Kudzu: The Vine That Ate the South

Kudzu is not a native southern plant. It actually came from Japan. It was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The large leaves and fragrant blossoms of the kudzu plant attracted American gardeners who first used it for ornamental purposes. By the 1920s it was being used to feed cattle and other livestock.

The climate in the southeastern part of the United States is perfect for kudzu. During the summer the vines can grow as much as a foot per day and average sixty feet every year. These vines climb power poles, trees, buildings, and anything else they come into contact with. This feature was what initially led the Soil Conversation Service to use kudzu for soil erosion. It was during the Great Depression of the 1930s, that the Civilian Conservation Corps planted kudzu all over the south.

Unfortunately, kudzu grew too well and began killing trees by smothering them. Once a tree has been blanketed by kudzu, little light can penetrate, and the trees die from lack of sunlight. Over the years many valuable forests have been destroyed.

By 1953, the United States government stopped promoting the use of kudzu and instead began searching for ways to control its growth. Kudzu has no natural enemies in the United States, so the U.S. Forest Service began searching for methods to control it. Many herbicides were used on kudzu, but most had very little effect on its growth. Kudzu which has been established for at least ten years presents even greater problems for eradication. Today southerners continue to struggle with the rampant growth of the kudzu vine, and many refer to it as "the vine that ate the South."

In the Arctic, explorers often ate large amounts of animal fat. The fat is high in calories. These calories were necessary to maintain body heat in extremely cold environments.

Vitamin D was stored in body fat. By eating more fat than other foods, explorers were gradually poisoning themselves. Since it was stored in fat, Vitamin D would build up in the bodies of the explorers until it reached a toxic level. Several explorers were killed, not by the Arctic dangers but by the food they ate.

Tonight, Peg was to report to the Confederates what she had learned from a Union soldier. She felt no fear as she hurried to her rendezvous.