204 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



well green. The soil-enriching powers of velvet beans 

 are about the same as of cowpeas. The effect of grow- 

 ing them in sandy soils far south is most beneficial, and 

 is much enhanced when they are liberally fertilized with 

 phosphorus and potassium. Much better results with 

 velvet beans would be secured if the vines were turned 

 under and, the year following their growth, the field 

 planted to some crop that could utilize the nitrogen 

 gathered. This could readily be done with the large 

 disk plows made for deep tillage. 



Soybean (Glycine hispida). This plant gives promise 

 of becoming a great factor in American farming, espe- 

 cially in regions parallel in location to Kentucky and 

 Tennessee, though it thrives well as far north as the 

 4Oth parallel and is grown more or less for 100 miles 

 farther north, and as far south as central or southern 

 Louisiana. There are many varieties of the soybean 

 which have been grown as feed for men and animals 

 for untold centuries in China, Japan and Korea. It is 

 a comparatively recent comer to America, but already 

 promises to displace the cowpea in many situations and 

 to supplement corn in rations for farm animals in such 

 states as Tennessee, Oklahoma and Kansas. At pres- 

 ent, its most enthusiastic advocates are properly to be 

 found in Tennessee, where soil and climate and habits 

 of men seem congenial to it. The soybean is distinctly 

 unlike any other legume. It commonly stands erect, 

 though there are trailing varieties, has strong, hairy 

 stems, a strong tap root, broad leaves, small, purplish 

 flowers, and short pods downy and with rather few 

 seeds. The pods are often attached to the main stem 



