LEGUMINOS^ •. 457 



climates. The seeds vary greatly in color; there are shades 

 of cream, white, yellow, green, brown, and black; they also 

 vary in shape from globose to elliptical. Under the most 

 favorable conditions, soy bean seeds do not retain their 

 viability for more than five or six years. 



Soja max is a native of China and Japan. The cultivated 

 varieties are adapted to the warmer sections of the United 

 States; they are intolerant of cool nights. However, there 

 are several very early maturing varieties which may be grown 

 in the northern tier of States. The soy bean will grow in 

 moist chmates, and also manifests drought-resistant pro- 

 pensities. The plant is grown on a variety of soil types, and 

 will even produce a fair crop on poor soils of a sandy nature. 



Uses. — The soy bean is the most important legume in 

 Asiatic countries, and is becoming of increasing value in the 

 United States. The chief product of the bean is the oil 

 which is expressed from the seeds. It is used in the manu- 

 facture of soaps, lubricants, water-proof goods, linoleum, 

 rubber substitutes and printing ink; also in the preparation 

 of varnishes and paints, as a substitute for linseed oil. After 

 the oil is expressed from the seed, the "cake," either un- 

 ground or ground into a meal, is used as stock feed or as a 

 fertihzer. Soy-bean meal is of considerable value as human 

 food. Soy-bean flour is an important constituent in many 

 food specialties such as diabetic breads, crackers and bis- 

 cuits. Soy-bean flour is very low in carbohydrates, that 

 made from soy-bean cake having a carbohydrate content 

 of 33.85 per cent.,^ as compared with 75.35 per cent, in 

 wheat flour. The protein content of flour made from soy- 

 bean cake is given as 47.3 per cent., whereas that of wheat 

 flour is but 11 per cent. Soy beans are also utiUzed to 

 make a so-called soy-bean milk, which is valued for cooking 



* Data from the U. S. Dept. of Agri. Bureau of Chemistry. 



