136 SOY BEANS IN BENGAL, BIHAR AND ORISSA. 



obtained in India (10). In China (12) the yield is said to vary 

 from 400 — 600lbs. per acre in the poorer districts along the 

 Yellow Sea coasts up to 2,000lbs. per acre in the Tichling district. 

 The cost of cultivation to produce a crop of 8 — 12maunds 

 should not be greater than Rs. 10—15 per acre in the plains, 

 though it may be increased to Rs. 20 per acre if many weedings 

 are given. One or at most two weedings are probably sufficient 

 if the crop has germinated well. At Kalimpong, Goodwin (13) 

 produced a crop of 17 maunds 12 seers (approximately l,420lbs.) 

 grain at a cost of Ks. 22 annas 8 for cultivation (excluding rent). 



8. PRICE. 



Although experiments are being made all over the world 

 on the possibility of establishing soy beans as a paying crop, 

 yet it would appear that Manchuria is still the only source from 

 which they are obtained in large quantities. 



Up till recent years the prices of Manchurian soy beans 

 have been so small that it was unlikely to pay to grow the 

 crop in other parts of the world. There is, however, an indica- 

 tion that the prices are steadily rising and, in fact, while in 

 the autumn of 1908 the price was only £4-15 in England 

 it went up to as much as £8-5 per ton towards the end of 

 1910 (Shaw 10). At the same time the price of oil went up 

 to £30 per ton and the sqja meal, obtained after extracting 

 the oil, was sold at about £6-10 # per ton. 



Now by purchasing and selling at these rates, the manufac- 

 turer would have paid for 100 tons, £825. It may be assumed 

 that some 13 tons of oil and 87 tons of meal could have been 

 obtained from this which would have sold for £390 and 

 £565-10 respectively. His gross receipts therefore on 100 

 tons, at these rates, would have been £955-10, and his gross 

 profits about £130. This would have allowed £1-6 per ton 

 for cost of manufacture and profit, which would be equivalent 



* We have recently received a letter from England quoting the price of coarse meal at 

 £7-5 and fine meal at £7-6 per ton from May to August 1912. We are indebted for this 

 information to the courtesy of the Hull Oil Manufacturing Company, Limited. 



