6 LEAFLET 91, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
with this, as the vines climb over them. Even when plants are spaced 
3% by 3y feet, some cultivation is advisable the first season. With 
wider spacing such culture is imperative if a good hay stand is to be 
had. 
How to Use Kudzu 
When once well-established, a field of kudzu may be used many 
years for hay or pasture, provided it is used right. Probably be- 
cause of some of the early enthusiasm and advertising, a notion that 
well-established kudzu is indestructible has taken root. This is far 
from being the case. Alfalfa is less easily killed by abuse than is 
kudzu. The Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (Circular 
57) has shown that kudzu makes new growth after cuttings at the 
expense of the reserve material in the root. If cuttings are made 
frequently in a season, the root may actually be smaller at the end 
of the season than at the beginning. In such cases the growth the 
next year is feeble, and if the field is exposed to severe winter weather 
the plants probably will die because of lack of reserve material. In 
the Alabama experiment the average yield for 3 years was greatest 
on the plot cut twice (June 1 and October 15), and much less on 
plots cut four and five times, and the stand on the heavily cut plots 
was thinned. Plots cut June 1 and August 15 suffered a greater 
decline in yield than those cut June 1 and October 15, which seems to 
show that after the August cutting the roots made new erowth at 
the expense of the reserve material and were thus weakened. 
Yields and Quality of Hay 
In the Alabama experiments referred to above, the best average 
yield for 3 years was 2 tons per acre, the best yields being obtained 
the first year, when on one plot 5 749 pounds per acre was “cut. The 
Georgia College of Agriculture reports yields of 1 to 4 tons per acre. 
From available data it seems probable that a yield of 2 tons may be 
considered good, while in most cases yields of 2 to 3 tons are more 
likely to be secured. 
Kudzu makes very good hay. Analyses show a protein content 
equal to that of alfalfa or better. It cures readily and well, its leaves 
do not fall in curing, and the hay is readily eaten by all kinds of 
livestock. There is no doubt that kudzu makes hay equal to any other. 
Cutting 
Kudzu should not be cut until the ground is well covered with 
erowth and many vines have rooted. This may be the second or third 
year after the roots are set out, or even longer, depending on the 
number of plants originally set, the care given, and the season. 
When ready to cut, the mass appears to be a tangle of vines that seem 
difficult to handle. While the first cutting is less easy than later ones, 
there is no great difficulty about it. A mower with divider attach- 
ments will cut kudzu satisfactorily. The cut material does not fall 
in a smooth swath as alfalfa does when cut, but it can be readily raked 
if the rake teeth are not allowed to drag the ground. When the growth 
is very heavy, it is sometimes forked rather than raked. Kudzu cures 
quickly, and under favorable conditions it can be cut in the morning 
and brought into the barn the same day. 
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