396 



LBSPEDEZA 



LESPEDEZA 



observed in 1849 near Charleston. It came from 

 China or Japan. It spreads rapidly, and has already 

 made its way over the entire South, as far north as 

 Kentucky and Virginia, westward to Arkansas and 

 eastern Texas. It is especially adapted to the Gulf 

 and South Atlantic states, as it requires a warm 

 climate and a long season of growth ; it has not 

 succeeded north of the Ohio river. It is vigor- 

 ous, and will hold its own against weeds, and is 

 said to crowd out Bermuda-grass and nut-grass. It 

 should not be allowed, therefore, to gain a foothold 

 in permanent grass-lands. On the other hand, it 

 causes no trouble as a weed in cultivated areas. 



Chemical composition. 



Its chemical composition as found in Mississippi 

 (Tracy) and Alabama (United States Department 

 of Agriculture) is as follows : 



especially in thin upland soils not too densely 

 wooded. McCarthy (North Carolina Bulletin No. 

 133) found a large-leaved variety of Japan clover 

 (L. striata, var. lata) to be superior in some 

 respects to the common form. 



Culture. 



Soil. — Lespedeza is successful on a wide range 

 of soils, but does best on argillaceous lands. It is 

 notable for its ability to thrive on all kinds of soil 

 under greatly varying conditions. It prefers a 

 moist situation but not a wet one. 



The extent of soil preparation may vary widely. 

 The seeds will germinate and establish themselves 

 on hard ground. Very often shallow stirring of 

 the soil is all that is needed to secure a crop. 

 Careful preparation, however, makes a large crop 

 more certain. Potassium fertilizers are said to aid 



Belated speM.es and varieties. 



Two species of Lespedeza, aside from L. striata, 

 have been tested in this country, namely, L. licolor 

 and L. sericea. The former was introduced in 

 recent years by the United States Department of 

 Agriculture. It is less branched than L. striatal 

 and more erect, reaching a greater height. Its 

 usefulness has not yet been determined, but it gives 

 promise of having much value under special condi- 

 tions. Besides these, a number of other species 

 occur in various parts of the country, and contrib- 

 ute largely to the value of the native pastures. 



Fig. 594. Harvesting lespedeza hay. 



the growth of the crop in the more northern 

 regions of its production. 



Seeding. — Japan clover is not commonly sown, 

 as it has become naturalized throughout a consider- 

 able part of the South, and comes in of itself by 

 dropping its seed, which germinates the following 

 spring. It may be seeded to advantage, however, 

 and in parts of Louisiana and elsewhere sowing is 

 the practice when it is desired to secure a stand of 

 lespedeza. It is sown at the rate of ten to twenty 

 pounds per acre in the spring after all danger of 

 frost is past, though it is occasionally fall-planted. 

 The latter is not to be 

 advised except in the 

 extreme South, as the 

 plant will not stand 

 frost. A stand may be 

 secured by scattering 

 the manure of live- 

 stock fed on the hay 

 or green forage con- 

 taining ripe seed. The 

 same result is secured 

 by allowing stock the 

 free range of an ad- 

 joining field which it 

 is desired to seed. It 

 will generally be most 

 satisfactory to sow the 

 seed when a hay crop 

 is desired. If the hay 

 crop is to be continued 

 on the same land, disk- 

 ing the meadow and 

 re-seeding is sufiicient. 

 If the crop reaches 

 maturity, enough seed 

 may shatter out to in- 

 sure the next crop. 



