SOYBEANS FOR MASSACHUSETTS 9 



UTILIZATION OF SOYBEAN SEED 



In the United States soybeans have been used priniarih' for forage. In recent 

 years increased seed production in the soybean regions has led to new uses with 

 almost unlimited possibilities. Many food and industrial products are being 

 developed from the bean and its b>-products, oil and oil meal. 



For Livestock. — Soybean seetl contain from 30 to 45 percent protein, thus 

 comjiaring favorabh' with other concentrated feeds. The growing of seed, there- 

 fore, oflers the farmer a source of feed at a moderate cost for at least part of the 

 high-protein concentrates needed for stock feeding and milk production. 



For Oil and Oil Meal. — The soybean contains a valuable oil which is used ex- 

 tensiveK' in Asia, in Europe, and in North America. At the present time there 

 are more than 20 mills for extracting this oil in the soybean seed production 

 regions of the United States. The oil is used in the manufacture of paints, 

 varnish, soaps, edible oils, butter and lard substitutes, rubber substitutes, linoleum, 

 glycerin, core binder, and numerous other products of which vegetable oils form 

 a part. 



The meal or residue remaining after the oil is extracted has proved to be a 

 valuable feed for livestock. In various feeding experiments, soybean .real has 

 compared well with linseed and cottonseed meals as a source of protein for dairy 

 cows, cattle, swine, sheep, and poultry. 



For Human Food. — The people of oriental countries have used so\beans as 

 food for many centuries, the protein in their diet being largely supplied from 

 numerous so\bean preparations. 



The dried beans of light-colored varieties ma\' be cooked and used in the same 

 manner as navy or other beans. Yellow, brown, and green-seeded varieties 

 make a very palatable and nutritious green vegetable when the seeds are three- 

 fourths to full grown. If the pods are boiled for about 5 minutes, the seed can 

 be easily shelled and used in the same manner as green Lima beans or green peas. 



Soybean flour, either from the whole bean or from oil meal, is becoming an 

 important food and is a commercial product in many sections of the United States. 

 Extensive tests have shown that this flour can be utilized in various breads and 

 pastries, in the proportion of about one-fourth soybean flour to three-fourths 

 wheat flour. The flour is also used in the manufacture of diabetic foods, breakfast 

 foods, malted milk, crackers, macaroni, and various other foods. Due to the low 

 starch content of the soybean, it is valuable as a basis of foods for diabetic persons 

 and others refiuiring this type of diet. 



THE PLACE OF SOYBEANS IN NEW ENGLAND AGRICULTURE 



Generally speaking, the future of the soybean in New England agriculture lies 

 in its ability to produce forage, either as green feed or cured ha>-. With yields 

 of only 2.5 to 3 tons of cured hay, however, it can hardly be expected to compete 

 with red and alsike clovers and alfalfa, which will yield 3 to 6 tons of cured hay 

 under favorable conditions. Therefore, the main use of soybeans will be as an e- 

 mergenc\' forage crop to be grown when seedings of clover or alfalfa fail, or when 

 cropping plans need to be changed on short notice, or for special cases. The 

 soybean is perhaps the best emergency leguminous forage for New England. 



