FEEDING VALUE. 



The beans have a high feeiliug value, as shown by analyses made by 

 the Florida Experimeut Station. The air-dried shelled beans contain 

 6.29 per cent fat, 18.81 per cent crude protein, and 53.5 per cent non-nitro- 

 genous extract. Cowpeas contain 51.4 per cent fat, 55.7 per cent non- 

 nitrogenous extract, and 20.8 per cent crude protein ; the peanut 39.G per 

 cent fat, 15.0 per cent non-nitrogenous extract, and 27.9 per cent crude 

 protein; while soy beans contains 10.9 per cent fat, 28.8 per cent non- 

 nitrogenous extract, and 34 per cent crude protein. Digestion experi- 

 ments have not been made either with the hay or seeds. Judging from 

 the chemical analyses, they are about equal in feeding value to cowpeas, 

 but are of less value than either peanuts or soy beans. An analysis 

 of velvet beau hav made at the North Dakota Experiment Station 



Fig. 3.— Velvet bean in an orange grove near Earleton, Fla. Seed sown iu drills 5 feet apart. 

 Photographed August, 1898. 



showed 5.3 per cent crude fat, IG per cent crude protein, 20.7 per cent 

 crude fiber, and 41.8 per cent nonnitrogenous extract. The plants were 

 just commencing to flower at the time the analysis was made. 



VALUE OF FERTILIZER. 



Comparative analyses of the vines, iallen leaves, and roots of the 

 velvet bean, Spanish peanut, and " unknown" cowpea were made at 

 the North Louisiana Experiment Station to determine the amount of 

 fertilizers contained in each crop. For the velvet bean 4,113 pounds 

 of vines and leaves contained 93.4 j)ounds of nitrogen, worth $14; 3,382 

 pounds of fallen leaves contained 58.2 pounds, worth $«8.73, and 173 

 pounds of roots without any stubble contained 2.7 pounds, worth 40 



