1896.] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 



35 



This year it was somewhat injured by frost ; but we have 

 nevertheless secured a very good crop of seed. Area for 

 this purpose, .G acre; yield, 14 bushels per acre. We put 

 the product of .45 acre into the silo with millet, as just de- 

 scribed. The crop averaged nearly four feet in height, and 

 was heavily podded. The yield was 20,644 pounds per acre. 

 I look upon this as a very valuable fodder variety, either for 

 feeding green or for the silo. It is a rich nitrogenous feed, 

 and (of great importance) it can take much of its nitrogen 

 from the air. Its roots here are very thickly covered with 

 tubercles containing the bacilli which give it this power. 

 For comparison, I give figures showing the analysis of this 

 bean fodder and those for corn fodder : — 



Per Cent. 



Medium green soja bean, pods formed, but not hardened, dry matter, 30.16 

 Longfellow corn fodder, ears glazed, dry matter, . . . .27.81 



The protein is classed as a flesh former, the other sub- 

 stances above named are fat and heat producers. The flesh 

 formers and the fat of fodder are the most valuable of these 

 constituents, pound for pound ; the cellulose or fibre is the 

 least valuable. On the farm here our average yield of corn 

 fodder is about 16 tons per acre, while the green soja bean 

 gave this year a little over 10 tons. The amounts of the 

 different food constituents produced are as shown below : — 



