The Little River news. (Ashdown, Little River County, Ark.) 1897-current, 1917-05-05
FEEDING THE ARMY
A PATRIOTIC DUTY
The Nation Needs Food and FORAGE
Srops-Farme~s Should Plant Pien-
tifully of All the Food Crops.
l. w. Osborn, Agricultural Expert
ment Station, University of
Arkansas.

Arkansas.
Remember, Mr.. Farmer. that IN THIS
national crisis you are expected to
raise enough food and feed to take
care Of your family and the livestock
on your farm. In making your
plans you should raise the crops
which will give you the great
est returns per acre not only in
money, but In food value. Do
not forget to plant such crops as corn.
cowpeas, soy beans, velvet beans, pea
nuts, Sudan grass, sorghum, etc. At
this time it will pay you to give par
ticNar attention to the soy bean.
Soy Bean Has Many Uses.
AS a marketable crop the possibili-
ties of the soy bean are immense. The
forage, when cut as the pods are well
formed, is palatable and nutritious
for all classes Of live stock. 1t is
we'll known that the supply of
linssed oil, which in the past
has been the chief Oil used in paint
manufacture, is limited and variable.
Soy bean oil can be substituted either
partially or entirely for certain more
expensive oils in the manufacture Of
paints, enamels, varnishes and soaps.
The oil can also be used to make edi-
BILE salad Oil and as a butter substi-
tute. The soy bean meal which is the
hy-product from the seed after the Gil
is expressed, can be used for fertiliz-
stock or for flour to use for human
consumption. Soy bean meal contains
even more protein than is found in
cotton seed meal.
Adapted to Many Soils and
Conditions.
The soy bean is a legume and conse-
cuently when grown upon a properly
inoculated soil vii. increase the nitro
gen content of the soil. At the same
time the crop is convenient one to
place in crop rotation. 1t grows
and thrives during the hottest sum
mer weather. 1t is we'll adapted
to various types of soils and coa-
dtions, and different varieties are
successfully grown under the same
climatic conditions as corn.
Seed Bed Should ae Well Prepared
The seed bed should be we'll pre-
pared for soy bean seed ard can be
sown any time after severe frosts ar
over until about July /. Earlier seed
ings usually produce a heavier growth
OF foliage and require longer growing
season. Even the later varieties show
marked ability to adjust themselves
to shortened growing season when
seeded late.
Best Varieties For Seed Production.
Variety of soy beans vary in time
of maturity, in color and size OF seed
and in growth characteristics. Nil
merous varieties are in existence, but
only about fifteen are handled com
mercially by seeds men. The following
are among the more important varie-
ties especially suitable Tor seed pro-
duction.
Mammoth yellow soy bean is a
standard commercial variety grown
more extensively than any other N
Arkansas. The variety yields well CT
both grain and forage. 1t is one Of
the latest varieties in time OF ma
turity.
The Habelandt soy bean is similar
in appearance of seed, but is some
what earlier than Mammoth. The va
riety is satisfactory for grain produc-
ton, but does not produce as luxur-
liant a growth for hay. 1t is advisa-
Bile where an earlier variety than
Mammoth is desired.
vhere are other varieties which are
very suitable for seed and forage pro-
duction, but which are not so com
monty grown. Certain varieties. such
IS the Virginia, Arlington, Wilson and
Picking produce plants with some.
what finer stems than the Mammoth
and are an advantage for forage pro-
ductiOn.
Care Must Be Taken in Harvesting
Soy beans are best fitted for hay
when the pods are Well formed. When
grown for grain alone The cutting
may be DELAYED in tho case Of most
varieties until all Of the leaves have
fallen. Care must be taken to har-
vest before the pods begin to burst
In storing soy beans after threah-
ing, the beans should be spread out
and not massed in large quantities.
Soy beans will heat rather easily If
not thoroughly dry, and the germina-
ton will be ruined.
A Good Market For the Soy Bean
In addition to being good war
measure, remember that it viii pay TO
consider the soy bean as a permanent
money crop since It has been found
that cotton seed oil mills can be adj
justed without much trouble to use
soy beans. Different investigators re-
port that only few minor and mex
pensiye changes in equipment are
necessary
Cotton seed oil mills in Arkansas
will no doubt welcome the SOY
bean as a commercial crop. An add
tiOna1 crOn of this character will az