Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-06-05
The Possibility of Substituting Soy
Beans for Cotton

years We would recommend for the
consideration OF our farmers the Guilt
walton of the three varieties first enum-
Grated.
Soy beans are best planted in drills.
say about three feet apart They may
be planted by machinery. They should
be given rapid shallow cultivation as
with other leguminous crops. The land
on which they are grown can often he
lined to advantage with 1000 or 1000
pounds of crushed raw rock. IL will
be profitable in many instances TO APP
ply anywhere from 500 TO 400 pounds
OF acid phospate under the drill row at
the time of planting. Ordinarily lit
tie potash can often be used with this
crop 10 advantage. but il can not now
be obtained at a reasonable price.
Soy beans yield about 30 gallons OF
oil per ton, and according to the fig
uers indicated will on average soil make
a yield OF about 900 TO LOO pounds
of grain per acre. When the oil is ex-
pressed from the beans a very valua BILE
feed Is obtained which runs high in
protein and can be combined to advan-
tage with corn and other home grown
grains The oil ii appears is better
adapted for use in paint mixtures than
cotton seed meal and IL is said not TO
blister so readily in the hot summer
sun IL may also be refined into a.
very satisfactory edible oil.
There are two other uses for the SOW
bean which the farmers of the section in
question have not fully appreciated. 1t
can be grazed down to advantage by
hogs; anywhere from 800 to 400 pounds
or pork per acre being thus obtained at
a small cost as the hogs will do the har-
Vesting OF the grain themselves The
is nf 9
grown under proper management as they
belong 10 the family of legumes In
addition. they will produce on an aver
age approximately two tons of hay per
acre. The stems are somewhat coarser
than those OF the cowpea and may be OBJ
1ectionable on that account. but many
varieties Of soy beans. such as the Mann
moth Yellow. Brown, Acme and BLACK
Shanghai are quite leafy. and if cut at
the right stage will produce a fine grade
of forage. The soy bean is not nearly
so difficult to cure as the cowpeas. BY
reason of their upright habit of growth
they can be cut with a corn harvester
or grain binder and bound in sheaves
and cured in shocks. They have a dis
tinct tendency TO shatter out OF the
pods when approaching maturity They
should therefore be cut when slightly
damp in order TO lessen the tendency
to loss of grain.
This crop IL is believed is destined
TO play an important part in the future
agricultural economy of the south and
the farmers OF the Piedmont area should
hasten to get thoroughly acquainted
with IL that they may devote an ever
increasing area to il each year This
should be done Irrespective of any dam
age the boil weevil may infiict for GER
tainly diversification is essential to the
welfare of the section i'm question, and
undoubtedly the time is rapidly ap-
preaching when the oil mills will need
a much larger quantity of oil-producing
seeds TO crush than cotton seed will sup
ply even when maximum crops are pro-
duced. Moreover the necessity OF in
creasing our live stock holdings makes
IL essential that we produce an ever-in-
reasing amount of grain for animal
food, and particularly of crops which
can be easily harvested by hogs. for in
stance. The soy bean lends itself to
this purpose in a most admirable man.
ner.