VETCHES 159 



trailing forms are satisfactory. The crop may be used to advan- 

 tage either as hay, as a soiling crop, or as pasture. 



Soybeans. — Soybean {Glycine hispida) , an annual leguminous 

 plant, is closely related to the cowpea (Fig. 52), and has been 

 cultivated in this country for about a century. There are many 

 varieties and forms, such as those with erect stems and few 

 branches, and the widely branched varieties of a bushy form of 

 growth. 



Soybeans are essentially a corn-belt crop. Although the area 

 of their culture in the United States is largely coextensive with 

 that of cowpeas, they may profitably be grown farther north 

 than cowpeas. Soybeans are used for the same purpose as cow- 

 peas, but they have several advantages over the latter. They 

 are erect and without runners; the seed does not shell out readily; 

 the seed crop is larger; and the leafage remains palatable longer 

 after falling to the ground. Soybeans are adapted to a wide 

 variety of soils and are not readily injured either by drought or 

 by abundant moisture. 



The time of planting is about the same as for corn. In the 

 cotton region planting any time between April and June gives 

 good results. When the seed is drilled in rows 24 to 36 inches 

 apart, one-half to three-quarters of a bushel of seed should be 

 used to the acre. Soybeans are highly nutritious; they have 

 the highest protein content of any legume that has been analyzed, 

 with the single exception of the peanut. The plant is valuable 

 both for pasture and hay. 



Vetches. — Vetches ( Vicia) are mostly slender, climbing 

 plants bearing tendrils at the ends of the leaves (Fig. 53). Ap- 

 proximately 125 species have been described, about 24 of which 

 are native to the United States. Of the various species of culti- 

 vated vetches, three — hairy or sand vetch {Vicia villosa), com- 

 mon or spring vetch ( V. saliva) , and the narrow-leaved or Augusta 

 vetch ( V. anguslifolia) , all of which are annuals — are extensively 

 cultivated. 



