]5. I'. I. --IM. 



SOY BEAN VARIETIES. 



OillGIN AND INTRODUCTION OF THE SOY BEAN. 



Tlio soy bean (<'lycine lilspldn (Moeiich.) Maxim.) is an annual 

 leguminous plant irom the Orient. Its native liome is said to he 

 from southern Jaj)an southward through eastern China and Indo- 

 China to Java. In China and Japan it has been in cultivation for 

 many centuries, certainly since before the beginning of the Chris- 

 tian era. In those countries it is easily the most important legume 

 grown, and in some provinces it is the most important of all crops. 

 Owing, perhaps, to the almost comj)lete isolation of that part of the 

 Orient, its cultivation spread only slowly to other lands. It is now 

 grown to some extent in India, but its introduction there seems to be 

 of recent date. It reached Europe proba})ly in the latter part of 

 the eighteenth century, and its arrival in England is credited to 1790. 

 For several decades it was grown merel}'' as a curiosity in botanic and 

 private gardens. Investigation of the economic value of this plant 

 began more than thirty years ago in Europe, rather earlier than in 

 this country, but the soy bean has not yet attained any great promi- 

 nence there. 



The soy bean has been known in the United States for more than 

 three-quarters of a century. In the New England Farmer of October 

 22, 1829, Thomas Nuttall wrote of its possibilities as a crop for this 

 country. For many years it was grown only in gardens as a curious 

 plant from the Far East. The Perry expedition to Japan in 1853 

 brought back two varieties, a yellow and a red sort, which were tested 

 here in a limited way. 



During the last twenty years the soy bean has been the subject of 

 many experiments to determine its agricultural value and adapta- 

 tions. The agricultural experiment stations of Kansas and ^lassa- 

 chusetts were pioneers in these investigations and seed was imported 

 directly from Japan by both stations. Through these efforts con- 

 siderable interest was aroused, and two or three varieties soon became 

 available commercially. The number of forms and varieties in this 

 country was further increased by additional importations made by 

 enterprising seedsmen. Since 1898 the Office of Seed and Plant 



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