The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-05-27
DesnlOdium.

IUl oSfOI@ ooio Pooo q nv" tVA"Se
plant has been attracting the attention of
farmers in certain districts of Florida,
South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama,
and all who have put it to the test Of
culture are loud in its praise rs 8. most
valuable acquisition. Originally it was
known for common as "Beggar's Lice"
but some who do not seem to regard zhe
last word in the name as standing entire
ly in keeping with the refinement and
modesty of the age, have dropped it and
substituted "Weed >. therefore the plant
now usually goes by the common name
of either "Beggar's Lice" or "Bcggar
Weed"
The plant under consideration is, a
Desn,odium, and hence Desmodium is the
name by which it ought to be known for
common. Of course, I need not argue
this point as to why. The common
names most generally applied are mean
ingless and ridiculous in the extreme,
while Desmodium is the correct scien-
ti6c name, the generic name by which
tits known to scientific people throughout
the civilized world. Then it means
something, being formed from the Greek
signifying bound" which refers to the
manner in which the seeds are bound to.
gether.
There are at least twenty species Of
Desmodium native to the Southern Uni
ted States. They class with the Legumi-
nosae, and all are more or less valuable
as feed for stock. The species under cul
tivation. as already mentioned, is known
to botanists as Desmodium MOLE, name
given to it by De Condolle. It is indi.
genous to Middle Florida, but seems to
succeed very we'll in any of the adjacent
States. DR.. Chapman describes it in his
"Flora of the Southern States" as fol-
lows:
Stem tall, much branched, softly pu-
bercent; leaflets rbombic or elleptical,
obtuse and often emarginate tomentose
beneath, rough above; racemes panicled,
slender; flowers, two or three together,
on slender pedicles; legume nearly ses-
sile, black the small joints oval or rhom-
bic, equally convex on both sutures.
Stem three to FIVE feet high. Leaflets
three to four inches long. Legume one
inch long, pendulous."
Rendered into plain farm talk this
would mean that the plant grows to from
three to FIVE feet in height, taking upon
itself branching or punching habit
something like that of the cotton plan.
1t is covered with soft, downy hairs The
leaflets are oval or oblong, rather blunt at
the extremity and notched; they are
downy beneath and rough above. Flow
ers three or four together in loose bunch
es. Seeds, blackish, hanging in string,
jointed together, but easy of separation.
They are somewhat half-moon shaped,
and, being covered with sharp hooks,
they readily attach themselves to ones
clothes and become separated from each
other or from the parent plant, &c.
l speak with confidence as to the spe-
cies of Desmodium under cultivation in
consequence of the fact that have been
studying it carefully for several years.
Both plants and seeds have been sent to
me for Identification from Florida,
Georgia and Alabama, by persons cult
waiting it as forage crop, and in every
instance 1 have readily recognized the
specimens as DesmoIium molle. Some
writer's have mentioned the "Beggar
Weed" as Dcsmodium canesccns, but this
was, I am satisfied, an entire mistake,
for Canescens, one of our most common
species, would not be at all suited for
cultivation.
With reference to the value of Desmo.
dunn can say but little from personal
experience with the crop, though !! am
rather of the opinion that it is decidedly
worthy of cultivation. 1t is closely rela-
ted To the clovers, and may be correctly
reckoned as one of the "air-feeders." This
being the case, it would in all probability,
be q valuable crop to turn under for the
purpose of enriching the soil. l know it
will grow quite we'll on soil comparative
ly thin. For feeding to stock green it is
excellent, and, under proper manage
ment, it is said to yield q splendid dry
feed or hay. If sown for this last named
purpose it should be put in quite thick,
else the stalks will grow too coarse and
woody to answer we'll as hay.