PLANTS CULTIVATED FOR THEIR SEEDS. 331 



for Roxburgh had only seen the jilant in the botanical 

 gardens at Calcutta, where it was brought from the Mo- 

 luccas.^ There are no common Indian nanies.^ Besides, 

 if its cultivation had been ancient in India, it would 

 have spread westward into Syria and Egypt, which is 

 not the case. 



Kaimpfer^ formerly published an excellent illustration 

 of the soy bean, and it had existed for a century in 

 European botanical gardens, when more extensive infor- 

 mation about China and Japan excited about ten years 

 ago a lively desire to introduce it into our countries. In 

 Austria, Hungary, and France especially, attempts have 

 been made on a large scale, of wliioh the results have 

 been summed up in works worthy of consultation.* It 

 is to be hoped these eti'urts may be successful ; but we 

 must not digress from the aim of our researches, the 

 probable origin of the species. 



Linnauis says, in liis Spccic>^, " habitat in India," and 

 refers to Kiempfer, who speaks of the plant in Japan, and 

 to his own flora of Ceylon, where he gives the plant as 

 cultivated. Thwaites's modern flora of Ceylon makes no 

 mention of it. We must evidently go further east to find 

 the origin both of the species and of its cultivation. Lou- 

 reiro says that it gi-ows in Cochin-China and that it is 

 often cultivated in China.^ I find no proof that it is wild 

 in the latter country, but it may perhaps be discovered, as 

 its culture is so ancient. Ilussian botanists *" have only 

 found it cultivated in the north of China and in the 

 basin of the river Amur. It is certainly wihl in Japan.'^ 

 Junghuhn** found it in Java on Blount Gunung-Gamping, 

 and a plant sent also from Java by Zollinger is sujtposed 

 to belong to this species, but it is not cei'tain that the 



' Roxburgh, Fl. Ind., iii. p. 314. * Piddington, Index. 



' KaeniptVr, Amer. Exot., p. 837, pi. 838. 



* liaberlaudt, Die Sojabohne, in Svo, Vicuna, 1878, quoted by Pailleux, 

 ubi supra. 



* Loureiro, JF7. Cochin., ii. p. 538. 



* Bunge, Eniun. Plant. Chin., 118; Maximowicz, Primit. Fl: Amur., 

 p. 87. 



' Mlqnel, Prohmo, in Ann. Mv.". Lxigd. Bat., iii. p. 52; Fianchet and 

 Savatier, Enum. Plant. Jap., i. p. 108. 



* Junghuhu, Planice Jur.gh., p. 255. 



