The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-10-21
Japan Clover.
Arlington Depot, Va.

Great interest is now excited by the
appearance, within few years past of a
new species of clover which was noticed
first in Florida, and is called Lespedeza
Struata. or more commonly, Japan CO.
ger. Many notices have appeared in the
newspapers, and the testimony from the
most reliable sources is uniformly in it's
favor. 1t is spreading over various parts
of the South, and is to be met with, we
hear, in Chesterfield, Va.
Communications in number of pa.
pers, from the Rev. P. S. W. Mott, a
clergyman, it is stated, of the Episcopal
Church, near Charlotte, N. c., give the
fullest information we have seen If it
shall turn out that this new clover Will
supply what the South has SO long needed
"a good, nutritious grass, it will prove
source of wealth beyond calculation.
The immense depostes of exceedingly
rich phosphate of lime above Charleston,
S. c., which have been recently discov-
cred, should be noted in this connection.
This fertilizer, superior to. all others of
the mineral kind, needs nothing more
than such organic or vegetable matter as
Japan Glover is said to supply abundant
ly, and with little trouble, for enabling
our people in tn South rapidly, cheapIy,
and permanently to renovate, and enrich
our poorest lands.
We give some extracts from Mr.. Motifs
letter to THE Farmers Gazette, for Co.
tober. Having referred to specimens of
the clover he had sent. the writer says:
"The first, number l, is from the poor
spot of ground mentioned, as sown by
me in March last, page 52S of the last
issue of the "Southern Planter and
Farmer" The stems, or, if they de-
serve so large an appellation, the stalks
will average in length, [ think, about
FIVE inches; though for want of mea-
sure, l Judge merely by my eye. They
stand, or lie upon the ground for it is
difficult to determine which, more densely
than any moss | ever saw in the coolest
ATTITUDES or on the highest mountains.
The ground received no preparation what
ever. 1t was very small portion of
very oil field, that had been lying out
for fifteen Or twenty years, perhaps more,
and was producing nothing in the world
but things stinted-stinted sedgegrass,
stinted pines, persimmons, black gums
and sassfras, stinted Canada thistles, and
few stinted weeds of one kind or another,
but alike giving strong indications of its
extreme poverty by their own feeble and
starved appearance.-Not even stinted
blackberry bushes, which require some
little strength in the soil to give them
start, we're to be seen near that part of
it. The spot referred to had been ac-
cidentally run over by fire few days
before the sowing took place. Nothing
more was done to it in any way. The
seed was simply thrown upon the bare,
desolate looking surface, whose poverty
the fire had served only to render more
patent, and there left to take its chance
without even the scratch of pin to
cover it or to loosen up the soil; and |
am fully persuaded that, ifinstead of two
or three square feet, there had been two
or three hundred acres of it, the result,
with an equal proportion of seed, would
have been the same. OF course the
growth must have been much more vigor-
GUS had the ground, hard and dry
almost as a brickbat, been at all stirred
up and loosened in some way, but, as
will be evident to you from the specimen
sent, that was not necessary to getting
start. The plant grew. 1t is there
now permanently established, and l have
not doubt that, if left to itself, by this
time next year, such is its power of self
propagation, it will be found to have
spread itself for yards around in every
direction"