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

cor beVelai years past new forage
plant has been attracting the attentionio oi
farmers in certain districts of Florida,
South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama,
and ~ who have put it to che test oi
culture are loud in its praise as q most
valuable acquisition. Originally it was
known for common as "Beggar's Liee, ?
but some who do not seem to regard Tie
last word in the name as standing eatire-
ly in keeping with the refinement and
modesty of the age, have dropped it and
substituted "Weed :, therefore Che plant
as= ess.s!!yy gees by the common mama
OF either "Beggar's Lice" or "Begkar
Weed" ess
The plant under consideration is "a
Desmolittn,, aud hence Desmcdiurn Is the
name by which it ought to be known for
common. Cf course, need net argue
mis- point as to why. The common
names most generally applied are mean,
ingiess and ridioulons in the extreme,
while Desm6dium is the correct scien.
titc name, the generic name by which
It's known to scientific people throughout
the ciyiliEed world. sTheB 1t means
something, being formed from the Greek
signilying bound, which refers to the
manner in which the seeds are bound tor
gether. y A>i = s ! y
There are at least twenty species q;
Desmodium native TO the Southern I'm.
ted States. They class with the Led,iDii.
nosae, and all are moro or less vaiuebie
as feed for aLnck. The snecias nnfier cul.
tivation. as already mentioned. is known
to botaniats as Desmodiun, moio. a mama
given to it by De Condolle. It is indi.
genous TO Middle Florida, bnt seems 70
succeed very we'll in any Of the a6iaUcnS
States. DR., Chapman describes itin his
:FloFa of the Southern States" as fol.
lows:
Stem tall, much bFanched, softly mn.
bercene; lc-a aets rhombic or olleptical
obtuse and often emarginate tumentose
beneath, rough above racames paniclad.
slenderi flowers, two or three toQetl,Sr.
on slender pedic!es; legume nearly ses.
sile, black tho small joints oval or fiiom.
bic, equally convex on both sutures.
Stem three TO iiee FEC. high. Leaflets
three to four inches long. Legume one
inch long, pendoious."
Rendered into plain farm talk this
would mean that the plant growa to from
three to Eve feet in height, taking upon
itself branching or punching habit
something like that Of the, cotton plan.
It Ii covered with soft, doWny haifs. The
leaflets are oval OF, oblong, rather blunt at
the extremity and notched; they nre
uowny beneath and rough above. Flow
eys three or four togethe. in foose bunoh.
aa. Seeds, blackish, hanging In a string.
lointed together, but esay of csparation,
They are somewhat half-moon shaped.
and, being covered with sharp hooks.
tnyy fo5di'y att7s5as ssss:Se:::::=ei=ee so nna'
clothes and become separated from each
ether or from the parent plant, &c.
speak with confidence as TO the spo.
eies OF Deamodium under cultivation in
consequence of the fact that I have been
stndying 1t carefully Cor several years,
Both plantB and seeda have been sent 10
me for tsidshsiGckti0a frofn Eiofids.
Georgia and "A Alatan2a, By hsfaoas culti.
waiting IL as q forage egpi4;s and in every
instance ] have fcad Il sccFuisata the
! specimens as Deswoti fs,s gomo
writer's have nentianed The ar
Weed "a Desal0clia.a cdnecers h,st tbss
was 1 era satisfied, an entire misialrS.
for Canescetis, one Of our moss COMMON
snenies would not be ak nii su Ted for
icultiyation. IS 4
WiLsHregerence to ths yalp8d Desnlo.
ldinna can say but iittEe hOnS Fafsotls a
jexs nee Ia sth il crop, ssSsaissi & M,
iTas siief OF the opinson Shat Is s acoi ca "
Eostliy OF cuitivation. II Is closely fela.
ted. 70 Tho cloSers, and mag be correctly
toned 60 one of the g air fedora ~ This
6einl the case, itwould iu aIl probability,
% a valuable crop to turn under Cor tbs
purpasa Of enrichiug the ooii. know Il
Yiil grow quite well ON soil comp paratiye.
~ thin. For seeding to stock green it is
exec lent, and under proper manage.
Iaests u said q Yield q splendid dry
iced or hay. If soWa for shia last napfed
purpose il should b put IN quito thick,
else the stalks will Rross TOO cosfse aud
s sgoOSsy IS sansgef well as hay.