The Soy Bean. 



739 



An experiment carried out in Germany, at the Agricultural 

 Institute at Bonn, is reported in the Deutsche Landwirts- 

 chaftliche Presse (22nd and 26th May, 1909), in which soy 

 bean cake was compared with linseed cake for feeding cows. 

 The experiment was of a very exhaustive character, but only 

 included three cows, which were fed for a fortnight at a time 

 on linseed cake, soy bean cake, and again on linseed cake, 

 The results showed little difference as the result of the feeding, 

 and the conclusion arrived at was that soy bean cake was -a 

 quite satisfactory food for cows. 



Use of Soy Bean Cake for Feeding. — The foregoing 

 experiments, and the analyses which have been made, show 

 that this cake may be regarded as a useful feeding stuff when 

 given to stock in suitable quantities and in combination with 

 other foods. It is, however, rich in albuminoids, and if not 

 fed judiciously may give rise to digestive troubles. As the 

 analyses given above show, it approaches decorticated cotton 

 cake in composition, and should be fed in the same way as 

 that cake with roots, hay and straw. 



Several cases have been reported to the Board in which 

 stock fed on soy beans or cake have become ill and died, and 

 an investigation into these cases is now in progress. At 

 present there is no evidence to show that cake made from pure 

 soy beans (Glycine hispida), or the beans themselves, if fed 

 to animals in suitable quantities, would cause undesirable 

 results. It is possible that the accidents reported have been 

 due to an admixture with the soy beans of some other feeding 

 material, possessing poisonous properties. 



Soy beans have been cultivated for a number of years in 

 the United States and are regarded as a useful fodder crop. 

 The plant is grown, not only for the beans, but also for hay, 

 while it is, perhaps, more commonly used for green forage. 

 Some information as to their cultivation was given in this 

 Journal, May, 1909, p. 128, and further information on thjs 

 point will be found in Farmers' Bulletin, No. 372, of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture. 



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