The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1917-04-18
OF MUCH INTEREST
TO THE FARMERS
VELVET BEANS
u. 8. Government Bulletin.
Introduction.

Velvet beans are the most vigorous
of all annual legumes in the regions
to which they are adapted. When
first introduced into Florida, about 40
years ago, the velvet bean was used
ma: My as an ornamental vine to grow
on trel!ises or porches. It's very Wig
orous growing habits, however, soon
led to it's being utilized as cover
and grcen-manure crop. Still later
its valvle as forage crop was realiz-
ed, and during the past 20 years, and
especially during the last 10 years, its
culture has greatly increased.
Until 1906 only one variety of vel
vet bean was known in America, but
during recent years the Department
of Agriculture has introduced about
20 other varieties, and many hybrids
have been secured by breeding. While
the original variety possesses velvety
hairy pods which gave rise to the
common name, many Of the other
sorts have smooth or nearly smooth
pods. Nevertheless, the comuon
name velvet bean is now applied to
all the varieties, which are much alike
in growth and appearance, and differ
mainly in the pod and seed characters
and in the length of season required.
The old variety, the Florida velvet
bean, rarely natures north of the
parallel marking the northern bound
ary of Florida. This fact has limited
its agricultural use mainly to Florida
and the immediate vicinity of the Gulf
coast. At the present time, however,
several early varieties are utilized,
so that the crop has become agricul-
turally valuable much farther north.
The agricultural use of velvet beans
is rapidly increasing, but the value
of the crop is even yet too little ap-
preciated. For green-manure pur-
poses it is unexcelled. For pasturing
after the pods mature it has no equal
among legumes. Recently prepared
feeds composed of the ground pods
and seeds. have come into high favor,
so that velvet beans are assuming in
creased Importance as a money crop.
Soils for Velvet Beans.
The chief soil requirement of vel
vet beans is good drainage. They
succeed we'll on every type of soil
that occurs in the South, and on poor
sandy soils particularly will far out
yield any other legume. The yield of
vines or pods is of course affected
by the fertility of the soil, as are the
yields of other crops. On every poor
soil moderate application of ferti-
lizer is desirable. This is particular
ly true of phosphate fertilizers. Vel
vet beans secure much of the nitro
gen they need from the air.
Varieties.
Florida velvet bean.-This is the
Oldest and best known variety 1t
is late sort, rarely maturing pods
north Of Florida and the immediate
Gulf coast. The flowers are purple;
the pods black, hairy, 2 to 1-2 inches
long, as thick as broad; seeds nearly
round, gray and brown marbled. One
bushel of seed will plant to S acres
IL oo"ll y lCSI apart cdCl way.
White-seeded Florida velvet BEAM
Exactly like the last, but the seeds
white or nearly so.
Georgia velvet bean.-This is also
known as Early Florida and Hundred
Day Speckled. This variety develop
ed in Georgia about 1910 and has
rapidly come into high favor, as it
will mature as, far north as Virginia
and Tennessec.N 1t differs from the
Florida velvet bean only in its greater
earliness, but it will not mature in
as short a period as 100 days, usu-
ally requiring about five months.
Alabama velvet bcan.-This variety
is medium early, maturing later than
the preceding but earlier than the
Florida.
Lyon velvet bean.-This variety is
similar to the Florida in growth and
date of maturing. The flowers are
white; the pods nearly smooth, a to