126 DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 



half to three tons of hay. Soybean fodder is a high-protein feed 

 than can be produced under practically the same conditions as can 

 Indian corn. 17 The composition of the soybean plant is quite simi- 

 lar to that of alfalfa, as will be seen from the foregoing table. 



Velvet bean (Mucuna utilis) is another forage crop that is 

 highly recommended for southern agricultural conditions. It is 

 considered especially suited to Florida, but has a similar range of 

 culture as Japanese cane (p. 112). It is grown for both seed and 

 forage; in the latter case the crop may be cut for hay when the 

 young buds arc well formed, allowed to wilt for about 48 hours, and 

 cured in shocks for several days; or it may be left in the field 

 throughout the winter and fed as needed. The beans contain about 

 18.8 per cent protein, 6.3 per cent fat, and 53.7 per cent nitrogen- 

 free extract. They are fed in the same manner as cowpeas or cotton- 

 seed in the South, and are relished by all farm animals except 

 horses, tha-t apparently do not care for them. Velvet bean forage 

 has also a nigh feeding value and should be fed along with other 

 kinds of hay or starchy concentrates. Fed in this manner, it makes 

 a valuable feed for all classes of live stock. 18 



Florida beggar weed (Desmodium tortuosum) is a sub-tropical 

 plantthat is grown in the South for either green forage or for hay, 

 and ig well liked by all classes of farm stock. It has rather woody 

 stalks, f rbm three to eight or ten feet high, with abundant leafage ; 

 when grown for hay it is cut at the beginning of bloom, three to 

 four feet high, when it makes a very fine quality of hay, yielding 

 about four tons to the acre. The hay contains about 12 per cent of 

 crude protein and 29 per cent of fiber, on the average, indicating 

 that it is of somewhat lower feeding value than alfalfa or clover, 

 ton for ton. 19 



Peanut (Arackis hypogea). This legume is grown for com- 

 mercial purposes in the south Atlantic States and westward to and 

 including California. The fruit or nut is matured beneath the sur- 

 face of the ground, instead of above ground, as in the usual order 

 of things. It is an important human food, and the by-products, 

 cull nuts, pods, and vines, furnish excellent forage for farm stock. 

 The tops of the plant are also often cut and cured in the same 

 manner as other legumes, and make a hay of a feeding value almost 

 equal to that of clover hay. Peanuts form a valuable substitute for 



"Cornell Bui. 310; Del. Bui. 96 and 112; 111. Bui. 198; Neb. Bui. 166; 

 N. H. Bui. 181; N. C. Cir. 31; Ohio Bui. 312; Farmers' Bui. 58, 372, 886 

 and 973; U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 439. 



18 Farmers' Bui. 451, 962; Div. Agrost. U. S. Dept. Agr., Cir. 14; U. S. 

 Bur. Plant Ind., Bui. 141, iii; Miss. Bui. 179. 



19 Div. Agrost. U. S. Dept. Agr., Cir. 13. 



