2O4 THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



states than the toothed medic. It grows only in mild climates. 

 It is sown in the fall and ripens the following spring. Another 

 crop may be grown on the same land during the summer. The 

 seed left in the soil will produce a crop during the succeeding 

 winter months. It is sometimes sown in maize and cotton to 

 provide winter grazing and to enrich the soil. 



The seeds closely resemble those of alfalfa, but are larger, 

 dull, and distinctly kidney-shaped. In the seeds of spotted medic 

 the tip of the radicle projects prominently and is often tinted 

 red. 1 Somewhat less seed per acre is required because of 

 its annual habit. The seed is often sown in the bur, when 30 

 to 60 pounds per acre are used. The burs are obtained by 

 raking off the dead stems or vines, and sweeping up the re- 

 maining burs with a wire broom. As much as 1,000 pounds of 

 such burs are said to have been obtained from an acre. 2 Where 

 seed is scarce a few seed may be placed in hills three feet 

 apart: otherwise, sow broadcast by hand and harrow. 



III. JAPAN CLOVER 



239. Japan Clover or lespedeza (Lespedeza striata (Thunb.) 

 Hook and Arn.) belongs to a tribe (Hedysareae) which is 

 characterized by the fruit not being a true legume, the pod 

 being divided crosswise by one or more joints, lament. In 

 the genus Lespedeza there is one or at most two joints. The 

 leaves have three leaflets, the lateral leaflets being on the side 

 of the leaf stalk, pinnate. There are about a dozen native 

 perennial species more or less widely distributed throughout the 

 United States, especially southward, some of which, occurring 

 in the herbage, add to its value. 



Japan clover is an annual of eastern Asiatic origin, introduced 

 from China into the South Atlantic states about 1850, and 

 said to have been widely distributed during the war between 



1 Stebler and Schroter: The Best Forage Plants, p. 153. 

 8 Thomas Shaw: Clovers and How to Grow Them, p. 298. 



