The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-06-21
The Soy Bean.

IL u DC0AS
A professor of the Virginia Expert
ment Station wrote to the Southern
Planter a recommendation of the soy
bean. 1t may not be as valuable for
this State as the velvet bean, but it
has n advantage that will be appre-
ciated in many places, that it is not a
climber. The velvet bean is such a
rampant grower that it is difficult to
keep it from overrunning the orange
trees in a grove. The evidence seems
to indicate that it is quite as good
for stock and less trouble to get in
shape for feeding.
The soy bean is one of our most val
liable leguminous crops, rivalling the
cowpea, and surprising it in many Sec
tons where the elevation is high and
the climate cool. 1t withstandS a
drought very we'll, and will thrive sur
prisingly well on poor, dry soils. Soy
beans will grow under many conditions
Of soil and climate unfavorabIe to cow
peas and other legumes. The value of
the soy bean@aS a soil improver has
been known to the farmers of the State
for many years, but the characteristics
of the different varieties are, as a rule,
not we'll understood. This is unfor-
tunate, fer some of these varieties are
worthless, while others are good grain
and forage producers.
Several varieties were grown on the
station test plant last season which
failed to mature seed, while others ma
tured seed early in September.
The soy bean commonly used
throughout the South is an excellent
variety for many sections, but failed to
mature seed at Blacksburg last season.
This bean was sold by the seedmen
without any variety name for many
years, but vas given the name of
Mammoth Yellow by this station on
account of its large growth and to dis
tinguish it from other varieties. Lately
this variety has been advertised by
some of the seedmen under this name,
and we hope to be able to get every
seedman throughout the country to
give the soy bean that they are selling
some definite NAME, and then the use
full qualities of the several varieties
can be determined.
Lit USSl f1C1OIhS hUl1CIICS 81 lhiS
station last year were, first, the Jap
anese. which matured September /,
and gave a yield of 1925 bushels per
acre; the second best yielding variety
was the Tho San Yellow, which ma
tured seed September II. and gave a
yield of 1913 bushels per acre: the third
best yielding variety was the Extra
Early Black, which matured Septem-
Der 1, and gave a yield of 1872 bushels
per acre. The Holybrook and Breck's
soy bean, which are similar to the
Mammoth Yellow, failed to mature
seed at this station, but would no
doubt do so on the Coastal plain region.
One can readily see that a great mis-
take could be made in buying seed
of the soy bean without knowing the
variety name and understanding some
thing about its date of ripening and
yielding power.
At present it is not known by the
writer where seed of the japanese pea
soy bean can be obtained, but the Vir-
ginia Experiment Station expects to
have seed of this variety to distribute
in small quantities among the farmers
of the State this fall.
Those receiving seed will be expected
to grow the beans under our direction
and sell them to their neighbors at a
reasonable cost so that any desiring to
test the value Of this crop may have an
opportunity to do so.
Any information concerning the diff
ferent varieties of the soy bean or their
value in the rotation will be cheerfully
furnished to the station.