Introduction of Kudzu
Kudzu was brought to the United States from Japan in 1876 to be exhibited
at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. At this time in history, kudzu
was thought to be a miracle vine that America could benefit from greatly
and use in many different ways. Americans were enchanted with the viney
plant and its pleasant appearance and scent. The plant was first appreciated
for its physical beauty, but then people began to realize that it had other
values as well. One of these values was that livestock would eat it, and
because it grew very fast and was inexpensive to raise, it began to be
advertised as an excellent source of food for grazing animals. People also
began to take notice that kudzu could be used as a ground cover to prevent
erosion problems. Because the need to control erosion and feed livestock
were prevalent in the South, kudzu began to be heavily established in that
area. Even different government organizations, like the Soil Conservation
Service promoted the use of this plant to reap the benefits it was thought to