482 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



in the south, where the temperature range is high for a longer period. 

 On heavy clay soils the improvement in plowing under heavy crops 

 is very marked. 



Soy Bean. 



The soy bean has a strong central root, stiti' stems, broad leaves 

 and somewhat resembles the ordinary bean, though it is larger and 

 bushier in form. The plants may be dAvarf and early maturing, or 

 late and tall, though in no case do they vine as do the vining and 

 trailing varieties of cow peas. There are a number of varieties — the 

 Green seems to be the variety most generally used and the crop 

 from it varies according to the season and climate. This j)lant re- 

 sembles the cow pea in many of its characteristics, namely, that it 

 should not be seeded until the soil is warm, and where grown for 

 forage it should be preferably planted in rows, in order that it may 

 be cultivated. For green manuring purposes it may be seeded 

 broadcast. The amount of seed per acre will vary from one to one 

 and one-half bushels when broadcast, depending upon how well 

 the seed are covered; when seeded in rows the amount of seed may 

 be reduced to one-half bushel, or three pecks, per acre. The land 

 should be put in good conddtion, in order that germination may be 

 prompt. It does not possess, for green manure purposes, any charac- 

 teristics different from those mentioned for cow peas. In fact, ex- 

 perience thus far shows that the soy bean is slightly more difficult to 

 handle, and the yields are not so heavy, though the j)]ant contains 

 more nitrogen in the dry matter than the cow pea. It has been 

 grown for green manure purposes when there has been a scarcity 

 of the seed of the cow pea, and many prefer it to the cow pea, be- 

 cause it is easier to completely cover the plant in plowing, whereas 

 a large crop of cow peas is particularly difficult to plow under. 

 The decay of the plant will probably be quite as rapid as the cow 

 pea, and hence serve quite as well as a source of nitrogen to the 

 cereals. 



Velvet Bean. 



The velvet bean has attracted a great deal of attention lately in 

 the southern States. It originated in the tropics, and has proved 

 successful only in the southern States. In Florida it has been one 

 of the most useful of the forage plants and is highly regarded as a 

 green manure crop. It grows well on light, sandy soil and the 

 yield is ordinarily about the same as for the cow pea. The season 

 of growth is much longer, and for that reason the seed cannot be 

 matured except in the south. The results of experiments conducted 

 in the middle and eastern States show that it is not well adapted 

 for these sections, and does not make as satisfactory a crop for any 

 purpose as the cow pea. 



