6 BULLETIISr 439^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



SOY BEANS IN EUROPE. 



The soy bean was first introduced into Europe about 1790 and 

 was grown for a great number of years without attracting any atten- 

 tion as a plant of much economic importance. In 1875 Professor 

 Haberlandt, of Vienna, began an extensive series of experiments 

 with this crop and strongly urged its use as a food plant for man and 

 animals. Although interest was increased in its cultivation during 

 the experiments, the soy bean failed to become of any great im- 

 portance in Europe. At the present time it is cultivated only to a 

 limited extent in Germany, southern Russia, France, and Italy. 



Attempts have been made at various times to introduce the soy 

 bean and its products into European markets in competition with 

 manufactures from other oil seeds. Owing to the inferior quality 

 of the beans and cake received, these efforts were generally unsuc- 

 cessful. About 1908, the first large trial shipment of beans was 

 made to England. As these were received in much better condition 

 than those of previous shipments, the results obtained were so 

 satisfactory that, in 1909, 412,757 tons, in 1910, 442,669 tons, and 

 in 1911, 321,940 tons were imported by European oil mills. 



Nearly all of the first large importations of beans were taken by 

 England, where many of the large oil mills devoted their plants en- 

 tirely to the crushing of soy beans. At this time impetus was given 

 to the manufacture of soy-bean products by a shortage of cottonseed 

 and linseed in England^ so the soy bean found a ready market. 



Several English firms manufacturing oil-seed cake conducted a 

 series of tests, successfully demonstrating the utilization of the cake, 

 meal, and oil of the soy bean. The cake or meal was soon recognized 

 as a valuable stock feed in the dairy countries, such as Holland and 

 Denmark, where large quantities of oil-seed products are used. The 

 oil was found useful for many trade purposes. The oil and cake 

 were offered at prices which made soy-bean products strong com- 

 petitors of cottonseed manufactures. 



The utilization of the soy bean as an oil seed extended rapidly to 

 the continental countries, and the importations of beans from Man- 

 churia soon reached enormous proportions. That the soy bean and 

 its products have become fully established on the European market 

 is shown in Table IV. 



