LESPEDEZA 6 



periods of severe drought, not much growth is made. For a growth 

 tall enough to cut for hay, moisture is essential. On dry sandy soils 

 lespedeza may survive, but the growth is insignificant. 



Lespedeza for Hay 



The best crops of hay are secured on moist bottom lands. On such 

 soils the difference in growth and yield between common lespedeza 

 and the improved varieties is less than on upland. On bottom land 

 from 2 to 4 tons of hay to the acre may be expected. On good up- 

 land the improved sorts will outyield common lespedeza. It is gen- 

 erally believed that with a good stand 4 inches of lespedeza above 

 the cutter bar will yield 1 ton of hay per acre. The Kentucky Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station says of Korean that when a good stand 

 is 8 to 9 inches high a ton of hay may be expected; when 12 to 14 

 inches, 2 tons, and when more than 24 inches, 4 tons of hay may be 

 expected. At any rate, the yields of ha} 7 are surprisingly heavy. 



When cut early, that is, before bloom but when tall enough to make 

 a ton of hay per acre, and if not cut too short, say 3 to 4 inches from 

 the ground, lespedeza may be expected to make new growth and to 

 make a good seed crop in addition to the hay. The best hay is made 

 when the lespedeza is not more than 15 inches high. When taller, 

 it is more stemmy, with a smaller proportion of leaves. 



To make the best hay lespedeza should be cut when in full bloom 

 or shortly after. When it is left until a considerable part of the 

 seed is ripe the resulting hay is of poorer grade. Lespedeza con- 

 tains less moisture than alfalfa or red clover, is consequently more 

 quickly cured, and the field-cured hay contains somewhat more dry 

 matter than similarly cured alfalfa or clover hay. 



When the lespedeza is from 6 to 10 inches high cutting may be 

 done in the morning ; the hay should be windrowed soon after being 

 cut, and in good weather it may be hauled to the barn the next day. 

 When the lespedeza is more than 15 inches high it should lie in the 

 windrow 2 or 3 days. 



Most lespedeza hay is consumed at home or in the neighborhood 

 where it is produced. No grades for lespedeza hay have been estab- 

 lished, and there is no general market. Good lespedeza hay falls 

 but little short of alfalfa in protein and is even superior in carbo- 

 hydrate content. Korean lespedeza hay has been used in Missouri 

 to prepare fat cattle for a stock show and has given good results. 



In the South, mixed lespedeza and Bermuda-grass hay is often 

 cut, and lespedeza combines well with orchard grass and redtop, the 

 first or June cutting being nearly pure grass hay, the second pure 

 lespedeza. 



Lespedeza for Pasturage 



Lespedeza is more widely used for pasturage than for hay. 

 Throughout the Southeast as far north as the Ohio River and west 

 to northern Missouri and eastern Kansas, lespedeza of one variety 

 or another is or should be an ingredient of every pasture mixture. 

 It is also much used in a pure stand as a temporary or rotation 

 pasture, but more especially in the region extending from Virginia 

 and North Carolina west to eastern Kansas. This general region 



4226°— 33 



