266 FORAGE CROPS 
seven tons per acre. The average composition 
is as follows: One ton AN, average 
contains furnishes 
Per cent Lbs. Lbs. 
Water. . 2... eee es 75.10 a ys 
‘Dry matter ......- 24.90 498 3,486 
Ether extract ...... 1.00 20 140 
Crude fiber .....-..- 6.70 134 938 
Crude protein ...... 4.00 80 560 
AB w oe yee ew we 8 2.60 52 364 
Nitrogen-free extract .. 10.60. 212 1,484 
The soybean is not so well adapted to pasture 
as the cowpea, but it is quite as good for hay and 
less difficult to cure. The crop is well worthy of 
wider use. 
VELVET BEAN 
The velvet bean has attracted much attention 
lately in the southern states. In Florida it has 
been one of the most useful of the forage plants. 
It grows well on light, sandy land, and the yield 
is ordinarily larger than that of the cowpea. 
Under favorable conditions the vines reach a 
length of twenty to thirty feet. The season of 
growth is much longer, and for that reason the 
seed cannot be matured except in the most south- 
ern states. Experiments in the middle and east- 
ern states show that it is not well adapted to 
those sections, and does not make as satisfactory 
crop for any purpose as the cowpea. It is used as 
a green-manure and cover-crop in the South. 
