92 



^: SOY BEANS IX ALABAMA 



Introduction 



The soy bean, soiiietinies called "soya" or "soja" 

 Ijean, is becoming an important croj) in Alabama. It 

 has been grown mostly in small patches.; but since 

 many farmers have become ac(|uainted with its merits, 

 it is becoming a field crop, and its acreage is rapidly 

 increasing. 

 . The increasing interest in soy beans is due largely 

 to a changed system of cotton farming made necessary 

 by the invasion of the boll weevil, and to the discoverj'^ 

 of majiy uses for the bean and its |)roducts. In looking 

 for croj)s that can partly take the i)lace of cotton, the 

 farmer has found that the soy bean and the peanut fills 

 the place to a considerable extent. 



The livestock farmer and feeder desires crops that 

 can to some extent take the i)lace of corn and expensive 

 luill feeds. The soy bean and its products are meeting 

 those needs. The bean is being used also for human 

 food. 



These, ^vith other uses, have caused the price of 

 Ihe i>ean to advance in the past three years over 100 

 per cent. It seems safe to i)redict that the price will 

 continue to be profitable, and that the growing of soy 

 beans in those sections where they are well adapted 

 Avill eventually become a ])rominent ])art of Alabauia's 

 cropping system. 



' ' Climate and Son. Hkquirement^s 



The soy bean is adapted to the soil and climatic 

 conditions of Alabama. Any land that will grow good 

 crops of corn and cotton will produce good crops of 

 SO}^ beans, but poor soil Avill not produce a profitable 

 yield. The best soil is a clay loam or clay, well sup- 

 "plied with humus. 



Soy beans resist drought and excessive rain better 

 than corn. On heavy land they make a better crop 

 than either cowpeas or peanuts. 



For the Coastal Plain section of the State the peanut 

 is probably a better paying crop than the soy bean, but 

 for the Black Belt, Piedmont and Tennessee Valley 

 sections the soy bean is ])robably a more profitable 

 crop. The Mammoth Yellow variety does well in all 

 these sections wiiere the soil is not too poor. In ex- 

 tremely fertile valleys the i)lants grow large and do not 

 yield seed in pro])ortion to size of plants. 



