ToL. VII, Xo. 174. 



THE AGIUCULTURAL NEWS. 



40S 



EXPERIMENT STATIONS, AND THE 



IMPROVEMENT OF TROPICAL 



AGRICULTURE. 



An interesting editrtriul .-iitiele in tlio L'.rpt'r! »K'nt 

 Station ■RccDnl i'uv Detober last discusses in a ,a;eiieral 

 way the agricultural conditions that exist in the newly 

 acquired tropical territories of the United States — 

 Hawaii, Poi to Rico, and the Philippines — and also the 

 etibrt-s that are being made through the medium of 

 Experiment Stations to improve the systems of acri- 

 culture, and to introduce new crops and industiies. 



In all of the three countries named, Imt unc, or at the 

 most a very few crops have been prodiued in important quan- 

 tity, i.e., sugar in Hawaii, suyar and coffee in Porto Rico, 

 tobacco and .Manila hemp in the Philippines. This is a direct 

 consequence of the system of agricultnic ))raeti.sed, whicli is 

 that of the large land-holder and employer of laboiu-, and the 

 ab.sence of peasant jiroprietors. In woiking the large estates, 

 the object has been to secure a uiaxinnuu yield at a minimum 

 outlay, which has, in many cases, resulted in the continuance 

 of anti(|uated methods, and finally in the impoverishment of 

 the .soil. Under such circumstances, too, the labouring 

 population were bound to remain in a backward condition. 



iSince the insular regions in question have become parts 

 of the United States, effort* have been made to develop their 

 agriculture through the establishment and working of Experi- 

 ment Stations. Eecognizing that the single crop system has 

 proved rennmerative to the employe)-, but his not contributed 

 much to the general welfare of the comnnniity, the chief 

 efforts of these stations have been directed towards increasing 

 the number and vaiiety of crops grown. x\t all the stations 

 attempts are being made, not only to improve the present 

 agricultural pr-actices, but to introduce new crops and indus- 

 . tries. In doing this, it is believed that not only will the 

 producing capacity of the countries be increased, but that 

 many small holdings will be developed and made profitable, 

 and the general condition of the population improved. 



The conditions peculiar to agriculture in the tropics, 

 which in many cases make the work of the investigator more 

 perplexing than if he were working in a region of temperate 

 climate, are referred to, and in this connexion it is pointed 

 out that seemingly antiquated methods of agricultural 

 practice carried on by the natives are, after all, fretpicntly the 

 best, and their general adoption is the result of eenturies of 

 unconscious experiment on the part of the agriculturists. As 

 an example in point, it may be menticmcd that it was thought 

 desiralde in Hawaii and the Philipiiines to bring about 

 a change in rice planthig methods, and to replace the old 

 system, which involves so much hand labour in transplant- 

 ing the crop, by the introduction of machinery fur drilling 

 the seed in the rice field itself. But exiieriments carried out 

 to test the results of the two systems show that the old 

 method is the better. Not only were larger yields secured 

 from transplated rice, but the cost of pn'ductidii was decidedly 

 le.s.s, taking all things into account. 



At the conclusion of the article, reference is made to 

 the .slowness with which demonstrated results are taken u]) 

 and applied by the cfimmunity in whose interest the work 

 is being carried on. The American experience has been 

 that in the countries named, new crops and unusual methods 

 appeal to but a few, and the progress made is not rai)i<l.;It is 

 well known, however, that agriculturists are proverbially 

 conservative all the world over, and not inclined to alter 

 their methods unless it has been clearly and repeatedly 

 demonstrated to them that it is to their own permanent 



interest to do .s... In view of the short time that the Agri- 

 cultural Exjjeriment Stations have been established in 

 Hawaii, Porto Rico, and the Philii)pines, they have fully met 

 the exi)ectations of those acquainted with their organization, 

 aims, and resources. 



THE SOY BEAN. 



The attention of planters has frequently been 

 drawn, by means of notes and short articles in the 

 publications of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 to a number of crops, leguminous and otherwise, suit- 

 able for green manuring purposes in the West Indies. 

 Experiments, too, have been carried on at the Stations 

 in many of the islands to test the relative value of 

 these different crops. The oowpea, the Bengal bean, 

 and woolly pyrol are jirobably more extensively used as 

 green dressing in the West Indies than any other crops, 

 and their merits are generally well known. Another 

 leguminous plant, to which attention was given in 

 experiments at Antigua for the first time in 1907, 

 is the soy bean {(Uf/ri iie luxpi.</a). This bean is a native- 

 of south-eastern Asia, and has been cultivated from 

 very ancient times in China and Japan. Ic is also 

 grown in Java, and has of late years been introduced 

 into India. The vines form excellent fodder, while the 

 beans are frequently used as a food for man. The soy 

 bean is a small erect plant. In the experiments at 

 Antigua last year, its growth was healthy, but very 

 small. It is thought that the weight of green matter 

 produced might be increased by sowing the seed closer 

 together, and further trials will be made. 



A Farmers' Bulletin (No. 58) has been issued by 

 the U.S. Department of Agriculture dealing with the 

 soy bean. The following form the chief points of 

 information given in this pamphlet: — 



The .soy bean thrives best in soils of medium texture 

 well supplied with lime, potash, and phosphoric acid. It 

 endures drought well, is not easily injured by excess of 

 moisture, and may be grown about as far north as corn. 



The early varieties are Ijest for seed crops, aiul the 

 medium or late varieties for hay, forage, and silage^ 

 Seeds may be planted at any time during the .spring and 

 early summer, but [n-eferable as soon as the ground becomes 

 well warmed up. 1 >rill one half to three-fourths of a bushel 

 to the acre : bn>adcast three fourths to one bushel. 



Little cultivation is needed when growing for forage ;. 

 when grown for seetl keep weeds down until plants sliade the 

 soil. The soy beau may be used for soiling, pasturage, hay, 

 and ensilage, or the beans may be harvested and fed as grain. 



The forage is very rich in fat and muscle-making 

 materials, and .should be fed with fodder corn, sorghum, or 

 some other feeding stuffs rich in fat-forming nutrients. The 

 seed can be fed to the best advantage when gmuud into- 

 meal, and is almo.st without equal as a concentrated food. 



C!ut for hay when the plants are in late bloom or early 

 fruit ; for ensilage the croj) can be cut later, but it is better 

 to cui before tlic pods begin to ripen : for green forage, 

 cutting may begin earlier and continue rather later than for 

 either hay or ensilage : the crop may lie cut for seed after the 

 pods become about half ripe. 



The soy bean is excellent for green manuring and for 

 short rotation with cereal crops. It should be well limed 

 when ploughed under as a green manure. 



