REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND ACTING AGRICULTURIST. 38 



EXPERIMENTS WITH SOJA BEANS. 



(Soja hispida.) * 



The Soja or Soya bean is an annual leguminous plant, somewhat resembling the 

 upright varieties of the cow pea. These beans are extensively used in Japan as food, 

 both ior men and animals. They may also be utilized as a soiling crop, as hay, and 

 as ensilage. There are several varieties of these beans, some of which are much earlier 

 than others, one late variety was tried which appears to be of little or no value, and one 

 early variety which gave a large crop and promises to be exceedingly useful. 



The soil on which the late variety was sown was adjoining the horse beans, the 

 land was of similar character, and had the same treatment, the early variety was sown 

 on a light sandy loam, which was manured in the autumn of 1895 with about 12 tons 

 of barn-yard manure per acre. The previous crop was pease. This land was ploughed 

 late in the autumn of 1896, about 9 inches deep, and disc-harrowed in the spring, and 

 harrowed with smoothing harrow before sowing. 



Soja beans, late variety, sown 14th May, came up 3rd June, and was cut for 

 ensilage 24:th September. The growth was strong and even, but the plants had been 

 slightly injured by frost. There were no pods on the vines. Height 42 to 48 inches. 

 Yield per acre, 1 ton 1,957 pounds. This variety is too late to be of value here. 



Early Soja beans. These were received from Peter Henderson <fe Co., seedsmen, of 

 New York, in the spring of 1897. The seed was sown in rows nine inches apart, and 

 enough was received to sow a plot of 12 by 15 feet. Sown 25th May ; came up 

 6th June, and was cut 25th September. The plants made very strong growth, they 

 were very leafy and grew to an average height of 3 feet 9 inches. The vines were well 

 podded, pods thickly distributed on branches from 18 inches above ground to the tips. 

 The beans in the pods were more than half grown at the time of cutting. The weight 

 of green fodder cut from this plot was 127^ pounds, equal to a yield of 15 tons 855 

 pounds per acre. As this plant is said to endure hot, diy weather, it is hoped that it 

 may be found useful to grow for ensilage in those districts whei-e horse beans have not 

 succeeded. As a nutritious and nitrogenous food for animals, the analyses which have 

 been published of this plant, show that it compares favourably with the horse bean. 

 We hope to give this promising fodder plant a more extended trial during the coming 

 season. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH SUNFLOWERS. 



Two field plots covering 1^ acre were sown with this crop. The soil was a sandy 

 loam which was manured in the spring of 1895 with about 12 tons of barn- yard manure 

 per acre ; no fertilizer has been applied since. The previous crop was oats. After the 

 oats were harvested in 1896 the land was ploughed shallow and harrowed with the 

 smoothing harrow to start weed seeds and shed grain and ploughed later in the autumn 

 about 8 inches deep. In the spring of 1897 the bind was disc-harrowed twice, harrowed 

 twice with the smoothing harrow and rolled before sowing. The seed was sown with 

 a Planet Junior hand seed drill in rows 3 feet apart, using 3 to 4 pounds of seed per 

 acre, and the plants were thinned out when they were 3 or 4 inches high so as to leave 

 them from 16 to 18 inches apart in the rows. 



Plot 1. — One acre. Mammoth Russian Sunflowers — black-seeded variety. Sown 1st 

 May; came up 10th May and the heads were cut for the silo on 18th September. The 

 plants were of strong and even growth and the yield of heads was 7 tons 237 pounds 

 per acre. 



Plot 2. — One-half acre. Mammoth Russian Sunflowers — light coloured seed. 

 Sown 1st May ; came up 10th May and the heads were cut for the silo 17th September. 

 The growth was strong and even and the seeds fairly well ripened. Yield of heads per 

 acre, 7 tons 580 pounds. 



