KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 
11 
Korean Lespedeza 
Drought Resistant—Deep Rooted 
While severe droughts will cur¬ 
tail growth of plants for pasturage 
and hay, yet Lespedeza will with¬ 
stand droughts destructive to all 
other legumes and thrive on sandy 
soil too dry for other clovers. 
Dependent upon latitude, growth 
begins in April-May. In June-July 
EXCELLENT 
for Grazing 
Reported from all sections. The 
Missouri Experiment Station re¬ 
ported in 1927 that a seeding of 
Korean Lespedeza in wheat was 
grazed after the grain was harvest¬ 
ed from early in August. A per¬ 
manent pasture with long grazing 
season can be secured by seeding 
a mixture of early maturing 
grasses such as Orchard Grass and 
Red Top with the later maturing 
Lespedeza. It is at its best in the 
summer when other grasses and 
clovers are dormant. No bloating 
of live stock has been heard of. 
the crop is ready for pasturage and 
in August-September for hay, and 
in September-October for seed. 
Korean variety matures two to 
three weeks earlier than any other 
variety. The growth continues un¬ 
til heavy frost. 
BEST of ALL 
Soil Builders 
Lespedeza outranks all other 
legumes. Poor, sour soil, void of 
humus and dead to forage crops is 
not beyond the reach of Lespedeza. 
Alfalfa and Sweet Clover are help¬ 
less on poor, acid soil. Such soil 
must be reclaimed, usually at great 
expense, before Alfalfa and Sweet 
Clover can do ther beneficent 
work. Lespedeza will start at the 
bottom and do the reclamation 
work. No lime or careful and ex¬ 
pensive preparation of seed bed, no 
failure from drought and no chok¬ 
ing out by weeds or grass. 
When and How to Seed 
When broadcasting is evenly done 
in early spring (March-April, de¬ 
pending on latitude) on ground 
well cracked or pitted from freez¬ 
ing. When so planted, do not at¬ 
tempt to cover the seed and plant 
late enough to avoid injury by frost 
to young plants. Under other con¬ 
ditions, the soil may be harrowed 
either before or after seeding. A 
disk drill may be used, but the cov¬ 
erage of the seed must be very 
slight, otherwise they will not 
germinate. They may be seeded on 
any small grain (serving as a nurse 
crop against weeds) and both crops 
secured on the same land in one 
season. Lespedeza will reseed it¬ 
self in subsequent years. Thin sow¬ 
ing of five pounds per acre will 
produce a heavy crop of hay the 
second year, but we believe it more 
satisfactory and economical at first 
to sow 15 pounds of seed per acre 
and thereby secure a full hay crop, 
or seed for harvest, the first year 
the seed is sowed. 
