SERICEA AND OTHER PERENNIAL LESPEDEZAS 



21 



The leaves contain most of the protein. In the series of analy- 

 ses Irom which table 3 was calculated the protein in the leaves 

 varied for diiferent cuttings from 20.5 on May 29 to 14.5 on July 

 31, with an average of 17.55 percent. The protein in stems varied 

 from 15.4 on May 29 to 7.17 on July 31, with an average of 9.17 

 percent. The tact that the leaves even in the youngest material 

 contain most of the valuable nutrients makes it important to 

 handle the hay so that the leaves will be saved. 



A comparison of the figures given by Morrison (24) for the 

 percentage of digestible protein from all analyses of various 

 hays shows that hay from sericea ranks well. For comparison, 

 the digestible protein and total digestible nutrients for certain 

 hays as given by Morrison are shown in table 4. 



Table 4. — Content of digestible protein, total digestible nutrients, 

 and minerals in certain common hays 1 



Type of hay 



Digest- 

 ible 

 protein 



Total di- 

 gestible 

 nutrients 



Calcium 



Phos- 

 phorus 



Potas- 

 sium 



Lespedeza, annual, all 

 analyses 



Percent 



9.2 



10.7 



10.6 



11.1 



7.0 



12.6 



3.7 



2.9 



4.6 



2.9 



Percent 



52.2 



51.9 

 50.3 

 50.6 

 51.9 

 49.4 

 43.0 

 50.3 

 49.6 

 46.9 



Percent 



0.99 



1.01 



1.43 



.96 



1.21 



1.13 



.48 



.87 



~~.27~ 



Percent 



0.19 



.24 

 .21 

 .25 

 .18 

 .25 

 .20 

 .26 

 .17 

 .16 



Percent 

 0.84 



Lespedeza, perennial 

 [sericea] 



.91 



Alfalfa, all analyses 



Soybean, all analyses 



Red clover, all analyses 



Cowpea hay, all analyses 



Bermuda grass 



Johnson grass 



Orchard grass, early cut 



Timothy, all analyses 



2.02 

 .82 

 1.58 

 1.45 

 1.42 

 1.22 

 1.61 

 1.36 



1 From Morrison (24.) . 



Such average analyses as given in table 4 have but a limited 

 value since the figures include analyses of many lots of inferior 

 hay. They do show, however, that sericea hay ranks well with 

 the legume hays and is very much better than grass hay. 



When it is borne in mind that sericea will grow on land too 

 poor and too badly eroded to produce any but inferior crops of 

 poor grass hay, its value in the economy of southern agriculture 

 may be appreciated. 



Vitamin Content 



Little is known of the vitamin content of sericea. The vita- 

 min A content was determined in terms of carotene by J. S. 

 Hughes, of Manhattan, Kans., on material submitted by the 

 Spartan Mill & Grain Co., Spartanburg, S. C. The data are given 

 in table 5. 6 



6 Permission to use these data was given by C. B. Fretwell, of the Spartan 

 Mill & Grain Co. 



