OTHER HOT-SEASON ANNUAL LEGUMES 543 



contain but little water, so the hay cures more readily 

 than any other cultivated legume and nearly as easily 

 as timothy. 



Owing to the dense stands of Lespedeza and the solid 

 stems, it weighs very heavy. If the stand is dense, a 

 height of 8 or 9 inches will yield about 1 ton of hay to the 

 acre ; if 12 to 14 inches, approximately 2 tons ; and when 

 24 to 30 inches high, 4 tons to the acre. 



Probably the best time to cut Lespedeza for hay is when 

 it is in full bloom, but as the weather conditions in the 

 fall are usually better, it is mostly cut in October. 



Dodson at the Louisiana Experiment Station compared 

 Lespedeza hay protected from rain with that which had 

 been subjected to various weather conditions, in two cases 

 being rained upon twice. So far as chemical analyses 

 show, practically no loss resulted, but rains do injure the 

 appearance of the hay as well as its palatability. 



661. Seed-production. Seed of Lespedeza is mainly 

 harvested in Louisiana. It is conveniently cut with a 

 mowing machine having a bunching attachment. The cut- 

 ting should take place when the seeds are ripe or nearly 

 ripe, but the plants still green. Care is necessary in han- 

 dling to avoid undue shattering, and the straw must be 

 thoroughly dry before it is thrashed. 



The seed crop produced by the dwarf er plants on poorer 

 lands is often as large as that produced on better soils. 

 Such a seed crop is best harvested by means of an iron pan 

 attached behind the cutter bar of the mower, the top of 

 the pan being covered by wires or a perforated sheet of 

 galvanized iron to keep out trash. Sometimes such a 

 pan is used in cutting tall Lespedeza, and in this way 

 the best and ripest seed which otherwise would be lost is 

 secured. 



