The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-11


 bean land and corn land were planted in fall oats, the increase in yield of oats due to the fertiliZing value of the soy bean stubble was 173 per cent over the corn land.
 FERTILIZER AND CULTURE
 The soy bean can be grown on almost any kind of soil in Alabama. Any soil that will grow good crops of cotton or corn will produce good crops of beans or hay. clay or clay loam well supplied with humus is best adapted to this crop Poor sandy soil will not produce profit able yield.
 Experiments at this station seem to in- dcate that about 200 pounds of acid phosphate applied in the drill at plant ing time pays for it's use. Limo either in the form of ground limestone, quick or air slacked, applied at the rate of two tons per acre once in three or four years, increases the growth of the soy bean plant. though it is not always neces- sary to the making of a good crop
 When the bean is planted for the first time, an application of three or four loads of stable or lot manure will ma terially increase the first crop. After the beans have been once grown successful ly on a piece of land, the addition of nitrogeuous fertilizer is not necessary to secure a profitable yield.
 Soy bean land should be prepared in about the same manner as for cotton. The rows may be made from PIE to 3h feet wide. If the land is well drained, the rows may be laid off and the seed planted on a level surface; but if 1t is poorly drained the seed should be on low bed.
 Soy beans may follow winter grain. if the stubble is plowed promptly and the beans planted immediately. In those sec tions where many hogs are raised and the>felds fenced for pasturing, the corn rows may be made six feet wide, and row of beans planted in each corn middle. The corn and beans are culti- vated together. After pulling the corn, the beans may be grazed by hogs and cattle. If it is desired to make hay of them, they mau be cut with scythe or sharp hoe.
 INOCULATION
 Soy beans require noculation in or der that they may take up nitrogen from pure air. While natural inocuation is widely distributed. it is often advisable to employ artificial inoculation when the soy bean is grown for the first time.
 The inoculation of the seed may be done either by scattering in the drill with the seed 200 or 300 pounds of in- ocuated soil per acre from some bean field or by the use of artificial cultures. Cultures may be obtained from commer- cial companies or in small amounts from the United States department of agrl- culture, office of soil bacteriology, Wash ington, D. c.
 Soy beans may be sown with a cotton or a corn planter provided with proper plates, any time from April 15 to July 15. The seed should not be planted when the ground is very wet or very cold They should be covered not more than two inches deep. As soon as the plants come up they should be cultivated shall lowLusually about three times
 When the soy beans are drilled for seed the rate of seeding is about two pecls per acre. When they are sown broadcast for hay, the rate is about eight pecks; when planted as mixture for hay, about four pecks of beans and four of cowpeas are necessary to secure 8 good stand and to get a good quality of hay:
 HARVESTING AND THRASHING
 The time to harvest soy beans is when most pods are ripe and half of the leaves fallen off. If left until the pods be- come fully ripe, the pods burst open and scatter the beans on the ground. If to be made into hay. it should be moved when the pods are well formed.
 When only a patch Is planted. the soy bean plants may be cut with sharp hoe, corn knife, scythe. or pulled up, and put in small piles to cure. When several acres are grown, they may be cut with a mower, self-rake, reaper, or binder and piled until they are cured. If the acreage is large, the harvest ing of the seed may be done with a special bean harvester, several kinds of which are now on the market. The soy bean can be thrashed with an ordinary grain separator, If the speed of the cylinder is reduced to about half of that for grain and some of the spikes from the concave are removed. When the amount to be thrashed is small, the dry plants may be spread out on the floor or wagon sheet, and the seed beaten 1 out with a fail. Soy beans heat quickly when stored | in bulk. if not thoroughly dry. After l thrashng they should be spread out to l dry, or sacked and piled in such way | that they will be well ventilated.
 VARIETIES
 The experiment station has tested | many different varieties or strains for | seed production during the past 10 years. | During this period the four most produc- | i've varieties of each year for seed in- | ,luded Mammoth Yellow six times; five times; Hollybrook four imes. and Edward Haberlandt, Ebony | ind Wilson each three times.
 In the last fve-year period Holly brook averaged l5.1 bushels of seed per lcre: Blackbeauty, 13.9 bushels; Nam noth Yellow, 13.3 bushels, and Ebony, "A bushels. The varieties which lead n seed production have rather coarse. erect stems, and are medium late. The ,arly varieties never rank high in yield # either seed or forage.
 The farmer will make no mistake in l choosing the Mammoth Yellow for this attitude. It is a rank growing variety Ias medium large yellow seed. and re- Iuires about 135 days to mature a crop if seed. It produces good hay. Holly rock produces a smaller plant and has, eIlow seed. It requires about 125 days D make crop Of seed. BlacSbeauty nd Ebony are black seeded varieties. For the production of hay. Mammoth Tell0w. Holiybrook, Ebony and Biloxi