POPULAR SCIENCE 449 



the fat-soluble unidentified dietary essentials or vitamines. 

 This fact, taken in conjunction with the high physiological value 

 of the protein, lends a unique significance to the use of soya- 

 beans as food," 



The same authors conclude that soya-beans may be properly 

 classed as a substitute for meat and wheat, and they should 

 form a part of human dietary. 



The Cultivation of the Soya- Bean 



The methods employed for the cultivation of the bean in 

 China and Japan are very primitive, but they prove efficient 

 in producing a good crop. The plough used is drawn by a 

 mixed team of oxen, mules, and donkeys, and has only one 

 handle and a rough, steel-tipped cutter. Sowing, hoeing, and 

 reaping are done by hand. For threshing, the mature plants 

 are strewn on a floor and a cylindrical stone with longitudinal 

 slits in it is drawn over them. The beans are winnowed by 

 being thrown against the wind. In spite of these wasteful 

 methods of procedure, the soya-bean fields are a success. 



Culture of soya-beans in the United States is carried on 

 along very different lines. Throughout the country the crop 

 has been tested at fully- equipped experimental stations, with 

 the result that modern methods of preparing land and hand- 

 ling crops have been adapted to suit the plant and have pro- 

 duced good crops. Experiments have shown that the soya-bean 

 is useful in binding and enriching the soil, is fairly drought- 

 resistant and capable of withstanding much moisture. The 

 beans are grown for hay, pasturage, ensilage, and grain; also 

 they are used in mixtures with maize, cow-peas, sorghum, or 

 Sudan grass. 



During the last twenty years attempts have been made 

 in various parts of the British Empire to cultivate soya-beans. 

 In Australia, New South Wales appears to be the most success- 

 ful state in raising the crop. The " Black " and " Guelph " 

 varieties are specially recommended. A most interesting 

 " sport " variety ^ has arisen from the " Ebony " variety, and 

 is under cultivation for further exploitation. In Victoria and 

 Queensland certain districts have proved favourable for soya- 

 beans. West Australia and South Australia are mostly too 

 arid for successful soya-bean culture. In every state in Aus- 

 tralia it is impossible to procure the requisite labour cheaply ; 

 thus Austrahan beans cannot compete with Manchurian beans 

 on the European market, for in Manchuria almost unhmited 

 cheap labour can be obtained. 



In South Africa success has been achieved in growing the 



1 Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, 43, p. 6ii, 1918. 



