Edible Products. 



28 



riuLY, i9io. 



overflow of a river will cause no damage 

 if the water drains off promptly, but 

 when the soil is water-logged for weeks 

 during the rainy season then it is that 

 various forms of root rot, gum disease 

 and other derangements start. 



(To be continued,) 



SOY BEANS. 



(From the Indian Trade Journal, Vol. 

 XVII. No. 214, May 5, 1910.) 

 At a recent meeting of the Linnean 

 Society, Mr. J. H. Holland, on behalf of 

 the Director of Kew, showed samples of 

 soy beans, Glycine Soja, Sieb. and Zucc. 

 (Ct. Bispida, Maxim.), with herbarium 

 specimens of the plant producing this 

 seed. 



He stated that the seeds of "Soy," of 

 which there are many varieties, may be 

 black, brown, green or greenish-yellow, 

 yellow, or mottled ; sometimes seeds are 

 described as white, but, there appears to 

 be no Soy bean true white in colour. 



This plant is variously known as "Soy," 

 "Soja," "Soya," "White Gram," 

 " American Coffee Berry," and "China 

 Bean." In China and Japan where the 

 plant has been cultivated for many 

 years — perhaps centuries— the beans are 

 an important food, and they are also 

 said to be used as a substitute for coffee. 

 Bean cake and the sauce, known com- 

 mercially as "Soy" is also made from 

 them. It is stated that in the manu- 

 facture of the Soy of commerce, in addi- 

 tion to the beans, the requirements are 

 simply a large amount of salt and flour, 

 and an unlimited supply of fresh water. 

 Wenchow is an important centre of the 

 manufacture, and here the bean used 

 for the purpose is said to be chiefly the 

 white form from Chinking. The culti- 

 vation has been extended to India, 

 Africa, and other warm countries, and 

 in America the plant has been grown 

 for a number of years (L5 at least,) as a 

 forage crop, Like many other legumin- 

 ous plants, it has a special value as a 

 green manure. 



The principal use of the beans in Eng- 

 land is for the extraction of the oil, of 

 which they contain about 18 per cent, 

 suitable for soap-making, and in general 

 as a substitute for cotton-seed oil. The 

 residue, after the extraction of oil, is suit- 

 able for feeding cattle, and for this pur- 

 pose appears likely to become a serious 

 competitor of cotton-seed cakes, sun- 

 flower-seed cakes, linseed cakes, etc. 

 The beans can be bought in London at 

 about £5 to £6 per ton ; the oil realises 

 about £21 to £22 per ton, and the cake 

 about £6 to £7 per ton. 



Beans and bean-cake Exported from 

 China have gone chiefly to Japan ; and 

 certain parts of Asia, but recently, be- 

 ginning about November, 1908,au import- 

 ant trade has been developed in them, 

 more especially with the beans, between 

 Manchuria and Europe, Dairen (DalnyJ 

 being the chief place of export. 



The cause of this sudden development 

 may, perhaps, be attributed to the facts 

 that a great increase in the cultivation 

 took place in Manchuria during the 

 Russo-Japanese War, to meet the de- 

 mands for food of the Russian Army ; 

 then, when the troops were withdrawn, 

 the production being found profitable, 

 and the home demand reduced, other 

 markets were sought. The trade extend- 

 ed to Japan aud afterwards assisted 

 perhaps by a period of depression in 

 that country it extended to Europe, 

 where the industry has created interest 

 in many quarters. 



The amount of the 1908 crop sent to 

 Europe through Vladivostok up to July, 

 1909, was 180,000 tons, the greater part 

 destined for the English market (Hull 

 and Liverpool), and the remainder going 

 to German (Hamburg) and Scandinavian 

 ports. 



Up to 1907, the export of Soy beans 

 from Manchuria did not exceed 120.000 

 tons annually. During 1908 the export 

 rose to 330,000 tons (one-half shipped 

 from Dairen ; 100,000 tons from New- 

 chang, and 65,000 tons by rail via Sui- 

 fenho to Vladivostok), the increase, it is 

 said, being due entirely to the demand 

 from Europe. The total of the 1909 crop 

 exported has been estimated at about 

 700,000 to 800,000 tons. It is anticipated 

 that at present prices Europe may 

 eventually take at least 1,000,000 tons 

 annually. 



METHODS OP CAUSING EARLY 

 FRUITING IN MANGOES. 



(From the Agricultural News, Vol. IX,, 

 No. 208, April 16, 1910.) 

 On page 228 of the last volume (No. 

 VIII) of the Agricultural News, a refer- 

 ence i? made to a way in which mango 

 plants may be caused to bear much 

 earlier than is the case normally, in order 

 that the quality of the fruit that they 

 will yield may be determined. It is 

 stated there that Mr. Joseph Jones, the 

 Curator of the Botanic Station, Domi- 

 nica, had called attention to the fact that 

 the shock caused to the plants by graft- 

 ing and heading back would in some 

 cases induce the stock to bear fruit 

 when only twenty months old. Others 

 have found that, similarly, twisting the 



