The Robesonian., 1918-04-29
HOW TO PLANT SOY BEANS
To the Editor of The Robesonian:

To the Editor of The Robesonian:
Some time ago we promised to give
through the Robesonian our methods
of planting soy beans. We had
thought we would wait until right
near the season when most farmers
usually plant. However, we were
talking to farmer today who said
he had just been planting for the
past day or two and his method of
planting was so different we thought |
that probably there might be others
who would soon plant in the same
way, so decided to give our expe
rience and way Of planting now
We have found the best way to pre-
pare for planting is to just break the
land and harrow it with some kind of
smoothing harrow, or if your land
has been broken this sprng and you
don't care to break it again, it isl
not necessary to do so unless there is
such a growth of weeds, etc, that a
discing or narrowing will not get rid
of them.
We use a Cole corn planter Gold
model, with brush) with 18-inch plate,
raising and lowering the brush as
may be necessary to make the planter
drop the desired number of beans.
Five to eight beans to the hill is
enough when planted Is inches apart
| in 3-foot rows.
! We do not find it necessary to lay
! the rows off or mark them off in
any way. Just run to the stakes with
the planter, just as you would lay OFF
rows. This method leaves them plant
ed on the level, which is best for them
/ and also makes them cultivate very
easily.
Any kind of fine tooth harrow will
do for the first one or two cultlva
tions, after which a sweep may be used
! lust as for cotton or corn. If rows
i are kept regular and same distance
apart, a single furrow to each middle
may be sufficient to cultivate Doth
sides, or one side of both rows, rather
by using a sweep just the right size.
! This saves much time, and does just
] as WELL Soy beans stand up and
are just as easily cultivated as corn,
and much easier than cotton or peas.
However, be sure not to plant them
below the level in furrow as you
would corn for they do not do near
so well as when planted level. If
your land is inclined to be wet or a
little sobby, plant them on ridge
i enough so as to leave them after
planting a little above the level
Soy beans will make on much wetter
soils than cotton or corn, it they are
planted on some ridge SO as to pre-
vent water standing on them in case
of wet time. They should be plant
: ed at depth of an inch to inch and a
half The corn drill left just as for
- r.
about the right depth. If you plant
them in any other way than with
corn planter, be sure not to cover
too deep. But by all means secure
corn planter if you can: it will ave
the extra work Of two or three 9th
ers-sometimes more-and do much
nicer job. If you have not a planter
it will pays you to rent one at any
reasonable price. No one need be
afraid of it's injuring their planter
for it will not in the least, as soy beans
plant in planter with less difficulty
than is usually experienced in plant
ing corn.
Then about fertilizer: We would
not say that it would fail to benefit
in all cases, but in experiments made
by us for the past two years we have
found that even on poor soils it has
failed to give the slightest results
| and we have experimental with sta.
BILE manure and also commercial fer
t tilizer at rate Of from four to si-
r hundred pounds per acre.
t However, soy beans when planted
on light thin soils should be planted
: much earlier, if good gr with ane
y yield is expected, than when PLANTED
: on rich soils, in which case it is no
too late for good yield # planted
as late as after oats, rye, or wheat
d If your soil is somewhat poor it i
S best to plant from 25th Of April t
a 18th Of May. It takes about one hal
bushel Of seed to plant an acre, row
$ three feet apart. We have found tina
It they will usually make about twic
$ as many per acre as COW peas on tn
S same land
IS "R. F. d.
n Fairmont, N. c., April II, 1918.