The men who introduced and established lespedeza in America’s Agriculture: (Reading 
from left to right.) Chas. M. Meacham, Jr., President of Kentucky Seed Improvement 
Association, proprietor of Koreandale Farms and pioneer grower of lespedeza; R. R. 
Giltner, President of Kentucky Seed Improvement Association, 1930-32; K. E. Beeson, 
President of International Crop Improvement Association and Agronomist at Purdue Uni¬ 
versity, LaFayette, Indiana; f Dr. A. J. Pieters, Senior Agronomist, U. S. Department of 
Agriculture — America’s recognized authority on lespedeza;^ Ralph Kenny, Agronomist, 
University of Kentucky, and Secretary-Treasurer of Kentucky Seed Improvement As¬ 
sociation. 
Lespedeza, of the Korean, Harbin, Kobe, Tennessee 76, Common or Sericea varities 
has become firmly established as the most wide-spread, adaptable, and valuable legume 
in the United States. 
Used as hay, pasture, soil building, or a commercial seed crop. 
Lespedeza fills the need of the hour — quickly repairs the drouth damage to pastures— 
provides the most profitable means of complying with the Agricultural Adjustment pro¬ 
gram of reducing cash crop surpluses by conserving and increasing the fertility of lands 
being removed from cultivations, by rebuilding depleted lands, increasing the fertility of 
all lands, and assuring a stand at low cost under any and all conditions. 
Lespedeza maintains its stand indefinitely year after year, with no winter injury and 
a minimum of retarded growth in competition with weeds. 
“THE NEW DEAL” 
A new vision of land utilization is coming rapidly into the minds of farmers who have 
grown lespedeza. Eroded, gullied and depleted lands are being restored and conserved 
by being seeded to this crop. Pastures are being doubled in livestock carrying capacity 
by lespedeza providing succulent grazing in the grass and clover mixtures during the 
dry hot summer months. Fertility is being built up and conserved in lands being re¬ 
moved from cultivation until surpluses are reduced and better prices warrant cultivation. 
deza and is frequently preferred to 
common lespedeza for both pasture 
and hay production throughout Tenn¬ 
essee and in some adjoining states. 
COMMON LESPEDEZA or Jap clov¬ 
er, as it is frequently called, is found 
growing throughout the central and 
southern states. It has been common 
to parts of this area since the Civil 
War. Common Lespedeza will prob¬ 
ably continue to be included in pas¬ 
ture seedings throughout the southern 
states because of its wide adaptability 
and dependence in securing stands. 
Common Lespedeza will make no 
more than half the growth that korean 
will produce, will not withstand 
drouth like Korean and is favored in 
pasture mixtures largely because of 
its continued growth late in the fall 
for two or three weeks after Korean 
has matured. 
HARBIN LESPEDEZA was introduced 
from Harbin, China, in 1931 by the 
U. S. Department of Agriculture. This 
variety has been found to mature 
.seed in 75 days, is the earliest of all 
the known annual lespedezas and gives 
promise of filling a need in the ex¬ 
treme northern states and possibly 
