NEW CROPS 117 



SOME THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOYBEANS 



It seems to us that from now on less attention should be paid to 

 variety tests, and more to standardization, nomenclature, selection, 

 and certification. Both producer and manufacturer need to know 

 how oil content varies with variety, and whether some varieties give 

 up their oil more easily than others. They wish to know what 

 correlation there may be between color of seed coat and the quantity 

 and quality of oil, and the relative value of cake or meal from different 

 colored seeds. Is there a difference in quality of cake produced by 

 the different methods of oil extraction? We should know to what 

 extent and in what manner, climatic and soil conditions influence the 

 composition of the plant, especially the seed. 



This Station has shown that soybeans planted with corn may 

 reduce the corn yield. We should like to know how varying rates 

 of planting affect the corn yield. Is there any symbiotic relationship 

 between corn and soys in the same hill ? Certain other stations have 

 shown that the two plants growing together may produce a greater 

 weight of silage than either separately. What is the increase worth ? 

 If we do not gain as many pounds of soybeans in corn as we lose in 

 corn, are the soybeans which are produced worth more, as a supple- 

 ment to the remaining corn, than the lost corn would have been ? Is 

 a field of corn and soys which is harvested by being pastured with 

 live stock worth more than corn grown alone on the same field and 

 harvested by man? We should have this data for all the meat ani- 

 mals. What will be the cumulative effect on soil productiveness of 

 long continued practise of pasturing off crops? May we not have 

 cordial cooperation between the Agronomy and Animal Husbandry 

 Departments in solving such problems as these? 



Considerable importance may be attached to certain laboratory 

 studies by Dr. Hottes, of the germination of soybean seed, and a 

 continuation of these studies is greatly to be desired, as they may 

 reveal why some varieties have given uniformly better stands than 

 others. They may settle, too, the much discussed question of what 

 effect color of seed has on germination and longevity of seed. They 

 may teach us the best methods of seed storage and care. We hope 

 the pathologists will undertake to solve the cause and prevention of 

 the bacterial blight of soys that we have observed during the past few 

 years, and tell us why some of our best varieties have been the most 

 affected. 



We believe that experiments on the rate and manner of seeding 

 should be continued and developed. We feel that managerial economy 



