6 LEAFLET 



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 three }^ears was great- 

 est 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 

 growth at the expense of the reserve material and were thus 

 weakened. 



Yields and Quality of Hay 



Sufficient data are not available to warrant a positive statement 

 of yields. Ten tons of hay to the acre has been claimed, but such 

 a yield is so extraordinary as to indicate that the report is unrelia- 

 ble or that the case was very exceptional. In the Alabama experi- 

 ments referred to above, the best average }deld for three years was 

 2 tons per acre, the best }delds 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 avail- 

 able data it seems probable that a yield of 2 tons may be considered 

 good, while in most cases yields of 1 to 2 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 

 growth 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 is used, 

 and care should be taken to cut cleanly and leave no uncut margins. 

 Occasionally the cut material may drag and the mower must stop 

 to allow the dragging mass to be cleared. 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. 



One advantage of kudzu is that cutting need not be done at any 

 special time. The Alabama experiments indicate that two cuttings 

 give better results than three or more, and that in the South these 

 cuttings should be made in June and October. For each cutting, 

 however, there is considerable margin of time, and the cutting 

 can be made when other work is slack or the weather most favorable. 



