656 



TRUCK-GROWING 



VELVET BEAN 



Thos. P. McCabe, Vegetable-Growing in Southern 

 Illinois. Special truck crops are more fully treated 

 in the following : F. M. Hexamer, Asparagus ; J. M. 

 Lupton, Cabbage and Cauliflower for Profit ; C. L. 

 Allen, Cabbage, Cauliflower and Allied Vegetables; 

 A. A. Crozier, The Cauliflower ; T. Greiner, Celery 



Fig, 



Leaf and part of raceme of relret bean. 



for Profit ; B. J. Hollister, Livingston's Celery 

 Book ; W. Atlee Burpee, How to Grow Melons for 

 Market ; T. Greiner, Onions for Profit ; F. S. Thomp- 

 son, Rhubarb or Pie-Plant Culture ; J. J. H. Greg- 

 ory, Squashes ; R. H. Price, Sweet-potato Culture 

 for Profit ; J. W. Day, D. Cummins and A. I. Root, 

 Tomato-Culture ; A. W. Livingston, Livingston and 

 the Tomato. There are many other available books 

 on the subject. An article on the transportation 

 of truck crops will be found in Vol. IV. 



VELVET BEAN. Mucuna utilis, Wall., or M. 

 pruriens, DC, var. utilis, Bailey. Leguminosce. 

 Figs. 887-890. 



By H. Harold Hume. 



The velvet bean is a twining plant grown for its 

 vegetative parts and for its seeds, both of which 

 are used for feeding. The plant is also important 

 as a cover-crop and for green-manuring. The 

 casual observer would probably mistake the plant 

 in its younger stages for one of the pole lima 

 beans {Phaseolus lunatus), but a close examination 

 would show many well-marked differences. It has 

 become, in recent years, an important addition to 

 the list of field crops in the Gulf coast sections of 

 the United States, and along the Atlantic coast as 

 far north as the coastal plain of North Carolina. 

 It is likewise well adapted to the climatic condi- 

 tions of Porto Rico, Cuba, coastal Mexico, Hawaii 

 and other tropical regions. It is in climates where 



it has a very long growing season that it reaches 

 its maximum growth. It is a native of India and 

 appears to have been introduced into America 

 about 1872 or 1877. 



The vine frequently reaches seventy-five feet or 

 more in length, branching, smooth and rather slen- 

 der. The leaves are large, four inches by three 

 inches, and trifoliolate. The flowers are large and 

 produced in racemes from the axils of the leaves. 

 In general color they are purple. The pods are 

 about three inches long, blunt pointed, slightly 

 constricted between the seeds when mature, and 

 covered with a thick coating of dark velvety hairs. 

 From the latter character of the pods the plant 

 takes its name. Each pod contains three to six 

 almost globular seeds, three-eighths or one-half 

 inch in diameter. The beans are marked or splashed 

 with dirty white color and are somewhat similar to 

 castor-beans. Occasionally beans are found of a 

 solid dull white or a solid brownish black color. 



Culture. 



Soil. — The velvet bean is not particular in its 

 soil requirements. It may be grown successfully 

 on any fairly well-drained soil, and is well adapted 

 to the agricultural soils of the Gulf states. On 

 lands containing a goodly amount of moisture it 

 produces enormous yields. 



Fertilizers. — It is always best to use some 

 fertilizer for the velvet bean. While capable of 

 securing its own nitrogen, it is greatly benefited 

 on most soils by 



applications of <'^ ■■'/''■ 



potash and phos- 

 phoric acid, and 

 sometimes also 

 by nitrogen. A 

 mixture of sev- 

 enty-five pounds 

 f high - grade 

 sulfate of potash 

 and 200 pounds 

 of acid phos- 

 phate per acre, 

 applied in the 

 drill at the time 

 of planting, is 

 excellent. 



Planting. — It 

 is best to plant 

 the crop in rows 

 four feet apart 

 and allow the 

 plants to stand 

 two or three feet 

 apart in the row. 

 A half -peck of 

 good seed is suffi- 

 cient for an acre 

 if planted in hills, although as much as a peck is 

 sometimes used. Toward the northern limits of its 

 growth, seed is not produced, as the crop is very 

 tender and easily frosted, and sections so situated 

 must depend on localities farther south for their 

 seed supply. 



Fig. 888. Velvet bean pods. Nearly 

 cue-half natural size. 



