134 FODDER AND PASTURE PLANTS. 
SOY or SOJA BEAN (Glycine hispida Maxim.) 
Botanical description: Soy Bean is an annual. It resembles 
ordinary field beans but can be easily recognized by its more or less 
dense hairiness. The stems, which branch from the base, reach a 
height of from one to four feet. They bear a great number of large 
leaves, each consisting of three leaflets similar in size and shape to 
those of ordinary beans. The flowers, which are in dense clusters, 
are of the ordinary leguminous type and are whitish to purplish in 
colour. The pods have short, stiff hairs and usually contain two or 
three seeds. 
Geographical distribution: Soy Bean is not known in the 
wild state. It is probable that it has been developed from Glycine 
Soja Sieb. et Zucc., a closely related species growing wild in Man- 
churia, China and Cochin China. That its cultivation is very old 
in China and Japan is evident from the fact that a great number of 
varieties have been produced there. It has been grown to a small 
extent for about a hundred years in southern Europe and was quite 
recently introduced into the United States and Canada. 
Agricultural value: In China and Japan it is used largely for 
food. The beans are roasted or otherwise cooked, or ground for 
baking purposes. 
Cultural conditions: Soy Beans do best on loams rich in 
organic matter, well drained and free from acid. The soil should 
be inoculated with the proper bacteria. The plants are not very 
sensitive to drought. 
Varieties: The numerous varieties differ in growth, time of 
development, colour of flowers and seed, and in their adaptability 
to climatic conditions. Medium Green, a high-yielding variety of 
outstanding merit for hay as well as for seed production, is best 
suited to Canada. 
The plant got its name from Soy, a product obtained by a long 
and complicated fermentation of a mixture of cooked Soy Beans, 
ground wheat and steamed rice or barley, to which later is added 
water and salt. Soy is the principal constituent of Worcester and 
other sharp sauces. 
