Effects of cadmium on growth and nitrogen fixation activity of Melilotus suaveolens, a biennial legume plant dominating in the area of poor soil were quantitatively analyzed during the growing period. Cadmium treatments of 10, 30 and 100 ppm resulted in 12, 22 and 35% inhibition of plant height and 14, 25 nd 26% reduction of chlorophyll contents of leaves, respectively. The plant biomass reduced 51, 70 and 89% for leaves, 33, 50 and 59% for stems, and 42, 52 and 70% for roots, respectively by 10, 30 and 100 ppm Cd treatments. Cadmium contents of roots treated with 10, 30 and 100 ppm Cd were 62, 112 and 183 folds higher than that of the control, respectively. Cadmium contents of stems were about 1/2.2 of those of roots, but leaves contained only 1/27.8 of those of roots. Cadmium treatments resulted in increase of T/R ratios and decrease of F/C ratios significantly in the later growth period. Nodule formation was reduced to 8% in 42 days by the treatment of 100 ppm Cd. Specific nitrogen fixation activity of nodules attained 61.0, 24.0, 1.6 and 0.7 mol $C_2H_4{cdot}g$ fr wt $nodule^{-1}{cdot}h^{-1}$ on 42nd day, respectively for 0, 10. 30 and 100 ppm of Cd treatments. Total amount of nitrogen fixation per plant reduced by 73, 98 and 99% with the treatments of 10, 30 and 100 ppm Cd.