and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— Jan., 1910, 79 



The value of the beans as a food ia evident from 

 the large amounts of albuminoids and fat they 

 contain. It has been stated by Japanese autho- 

 rities that the product does not contain any 

 sugar or starch, and for this reason the bean 

 has been as a basis for foods recommended for 

 persons suffering from diabetes. 



Utilisation of the Seeds. 



In the United Kingdom, as stated previously, 

 the seeds are mainly employed as a source of 

 oil, an oil-cake being obtained as a by-product. 



The oil possesses an agreeable taste and odour, 

 and is largely used by the Chinese for edible pur- 

 poses. It belongs to the class of semi-drying oils; 

 that is to say, it has properties intermediate 

 between those of the drying oils, such as linseed 

 oil, and the non-drying oils such as almond and 

 oiive oils. On exposure to the air, a thin skin is 

 gradually formed on the surface. It resembles 

 cotton-seed oil in many respects, but is of a more 

 pronounced drying character, as is indicated by 

 its higher iodine value. The oil consists mainly 

 of the glycerides of palmitic, oleic and linolic 

 acids. The physical and chemical constants, 

 which have been recorded for soy-bean oil are 

 given below, the corresponding figures for 

 cotton-seed oil being added for comparison. 



Soy-bean oil. Colton-seetl oil. 

 Specific gravity at IB" C. 0-9210— 0-9270 0-9220— 0*26 I 

 Saponification value 190-6 - 192 9 191-0 — 19ti-5 

 Iodine value 121-3 — 121-0 101 —116 



Hehner value 95'6 95-9 — 96 2 



The oil is chiefly used in this country for the 

 manufacture of soap, and is very well suited for 

 this purpose. It is quoted in the London market 

 at £21 5s per ton (September, 1909), with crude 

 cotton-seed oil at £23 to £23 5s per ton. 



The oil-cake left after the expression of the oil 

 is hard and heavy, and resembles linseed cake, 

 but is lighter in colour, and has a characteristic 

 taste recalling that of peas. The nutritive value 

 of this product is approximately equal to that 

 ot decorticated cotton-seed cake. The average 

 composition is as follows : — Albuminoids, 41 per 

 cent ; oil, 6 per cent ; carbohydrates, 3 > per cent ; 

 moisture, 12 per cent ; fibre, 5 per cent ; mineral 

 constituents, 6 per cent. 



Feeding Trials with this Gakk in Comparison 



with Decorticated Cotton Cake 

 have been carried out at the Cumberland and 

 Westmoreland Farm School at Newton Rigg, and 

 also at the Royal Agricultural College, Ciren- 

 cester. At the former institution it was found 

 that the cows, when fed with soy-bean c ike, gave 

 rather more milk than when fed with cotton 

 cake ; but the difference was so small that it 

 may be considered that the two cakes are equal 

 in this respect. The proportion of fat in the 

 milk was the same in each case. During the 

 trial the cows gained in weight, the soy-bean 

 cake causing a slightly larger increase than the 

 cotton cake. The soy-bean cake used in these 

 experiments contained 6 - per cent of oil and 

 44 - 4 per cent of albuminoids, whilst the cotton 

 cake contained 13*1 per cent of oil and 39 9 per 

 cent of albuminoids. 



The experiment at Cirencester showed that 

 the yield of milk was but little affected by the 

 kind of cake used. The percentage of fat in 



the milk was slightly higher with the soy-bean 

 cake than with the cotton cake. The butter 

 produced from the milk of the cows fed with 

 soy-bean cake was quickly obtained on churning, 

 but was softer, and of a paler colour and 

 somewhat inferior flavour to that from the 

 milk produced by the cows fed with cotton 

 cake. The soy-beau cake used in these trials 

 contained 6 per cent of oil and 40 per cent of 

 albuminoids, and cost £6 10s. per ton, whilst 

 the decorticated cotton cake contained 8 per cent 

 of oil and 34 per cent of albuminoids, and cost 

 £7 10s. per ton. 



In the experiments at Cirencester no dif- 

 ference was observed in the effect of the two 

 cakes on the cows with regard to their laxative 

 or constipative action. It may be mentioned, 

 ho wever, that certain cases have recently been 

 brought to the notice of the Imperial Insti- 

 tute in which it was stated that the soy-bean 

 cake when fed to cows produced a "scouring " 

 or laxative effect. It seems not unlikely, how- 

 ever, that these symptoms may have been caused 

 by the use of an ill-proportioned diet. Owing 

 to its excessive richness in albuminoids, soy- 

 bean cake should be used with the same precau- 

 tions as are observed in the case of decorticated 

 cotton cake, which is said to be unsuited to 

 calves and lambs, and when used for adult 

 stock should be mixed with about an equal 

 weight of some cereal product, such as maize, 

 barley meal, wheat meal, or American flour. 



In view of th,e importance of the trade in soy 

 beane, it has been considered desirable that 

 attempts should be made to grow the product 

 in other countries than China. The Imperial 

 Institute has already brought the matter to 

 the notice of the Governments of several British 

 Dependencies, and experiments are now in pro- 

 gress in the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, the 

 East Africa Protectorate and the Gambia. An 

 effort is also being made to stimulate the cul- 

 tivation of the soy bean in India. 



It is stated that considerable additional areas 



are avilable for cultivation in Manchuria. 



Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, No. 3, 1909. 



PARA RUBBER SEED MAY-JUNE 

 CROP S: A Q UERY. 



In reply to the Indian Forest Officer who 

 writes below, we may say, on authority, 

 that the rubber seed crop obtainable here iu' 

 May or June is very small. Our correspondent 

 would probably be safely able to procure 5,000 

 seed then, though not large supplies ; such 

 earlier seed, we understand, would bo quite 

 as reliable as any borne in July. 



Gersapa, Kanara, Dec. 5th, 1909. 

 Sir,— On page 39 of the Supplement to the 

 T. A. for August, 1907, I find the statement 

 made that the Para tree yields seeds in the 

 month of July every year in the lowcouutry (in 

 favourable years.) I should feel greatly obliged 

 to you if you could get the following informa- 

 tion for me:— "If any reliable seed of Para 

 Rubber could be obtained in May or June in the 

 coming year— say about 5,000."— Yours truly, 



M. S. TUGGERSE, 

 Forest Officer, etc., Gersapa, Kanara. 



