Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-06-26

but for food for several classes of farm
animals II may be fed TO advantage
TO work stock, especially when ground
and used in combination with corn.
They are also valuable when ground for
beef and dairy cattle and they consti-
tute one of the most important concen-
trates available TO feed 10 hogs.
While il is generally best TO harvest
the bean and feed in the stall along
with other concentrates and any desir-
able form OF roughage available, they
can, of course be left in the field and
grazed down BY the different classes of
livestock mentioned
The bean is very hard and therefore.
is not injured by exposure 10 the wealth
er. This Is naturally a very very great
advantage. In fact, the beans often be-
come so hard il is necessary to soak
them in water before they are fed TO
stock The slight amount of injury
done 10 them by the weevil by reason OF
their hardness is also much in their
favor.
The following suggestions concerning
the harvesting and handling OF the vel
vet bean crop. together with data with
reference TO its fertilizing and food
value. are prepared by the agrOnOmy de-
partment of the College of Agriculture
and presented for the information of our
readers
The veIevet bean may be utilized by
grazing in the field with various kinds
of live stock especially cattle. 1t is
customary 10 run hogs in the field with
the cattle The hogs clean up good
. deal of waste that would otherwise be
lost A few cases have been reported
where mules have been utilized to Craze
the crops This is unquestiOnably one
of the cheapest sources of winter feed
that can be produced in the state. and
when grazed OF requires very little ad-
ditional labor. making il a very econom-
ical method of producing live stock 1t
is estimated that one acre will carry a
mature COW for three months. On the
heavier soil types of the state there is
some danger Of packing the land if
grazed during periods of rainy weather.
Grazing on the heavier lands will have
to be done with more care than on the
sander soil types. The addition of the
organic matter from the growth of the
bean will counteract TO a considerable
extent the i'll effects Of packing by cat
tie. As will be shown later, grazing
saves so much in the way Of cost that II
is probable even on the heavier soil
types a considerable amount of beans
will be grazed-
TIL beans in some cases have been
harvested In a few places the whole
corn stalk as well as the vines and
beans have been harvested and ground
together In other cases. only the beans
have been picked OF and the beans and
pods ground. II is doubtful whether
harvesting the whole crop and having
IL ground is a paying proposition be
cause OF the Low feed value of the corn
stalks and the bean vines While il does
not cost a great deal more per acre 10
harvest the whole crop than il does 20
nick the beans and have them ground,
the resulting food value is not very
much increased on some of the heavy
soil types where the farm is not fenced,
this method Of handling the beans may
be utilized at least temporarily, but in
the long run IL will probably be better
TO fence the land and Craze the beans
and stalks. Either method OF harvest
ing can be utilized TO supplement the
grazing period. and thus provide the
amount of fOodstufT necessary to carry
the live stock at least during time
when feed would otherwise have to be
purchased. Care will have TO be ex-
erc.se6 when this is done that the ma
teriaI ground shall be dry at the time OF
grinding. Otherwise. considerable diff
ficuIty will be found in saving this food
stun Some Of the mills, grinding the
beans in the pod. found it necessary
TO 2TrluElALlE the utdAS btADAN
grinding. especially early in the sea
son
The beans offer an opportunity to add
considerable revenue TO the corn crop
without a great deal Of additional cost
The average value per acre based on SIS
a ten for beans in the pod was $3.50.
The cost of reducing and harvesting
these beans wa, $3.50, leaving IS net
revenue in addition TO the corn crop.
This ia a good deal more than the aver
age net amount received from the corn.
The vines left on the field. whether
grazed or not. will add considerably to
the producing power of the land be
cause Of the additional organic matter
supplied
A recent attempt to determine the
cost Of grinding shows that the cost per
acre OF harvesting, hauling to mill and
payirE the toll amounts to from SO to
SII per acre for average yields. As
compared with grazing, this does not
in-Iude the cost of feeding nor return
ing the manure to the land. 1t is not
thought that grinding will add that
much food value to the beans. II was
the general cOncensus of opinion OF
farmers interviewed who have been util-
fzfuR the beans longest that as a general
proposition grazing in the field was the
cheapest and most profitable method OF
handbag them. except where a certain
amount of supplemental feed was nee
essar:.
In some sections IL is customary 10
harvest leans that can be secured easily.
and. therefore. harvested cheap, and
Craze the remainder. In this way the
cattle harvest the beans that would be
the most expensive TO gather. The
beans that are harvested can either be
used as supplemental food or sold. The
gross returns on beans so harvested
amounted to IS to SO per acre. Where
any of the beans are to be harvested
at all this seems TO be the best method.
but ordinarily the better method Of han
ding will be 10 Craze
The following analyses of the velvet
beans in the pod. the pods themselves.
and the food value OF the beans may be
of some interest These analyses were
made by the Florida station:
FertiIi1iu. content Of velvet beans.
Ground vel Velvet bean
vet beans bulls.
and pods
Per cent. Per cent.