SOYBEANS 523 



north as Maryland. Generally speaking, June 1 is about 

 the best date for seeding. 



637. Method of seeding. The method of planting 

 will depend on the purpose for which the soybeans are 

 grown. Soybeans are grown either in cultivated rows or 

 broadcasted. The former method is preferable in weedy 

 land and usually gives larger yields of hay and practically 

 always of seed. The general practice for seed-production 

 is the row method, while for hay or soiling, drilling or 

 broadcasting furnishes a forage of finer texture. 



In Manchuria soybeans are usually planted in rows 

 17 inches wide, the plants about 2 inches apart in the row. 

 With rows so close together, hand hoeing is necessary. 

 In the United States the rows are most often 36 inches wide, 

 so as to facilitate easy cultivation. This distance is not 

 too much for large varieties like the Mammoth. In the 

 low, poorly drained lands of eastern North Carolina, the- 

 rows are planted four feet apart and on . raised beds, to 

 facilitate drainage. For the smaller, earlier varieties, 

 rows 18 inches apart give sufficient room for the plants 

 to develop fully. The plants of different varieties range in 

 height from one foot or less to five feet or more, so the 

 optimum distance apart of rows is thus partly a matter 

 of variety and partly one of the culture implement to be 

 employed. For the larger varieties, three-foot rows are 

 very satisfactory with plants 2 to 3 inches apart in the 

 rows. 



Soybeans may be drilled with an ordinary wheat drill, 

 the width of the rows adjusted by covering the feed cups 

 not in use. Corn planters are sometimes used in planting 

 soybeans, as most of the modern planters have special 

 plates for drilling beans. 



638. Depth of planting. The depth of planting soy- 



