SOJA, OR SOY BEAN I.83 



The soy bean is an herbaceous leguminous plant, vary- 

 ing in height according to the variety cultivated. It pos- 

 sesses one peculiarity, and that is that all the pods ripen 

 together, whereas in all other Leguminosas, flowers, ripe 

 and unripe pods are found simultaneously. The pod, which 

 usually contains three seeds, is villous and measures 4 to 

 6 cm. in length; occasionally pods are found containing 

 two to five seeds. These seeds vary greatly in colour : 

 yellow, red, brown, black, green, or variegated ; their shape 

 is more or less oval. 



The root nodules are of fairly noticeable size and contain 

 millions of bacteria, a fact we have established by micro- 

 scopical examination. 



Linn^us classified this plant as Dolichos Soja, and it is 

 Moench who has created the genus Soja. The Kew index 

 recognizes three species of Soja, classified under the genus 

 Glycine : — 



(i) Glycine hispida ; 



(2) Glycine Soja ; 



(3) Glycine Javanica. 



Such characters as the constriction and the partitions, 

 which are absent in Glycine Soja, serve to distinguish the 

 species. 



More than 400 varieties of Soja are in existence, and in 

 nearly all countries the varieties are classified according to 

 the colour of the seeds. In Japan, according to M. Pailleux, 

 they are classified in various ways; first, according to the 

 precocity of the plant; then, according to the shape of the 

 seed, and, finally, according to the colour. 



M. Pierre classifies the Chinese races : (i) Following the 

 colour of the flowers, (2) the shape of the leaflets, and (3) 

 according to the colour of the fruit. 



In the United States the varieties are differentiated by 

 the colour of the seeds. As already noted, this is the basis 

 of the principal classifications. 



The sov bean may be cultivated evervwhere, and the 



