3"22 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 10, 1909.. 



THE SOY BEAN. 



The Acting Government Chemist and Superin- 

 tendent of Agriculture for the Leeward Islands, has 

 sent in the accompanying article on the soy bean, its 

 characteristics, and methods of cultivation, which has 

 been prepared by Mr. G. A. Jones, Acting Science 

 Master at the Antigua Grammar School. 



The soy bean, which is probably a native of China, is 

 the most important legume of China and Japan, and its 

 cultivation is rapidly spreading to other tropical and sub- 

 tro[iical countries. 



Its remarkable high percentage of protein and fat, its 

 heavy yield both of bu.sh and seed, and its capacity for resist- 

 ing drought, while it is not easily injured bj- excess of 

 moisture, are some of its outstanding features. 



This bean has been cultivated in China and Jaiian from 

 the earliest times. Later, it was introduced to India and 

 Europe where for a time at least it e.xcited considerable 

 interest. It has been cultivated in the United States for 

 many years, and during the last sixteen years has been grown 

 extensively for experimental jmrposes, and its great value as 

 a crop clearly brought out. 



The soy bean, which is often, but incorrectly called the 

 ' sojah bean, ' is de.scrihed as being an erect annua! plant vith 

 tairy stems ; trifoliate, hairy leaves ; inconspicuous flowers, 

 pale lilac or violet in colour ; self pollinated (an advantage 

 ■tt'hen a new plant is introduced into a district, since the 

 yield is thus made independent of insects). The pods are 

 broad and hairy, containing two to five .seeds, the colour of 

 ■which varies from white and yellowish to green and blaclc. 

 TTnder favourable conditions the plant may grow to a height 

 of 4 feet. 



There are a number of varieties of this bean, differing 

 mainly in the time of ripening and the colour of the seed. 



The soy bean grows best on medium soils well supplied 

 ■with phosphoric acid, potash, and lime. Poor soils in several 

 cases have, however, produced (piite fair crops. Experiments 

 in both America and Europe show it to possess excellent 

 drought-resisting powers, enduring dry weather much better 

 than other beans and peas. Further exiierimonts show that 

 the .soy bean is also able to survive a ]ieriod of excess of 

 moisture better than nther legundnous crops grown on 

 adjacent land. 



The soil must be vi'ell cultivated, and the surface soil 

 worked into a fine tilth before sowing. The seed may be 

 sown in drills, or broadcast. 



The yield from the soy bean, both in seed and bll^h, 

 varies according to condition.s, and between 9 and 12 tons 

 of bush .seems to be the average. It is a prolific seed 

 jiroducer, from 25 to 30 bushels of seed per acre being about 

 the average. 



The chenucal analysis of the soy bean shows it to ei>ntain 

 30 per cent, of proteid, and 17 per cent, of fat. This compares 

 most favourably with other leguminous seeds, e.g., cowpeas, 

 Avhich contain 21 per cent, of proteid and C-t percent, of fat. 

 The quantity of proteid is not greatly less than that found in 

 cotton seed meal, and the quantity of fat is very consideraldy 

 higher. These figures show its great value as a fodder. The 

 .seed is best fed when ground to a meal and mixed with sonic 

 other feeding stuff rich in starch. 



When used as a green fodder it gives excellent results., 

 F( r this purpose it should be cut between the period of early - 

 bloom and early seed. It is most suitable for ndlk pro- 

 duction, considerably increasing the quantity of the milk. 



As a soil renewer, the soy bean, like all other leguminous . 

 crops, has the power of being able 'to assimilate for its own 

 use, a .sujjply of idtrogen from the air, through the agency of' 

 the tubercle-forndng bacteria that dwell in the roots of the 

 plants. The manurial value of a crop of soy beans compares - 

 very favourably with that of other leguminous crops growr^, 

 as green dressings. 



When the soybean, or any other bean or pea, is intro- 

 duced for the first time into a locality, it does not always fornij 

 root tubercules owing to the absence of the tubercule organism., 

 from the soil. The beans should be grown several times on 

 the same land until these tubercules ap|)ear. After this there- 

 should be no difficulty in establishing the crop wherever 

 desired, for the infected soil could be used for inoculatinc 

 fresh land. No doubt this will account for the small growth 

 of bush which this crop is recorded to have jiroduced at the- 

 Botanic Station and several estates in Antigua and other 

 West Indian islands. 



It is hoped that every effort will be made to ensure that 

 this plant, which has proved such a valuable crop in many 

 other countries, may be established in the West Indies. 



The Possible Poisonous Effect of Wild. 

 Ipecacuanha on Cattle. 



A c|uestion has lately been raised as to the poisonous 

 eflect on cattle of the wild Ipecacuanha (Asc/ejiias curitssaiira} 

 or as it is variously known, bloodHower, wild i[)ecac, Johanna, 

 and redhead. Several cattle in St. Kitt's have died after- 

 grazing on land where the plant was known to be growing 

 and individual plants showed .signs of having been eaten by 

 the cattle. 



In an article entitled ' Poisonous weeds in the Springsure 

 District, by Jlr. J. F. Bailey, Assistant Government Bota- 

 nist, published in the QKcens/nnd A'/i-indtural Jounuil for 

 1900, mention is made of the po.ssible poisonous effect of 

 (his plaiit on cattle. The plant, among others, is reported as 

 having been grazed on during the passage of some 300,000- 

 head of cattle through the district, and several of the cattle- 

 sub.sequently died. The evidence, however, is incomplete, 

 as most of the eflect is attributed to a local cj'cad [Macrtt- 

 ■:iiinla Moorii), whose leaves are very hard and sharp. 



The que.'stion is of con.sideraMe importance, in view of 

 tlie wide-spread occurrence of this jdant in the West Indies. 

 l'[i to the present, no other instance is on record of its- 

 causing harm to cattle, and any information on the subject 

 would be of interest. 



The plant has been carefullv removed from the land in 

 St. Kitt's, and it is stated that the number of deaths among 

 the cattle shows a corresponding decrease. Taken in con- 

 nexion with the fact that the juice of the Asclepiadacea& 

 is generally considered to be poi.sonous, this seems to be 

 fairly strong evidence in su])))ort of the idea that the 

 Ipecacuanha is responsible for the death of the stock. 



It would be useful if planters and others would bring 

 forward any suggestions or observations which they may 

 have to make on' this subject by communicating with the 

 Imperial department of Agriculture, with the ol^ject of 

 arriving at some more definite conclusion. 



