2 except on very sandy lands, and even on sands it does fairly 

 well unless they are quite dry. 



Kobe lespedeza is a variety similar to Common lespedeza, but it 

 makes a larger growth of stems and leaves than Common and has 

 larger seed. It has about the same range of distribution as Common, 

 but sometimes fails to reseed in the northern part of section 1-b. It 

 is preferable to the Common in region 2 on account of its higher 

 yields of hay and pasture. Like Common, its growth is low and 

 spreading except in thick stands. 



Tennessee 76 lespedeza is a selected strain of Common lespedeza 

 originated by the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station. It is 

 characterized by an erect growth, heavy yields of hay, and rather 

 late maturity. It is most popular in western Tennessee and parts of 

 North Carolina. It should succeed throughout region 2 also, but 

 authentic seed of Tennessee 76 is rather difficult to obtain in quantity. 

 The seed is not distinguishable from that of Common lespedeza. 



Korean lespedeza is an annual also, but belongs to a different 

 species from Common. It is earher, coarser, and usually a heavier 

 producer than Common, but its production is ordinarily less than that 

 of Kobe or Tennessee 76 in localities where these two varieties are 

 grown successfully. Korean is of most value in section 1-b but has 

 promise in some parts of 1-a as far north as southern Michigan. In 

 the southern part of section 1-b its early maturity is of some dis- 



