The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-10-06
Communicated
THE NEW CLOVER.
TrTF, IESPEDEZA STRATA, OR
JAPAN CLOVER.

Most persons interested in agriculture,
il is presumed, have heard of the new plant
under this name, which within the last fifteen
or twenty years has made it's appearance in
some of our extreme southern States, and
has been slowly working its way north
ward. 1t began, if report says true, in
Florida, and has extended westward as far
as Alabama, but, as we'll as | can learn,
has gone in no instance north of the thirty
fifth or sixth parallel, or further east than
the second meridian west from Washington.
1t is, believe, now universally regarded
as a great acquisition to the whole of the
vast southern section, where grasses OF
northern origin cannot be introduced with
out great outlay for seed, and will not
flourish without laborious and expensive
cultivation. In order that the public
may understand something Of the true va
lue of this plant, and thus be guarded
Mt once against too low an estimate of its
worth on the one hand and extravagant
ideas of the benefits to be derived from it
on the other, it may, perhaps, be doing
public service to set forth as briefly as may
be candid statement of the facts respect
ing il, as far as they are known to me from
my own personal observation, and such
statements of others as appear to be worthy
of confidence. If, hereafter, on fair and
general trial, this statement shall prove to
be less favorable-I certainly shall try not
10 make it more so--than facts would have
warranted, it will at least be satisfaction
to know that while the many may have
been more OF less benefited by it no one
can have been seriously disappointed or in
iured. Just let the naturally too san
guine rest assured that it is not going
to work miracles they are not going
to be made rich all in hurry by
it-that the benefits to be derived from
it, as in the case of all other good things,
will depend on the wisdom and skill with
which it is used and if they then suffer
disappointment or loss, it will be the result
of their own want of prudence rather than
any wilful misrepresentation on the part OF
the present writer.
To begin, then: one of the first things
that attracts our attention in regard to the
Lespedeza is its adaptedness to fill up the
great chasm which has ever existed in the
agricultural resources Of the South-to sup
ply the want which the whole region from
MARYLAND to Texas, and from the Atlantic
to the Blue Ridge and the Alleghanies with
their ramiications, has so long and SO deep
" felt-that is, the want of some kind OF
heritage suitable for summer pasturage and
winter provender for the various kinds OF
farm stock. 1t is we'll known we have
heretofore had nothing that would do this,
on an extensive scale, without involving all
amount of outlay and of labor that wouldpre
clude the least possibility of profit. We have
had no range-comparative speaking, none
at all-hence we have had few cattle of any
kind. We have had no meadows, and hence
the few animals we have been able to sus-
tain through half-starved summer and
autumn have persisted, or nearly persisted,
in winter and spring from scarcity Of food.
Hence, again, we have been reduced to O
humiliating and most ruinous dependence
upon the western and the eastern States :
the first have supplied US with cattle at their
own prices; the second with hay to feed
them. Now the Lespedeza comes in most
happily to fill up this great void in the list
Of our productions. 1t is exactly suited to our
soil and climate. 1t comes in sufficiently
early, and goes out only when hard frosts
have cut it down. 1t will grow anywhere
though, like all other plants, in some
places better than others. With q very
sparse scattering of seed on the bare surface
of any poor old field that has the least surface
soil left upon it, this clover will cover the
whole with most rich and beautiful coating
Of heritage in the short space of eighteen
months, SO that pasturage may be COM
menced upon it; though perhaps in some
cases it might be advisable to exclude cat
tie till the third June from sowing At all
events, from and after the time last named
it may be pastured at will, and any amount
of seed may be gathered from it which the
| proprietor's own wants may require. In
the mean time it will be spreading itself
as if by magic through the neighborhood
Immediately round the place it has been
sown, the adjacent fields, the roadsides,
lanes, byways, hedges, borders of woods; in
word, every spot except densely-covered
woodlands will become lined with it.
There is no telling the rapidity with which
it spreads. Only eighteen months ago the
very name Of it was unknown and unheard
in this vicinity; now it has literally taken
the whole country by storm. Then it was
unseen; now it has coated thousands of
places SO thickly that it is as impossible to
see the ground on Wnlcn IL Stanus us II
would be to see it through bundle of hay.
To effect all this, no preparation Of the
ground is necessary. Of course it would
be better to prepare it well by pillow and
harrow; but it is not at all essential to the
result stated. Just burn off trash, cut up
bushes, scatter seed on the unbroken sur
face, and leave it to take its own chances.
DO this on the first of March, and by the
middle of April you will find the moss-like
plant springing up in all directions. The
work will be done, and done, | am satisfied,
for an indefinite time for see no likeli-
hood of its doing otherwise than grow bet
ter every year, If pastured with the least
judgment.
In addition to this is the important fact
that stock of all kinds feed on it freely.
and thrive in a way they were never
known to do before it made its appear
ance. The cattle round here, running
at large, are certainly looking better
now than | have ever seen them at this
season of the year, although there has
as yet beensnothing like full supply of the
plant for them. Where the supply has
been abundant, the effect is singularly
observable. 1t is but day or two since