The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-01-24

ms picture shows the typical roo
size and vigor of this root system
sericea: Its large and rapid growth
its ability to make large yields on
of course, its growth on impover-
ished soils is not as great as on
average and good soils, it does
make surprising growth even on
poor soils and, being a legume,
constantly enriches the soil in
which it is growing.
One of the handicaps to live
stock production in the southern
states is the drying up of pastures
by recurring drouths which af-
flct the section generally during
late summer and with only an oc-
casional year excepted. A reserve
pasture of sericea from which an
early crop of hay could be taken
is apparently going to be the sal
walton of dairymen and other live
stock producers, enabling them to
meet this drouth situation with as
surance, inasmuch as sericea re-
mains fresh and luxuriant during
even very severe and extended
drouths.
At the Tennessee experiment
station during the past season Sc
ricea made approximately six tons
of dry hay per acre, each of the
first two cuttings yielding two
tons per acre and the third cutting
approximately the same. Allowed
to grow throughout season the
stems of sericea are naturally
coarse on account of the huge
growth of the plant, but cut for
hay when Is to "a inches high the
stems are fine and the hay is of
such quality that it is readily con-
sumed by cattle and other live
stock. The analysis of sericea is
approximately the same as the
analysis of the annual varieties of
lespedeza. 1t has about the same
percentage of protein that red
clover has and about two per cent
less than alfalfa.
The indications are that the
Carolinas will become one of the
great seed producing sections in
the country for this new wonder
plant" The adaptibility of the
plant as forage crop unquestion-
able reaches into regions with sea-
sons so short that the crop will
not mature seed. This means that
other sections with longer grow
ing seasons will be called upon to
produce seed for the short-season
areas. AS already remarked, Sc
ricea dots seed heavily in this sec
ton. Farmers of this section have
produced several thousand pounds
of seed this year and, with seed
selling at SIS per pound, the crop
is naturally very profitable one.
Seed were sold during the last sea-
son at from $40 per pound early
in the season to $50 and even $40
per pound as the planting season
approached. 1t is not likely that
seed will go to any such figures
this year but the probability is
that prices will advance as the
planting season approaches.
A great deal has been learned
about the crop as a result of the
experience of the Lucas farm and
other growers of Mecklenburg
county and this section during the
past three years. For one thing 1T
has been pretty we'll demonstrated
that best results are secured when
hulled and sacrificed seed are
used, and that the seed must be
planted very close to the surface
| iust as is the case with sweet
clover, alfalfa and the several
annual varieties of lespedezas, all
small seeded plants. 1t has been
demonstrated that the crop can be
threshed on an ordinary threshing
machine, just as Korean lespedeza
is. 1t can be hulled and scarifled
on Birdsell clover hullers or upon
other machines made for the hull
ing and scarifying of sweet clover
and similar seeds.
Agricultural leaders are not
hesitating to express the opinion,
ventured by DR.. Mooers, more
than year ago, that lespedeza
sericea is going to be a tremend-
Gus factor in the agriculture of
the south and all other sections
where alfalfa does not thrive read
! ily. A forage crop that will yield
from three or four to six or more
tons of hay per acre on southern
soils was undreamed of and almost
unhoped for a few years ago, but
in sericea just exactly that sort of
a crop has ARRIVED"