408 FIELD CROPS 



527. Use as Green Manure. Bur clover is also sown in 

 cotton or other cultivated fields in the fall and plowed under 

 the following spring as a green manure crop. About 15 

 pounds of clean seed or 40 to 60 pounds of seed in the bur is 

 sown to the acre. If it is not plowed under the following 

 spring till seed is produced, it will not be necessary to reseed 

 it in the fall. 



JAPAN CLOVER 



628. Japan clover, or lespedeza, Lespedeza striata, is a 

 native of Japan which is now commonly found on sandy soils 

 from Virginia to Texas. It is not usually sown, but, like blue 

 grass and white clover in the regions farther north, it comes 

 in and fills up the waste places. While the plant ordinarily 

 grows only a few inches high, on good soil it reaches a height 

 of from 15 to 18 inches, and is a promising hay plant. Its 

 chief value is as a gatherer of nitrogen on poor soil, and as a 

 pasture crop. It is an excellent addition to Bermuda pas- 

 tures, for it grows well with Bermuda or other grasses. As it 

 soon starts into growth again when grazed off, the quantity 

 of feed it will produce during a season is surprising. In 

 pastures it will usually reseed itself. On richer lands where 

 it is thick and tall enough to be cut for hay, some provision 

 should be made for reseeding. This may be done by leaving 

 uncut strips across the field or by cutting the first crop early 

 enough to allow the second growth to mature seed before 

 frost. 



It is not usually necessary to sow lespedeza seed in pas- 

 tures. Where it is desired to introduce this plant or to sow 

 it on cultivated land for hay or as a renovating crop, 15 to 25 

 pounds of seed should be sown in the early spring and harrow- 

 ed in. Most of the seed is now produced in Louisiana and 

 Mississippi. 



