250 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



On the evening of September 28th a frost occurred. All varieties of soy beans 

 and cowpeas seemed to be equally affected by it. Again, on the 15th of October, 

 after a heavy frost of the night before, the medium green soys being more succu- 

 lent showed the greater effects of the cold weather. 



The plots devoted to variety tests in 1904 were in A, east of a large grain barn, 

 which partly protected them from severe west and southwest winds. The soil 

 is a clay loam of varying character, changing to a very sandy loam at the east 

 end of the plots and merging into a stiff clay toward the south side of the series. 

 The plots were 18 rods long and for the most part 1 rod wide. The ground was 

 plowed on May 16 and 17 and harrowed. It was again harrowed, rolled and 

 thoroughly prepared on May 28 and 30. The plots ran east and west. The 

 varieties tested were sown in the following order on June 1, the plots being 

 numbered from the north: 



Plot 1, Medium Green; 

 " 2, Ogemaw; 

 " 3, Early Black: 

 " 4, 9413, from U. S. Dept. 



Four rows each of Ito San, Gosha, Rukigira. Rukugetsue follow next in order. 

 On June G the soy beans were beginning to show a good stand. They were culti- 

 vated on June 13. 1.5, 22 and 28 and on July 6 and 8. They were hoed on June 

 15 and July 8. By July 9 the medium green soys were 11 inches high, were much 

 darker in color than the Ogemaw and with a distinctly coarser and more hairy 

 stem The Ogemaws were a foot high, a little lighter colored and more delicate 

 in appearance. The early blacks averaged 11 inches in height, the Ito San 11 

 inches and the Gosha 11 inches. The latter had peculiarly light colored, velvety 

 leaves and gave a good indication at that date of being a distinctly early variety 

 as did the Ito San. The Rukigiri and Rukugetsue gave no evidence of superiority 

 over the rather better known and more standard varieties. 



On July 21, the Ogemaw soys were in blossom and were 2 feet in height. The 

 Ito San from northern grown seed, was also in blossom. The next day the extra 

 early black began to show blossoms and on July 23 the early blacks came in 

 bloom. The government 9413 did not show blossoms until July 30 and the 

 medium green not until .Ausrust 4. 



By August 29 the medium green soys had full sized pods with the beans just 

 nicely starting to develop, while the Ogemaws contained in the pods beans almost 

 fully grown, and beginning to ripen. The early blacks were not as far along 

 at this date as were the Ogemaws and the government 9413 were at about the 

 same stage as the medium green. The Ito San seemed about half grown, the 

 Gosha with pods full size and beans one-third size. The extra early black 

 showed pods fully developed. 



By September 2 the Ogemaw soys were ready to harvest with the leaves nearly 

 all shed. The early black was not quite so far advanced as the Ogemaw and 

 the Ito San had half of the leaves fallen with pods partly ripe. The Gosha was 

 beginning to ripen, some leaves having fallen This variety was not heavily 

 podded as were the three others just mentioned. 



The beans were harvested on October 10 by pulling and were left on the ground 

 \intil the 17th and 18th when they were hauled to the barn. The gross weight of 

 the entire plant was as follows, bein.g the yield of a rod wide by 18 rods in length: 



Medium green, 79 pounds: Oc:emaw, 42.5 pounds; early black, 67 pounds; gov- 

 ernment 9413, 26 pounds; Ito San, 33 pounds. 



On a separate area the medium green variety was grown for silage It was 

 harvested on September 29, yielding, green weight, 8,800 pounds per acre. 



The variety tests of cowpeas in 1904 were conducted on series H of the station 

 plots. The season was peculiarly unfitted for this semitropical crop and none of 

 the varieties ripened much seed. Notes were made of the peculiarities of the 

 different varieties although thy did not mature enough to warrant a record of 

 the weights at harvest. The Missouri, Taylor, Clay, Iron, Wonderful. Whippoor- 

 will and New Era attained a height of over 15 inches, the Missouri and Clay lead-, 

 ing in this respect. The date of the first blossoming was Aueriist IS for the Whip- 

 poorwill, Michigan Favorite, and Early Blackeye. The New Era, Black and 

 Unknown began to blossom August 27; the Taylor. Sherman's Northern Prolific, 

 Down's Early, the Iron, the Rice, the Red Ripper, the Clay and the Wonderful 



