The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-12-12
~ $500 70. Tie UISVdLCH
g,espedeza-New Testimony.
RICHMOND, December 7, 1868


Whilst visiting friend near Richmond,
was shown by him small patch OF this
clover, of which I had heard much and read
with great interest several letters from Mr..
T. S. Mott, giving On account of IT. mad
a great anxiety to see it growing naturally,
and very unexpectedly (about the middle of
October lasO, when about twenty miles
southeast of Atlanta, Ca, in travelling on
the cars, was struck with surprise at see
ing along the railroad beautiful carpet of
green vegetation, and very fine fat cattle Ia
favorite stock of mine which | never pass
without the closest scrutiny feeding gree
Oily thereon. 1t was so different from
that part OF Georgia through which | had
passed, and the cattle so far superior, that
| thought there was a real cause for it, and
determined to find solution of the pro-
blem; so at the very first stop of the cars
l hoped off and pulled handful of this
green vegetation before the whistle sounded,
and Us soon as | looked at it found to my
great Joy it was the yeritable Lespedeza, or
Japan clover, thus DISCOVERED. l deter
mined to watch and see how far it extended
in my line of travels, to learn from the
people there its history as far as possible,
and to find out under what circumstances ii
grew most favorably but to my amaze
ment found that very few knew what it
was, and fewer still had ever noticed it or
could tell anything about it. | here met an
elderly gentleman near that wonderful Gu
riositv, the stone mountain of Georgia, who
seemed to know more about it than any one
else. He told me that during the warit began
to appear there, and is now spreading every
where through that section. He and others
told me that it had been known and highly
valued further south for over twenty years
that it would eat out and destroy ,Dire or
Bermuda grass, 6ro1on sedge, or any and
euery other kind of grass and 1ceedS, where
Georgia, and left the railroad for miles, and
there it was interesting to see it's advance
on the wire grass and brown sedge fields,
like mighty army advancing, conquering
and destroying the heaviest of all other
growth. Even piney old fields, such as are
here covered with tags, and occasionally
patches Of brown sedge, were covered with
green to the very root of the pine trees.
All kinds of stock there luxuriate on it and
grow fat, and the pillow has but to turn over
the land, and the root dies. Trampling
and grazing does it no harm, and years
only increase and invigorate it. watched
it along the railroad to Augusta, Ga,
then on to Columbia, S. c.; thence on to
Charlotte and to Raleigh, N. c.; and there
! left it, and saw no more Of it between
there and here. That was about the goth
of October last. It was growing beautifully
nearly the whole way on the route named.
! brought with me handful Of 1t from
South Carolina, and have it now, hoping to
get a few seed from it. saw it growing
wherever ,hen-nest grass or brown sedge
will grow, and where often it seemed no.
thing. else but brown sedge and hen grass
could grow. Whether the cars have carried
it along this road or not cannot say; but
the traveller will find it generally along the
road named above. Since my return home
have visited my friend who first showed
it to me near Richmond, which was about
the lst Of December. ! there found 1t all
dead, even to the bottom Of the long tap
root, which makes it such an improver,
gives it such power to destroy other
grasses, and enables it to stand the dry
hot summer sun so well. Burn off the
sedge and weeds early in the spring after
frost, and SOW these seed aoitt0at plO1oing
or harroeoing, or hoein9, and you are sure OF
stand Of clover where no other kind Of
clover will grow on any and every kind OF
soil where water does not stand.
If the above is of any value you can
publish it for public benefit.
Yours truly,
GEORGE WATT, Plowmaker.