SOUTHERNWOOD 



SPARAXLS 



1693 



roiiio pl•ope^■til^'<. T\'liicli rrseiiihlc tlnisi- i.f woniiwooil. 

 It is seldom cttered by stfcdsiiieu in this country \>v- 

 cause of its slight impovtanoe. jj q Kains 



SOW BEEAD. An old name for Ciichimeii. 



SOY BEAN {Ghjriii,' hisiii,hi. whieh see tor ijotanioal 

 deseription) is a legume, and while it has long been a. 

 staple crop in Japan it has hut somewhat recently been 

 cultivated in the United States. Figs, lilt, 195. It grows 

 to perfection only in a tropical or seinitropical climate. 

 In its native country, -Tapan, the seed is an imp()rtant 

 human food prodnct. but in the United States its prin- 

 cipal use at present is as a forage plant for farm live 



'*M'' 



■■' ;w"!i 



'%!*' 



2357. Southernwood (X ^oj. 



stock and as a soil renovntoT, Tr is an upright, leafy, 

 branching plant, growini;' '.'•—[ I't. hi.i^ii. Two distinct 

 plants are often called Suy Lu-an ; the smaller one 

 [PhaaeoliiS raiUafns) is gruwn principallj- in Japan; 

 the larger species, the true Soy, Beau, is Ghfchu^ 

 Jiispida. This latter species has become popular in 

 some sections of the United States because of its pdwer 

 of resisting dmught and for the further reason that it 

 may supply a large amount of forage rich in protein, 

 In the northern states it is probable that the Soy Be;tn 

 will be acclimated and that it will serve as an adjunct to 

 the maize crop as a food for stock, although it is coarse 

 in leaf and stalk. 



It thrives best ^^poD a warm, well-drained loamy soil, 

 and seed should not be planted until all danger from 

 frost is over. The land should be prepared by plowing 

 and harrowing in the early spring, and the harrow should 

 be used two or three times before the seeds are planted. 

 Best success is attained by planting in drills, rows to be 

 from 2M-3 ft. apart and the hills in the row 18-20 in. 

 apart. During the early periods of growth cultivation 

 should be frequent, preferably with a fine-toothed im- 

 plement. After the plants have grown so that the 

 ground is well shaded the tillage may be discontinued. 

 It is doubtful whether the curing of the plants for hay will 

 ever come into general practice, but the crop may be 

 largely grown for green soiling and for ensilage pur- 

 poses. It may be cut into the silo with corn and serves 

 to improve the quality of the food. 



To the horticulturist the Soy Bean is valuable chiefly 

 as a soil renovator. The soil of the orchard can be given 



clean culture during th^^ early summer and the Soy 

 Beans may be S'twn broadcast about dulv 1 and harrowed 

 in. Om^ imshel of s(_->ed per acre will be rf^((nired. One 

 bushel <d' rye per acre should b(^ sown atthr same time, 

 fnr when the beans are killed d.iwn by thr fiv.st in the 

 fall the rye will then serve as a cover-cmp during the 

 winter. When the soil is so hard and unfnrbidding tliat 

 clover will not thrive the Soy Bean may be made U> 

 serve as a nitrogen-gatherer, and when plowed under it 

 serves 1(1 greatly improve the physical condition of the 

 land. See also Ohjrh>>'. ' j^ ^ Clinton. 



SPANISH BAYONET. See }'nrr,>. 



SPANISH BKOOM. .SV""'^'""' .i'l'icfton . 



SPANISH LIME. Jf.'/ir<n-ra hijn>/<i. 



SPANISH OYSTER PLANT. Smlijmus. 



SPAKAXIS (Greek word referring to the torn or lac- 

 erated spathes. a character whicli distinguishes this 

 genus ti'wm Tritiun'a). Irldacu'. Wand Flower. 

 Sparaxis i,s a ,gniu[) of spring-blooming "Cape bulbs" of 

 the Ixia tribe, with spikes of (j-petaied, more or less 

 funnel-shaped tlewers one inch or two across and ex- 

 hibiting an extraordinary range of color and throat 

 markings. These plants are less i)upular than Ixias. 

 which they much reseuilde. The plants are dwarfer and 

 more conipact than ixias, usually li-12 in. high, the 

 spikes are shorter and fewer-tlowered, nn<l the Ijlossums 

 are sometimes larger. Sfiaraxis is essentially <Ustin- 

 guished from Ixia and other allied genera by the sub- 

 regular periaiith, unilateral and arcuate sUimens, and 

 scariens, laceraled spathe-valves. Other general fea 

 tures are: the rcetstock a conn; Ivy. linear or lanceo- 

 late and arranged in a basal rosette; intleresceni-e a 

 simple or panicled spike; perianth-tube short: ovary 

 3-celled; ovules many, superposed. Sparaxis is nati\'e 

 to the southwestern provinces of Cai)e (.'oloiiv, S. 

 Africa, 



Although a few plants of Sparaxis are occasionally 

 cultivated in America by bulb fanciers, one may search 

 through many American catalogues without finding 

 them listed. The Dutch bulb growers offer 25 distinct 

 kinds, which is perhaps a quarter of the number of 

 varieties of Ixias in cultivation. According to J. (J. 

 Baker, there is "only one species in a brou.<l seirse, v;ii'y- 

 ing indefinitely in the size and coloring of tie- flower's." 

 For practical pur]»o.ses Baker recognizes the :; speries 

 ij'iven below; of tliese the most important and varialile 

 is N. tricolor. 



Spdrii.ris piilrli.'rrhiiii of the Dutch trade is pro]>er!y 

 Dierama pulch6rrima, Baker. This grows i; ft. high or 

 more and has pendulous fis. bright l)lood-purple but aji- 

 pnrently with p:ili* rose anrl perhaps other varieties (also 

 a white var.}. It is distinguished by its pendulous tis. 

 with regular perianth, simple style-branches, equilat- 

 eral stamens, and large bracts which are not laciniate. 

 B.M. .5555. F.S. ITrlSlO. On. 20:315; 44. p. 281. 1']ii^ 

 plant is said by F. W. Burbidge to be '"j>erhaps ibe 

 most graceful of all the Cape Irids." 



A. Tlirnat of floirer same color as: seg- 

 nimfs. 



B. /'/.s-. SlU'lU : si-'i/IHCtlfS i^->-''-4 /)'. 



loiif! 1 . bulbifera 



BB. Fix. Jargrr: scijiinnits 1 III. or }in-ire 



/o)i(i 2. grandiflora 



AA. Throat of floii-cr hri</]if i/eJJoic, ofl>ni 

 with a cJaH- blotch ou the loirer part 

 of each .'^nj incut ;'.. tricolor 



bulbifera, Ker. Corm globose, ^■^-^4 in. thick: basal 

 Ivs. about 4, linear or lanceolate, '.j-1 ft. long: stems 

 ^2-1 ft. long, simple or branched, bearing low down 2-:> 

 small Ivs., often with bulbils in the axils; fls. solitary 

 or few in a spike, yellow; perianth-tube ^-i in. long. 

 B.M. 545 {Ixia hidhifera). To this species Baker refers 

 S. albifJora, Eckl.. with Us. whitish inside, and S. rio- 

 tacea, Eckl., with dark piirple Us. 



grandiilora, Ker. Habit, corm, Ivs. and spathe just 

 as in ^'. biilbifera but the fls. larger, the limb 1 in. or 



