30 
D^offman's 
^arm Seeds 
A ^ 
H.Hoffman, Inc., Seedsmen^ 
How to Qrow Soy Beans 
Growing Soys needs little more attention than growing the old standard crops— and they are not 
nearly as difficult to grow as Alfalfa. We give the following directions: 
1 PREPARE YOUR SOIL WEL^-just as you should for corn. Try to kill the weeds— especially if you are going 
to broadcast instead of plant in rows. Frequent cultivation in advance of plantmg season will accomplish weed killing. 
2. DON'T PLANT TOO EARLY. The soil must be w.irm. A week or ten days after ideal conditions for corn is 
usually the safe time. Soys will rot in cold, wet soil, but will grow quickly in a warm seed bed. Planting Soys is per- 
missible until early July, other conditions being favorable. 
3 DON'T PLANT DEEP. V/2 inches is nearer right than any 
other depth. One inch may do and two inches does not mean failure. 
4 INOCULATION. To get the full benefit from growing Soy 
Beans 'you must inoculate the seed. The gathering of nitrogen from the 
air by the roots will not take place unless you supply the germ to start 
the action. Soil from another Soy Bean field may be used. It is, how- 
ever most certain and more economical to use commercial inoculation for 
the purpose. We believe "Farmogerm" to be the best inoculation in the 
market and we highly recommend it. See page 11. "Farmogerm is ap- 
plied right to the seed before it is planted. It takes only a few minutes 
and the process is simple. The nitrogen gathered from the air and de- 
posited in the soil in excess of the plant's requirement is worth every bit 
of expense connected with growing Soy Beans, so that the top growth of 
hay and beans with their high percentage of protein is clear proht. 
5. PLANT EITHER IN ROWS OR BROADCAST. If you broad- 
cast by hand and work in with a harrow, lyi bushels are required. If 
drilled in with a drill with all holes open, VA bushels are sufficient. You 
must be sure to kill weeds ahead of planting time if you broadcast. As 
a rule, planting in rows is preferable, whether you want to grow the beans 
or produce hay, green fodder, silage, or if you want to turn under for 
soil improvement. Planting in rows saves seed and permits cultivation. 
You will have to cultivate as often as you do corn. Plantings are made 
with rows 20 to 36 inches apart and two to three inches apart on the 
row. Twenty to thirty pounds per acre needed by this method, depend- 
ing upon exact width of rows apart and upon size of variety of Soy. The 
most successful Soy men we know grow in rows as close as twenty 
inches apart. You must plan your method of cultivation in connection 
with width of rows. 
6. HOW TO PLANT THEM. Nearly every corn planter can be 
adapted to plant Soys by getting a special disc. Grain drills, however, 
are used more frequently. A nine-hole or a twelve-hole can easily be 
adapted for rapid work by plugging two out of every three holes. A 
nine-hole drill will plant three rows at a time. A twelve-hole drill will 
plant four rows at a time. 
7. HARVESTING. To make good Soy Bean hay— cut when half 
the pods are full grown and when top leaves begin to turn yellow. Cut 
them when there is no dew. Let lie in swaths until leaves are wilted, 
but not brittle. Rake early in windrows, but let them thoroughly cure 
for several days. 'Then put them in small cocks and allow several more 
days. Prevent loss of leaves as far as possible. 
8. FOR BEANS. Let stand until half the pods are dry and most j l 
of the leaves have fallen off. Same may be handled as advised above for hay. The old self rake is used by some 
for cutting. It gathers the stalks in convenient open bunches and permits gathering with but a slight loss from shattering. 
Haul to barn or stack. 
9 THRESHING. This may be done by flail or by grain threshers. If the Soy Beans are for seed, care must be 
taken not to crack or split them. The removal of the concaves in the grain threshers is necessary. Special Soy Bean 
threshers can be bought. 
Soy Beans and Corn for Silage 
Because of very high priced seed in recent years the Cow Pea 
crop has not been so popular as before. But this year, you can 
buy these Peas at quite a bit under prices of forrner years. In- 
deed, this is the year to get better acquainted with Cow Peas. 
The Cow Pea crop has much the same uses as the Soy Bean 
crop, namely : — improvement of soil — hay production — forage — silage — and peas. The hay has just 
about the same feeding values. Methods of growing, seeding and harvesting correspond. Both crops 
are great producers of nitrogen when properly inoculated. There are two chief differences. Cow 
Peas can be grown on even poorer ground than Soys — Cow Peas are more recumbent than Soys, and 
therefore more difficult to harvest. For pasturing, hogging or turning under for soil improvement, 
the trailing habit is no objection. 
IMPORTANT— Don't Plant Too Early 
Some folks confuse Cow Peas with Canada Field Peas. Please note this especially. Canada 
Field Peas are planted very early, mostly along with Oats — but Cow Peas dare not be planted until 
the ground is good and warm, or they will rot in the ground. Don't plant Cow Peas in ground that 
is too cold or too wet — this is strictly a warm-weather crop. Plant 1% in. deep. Follow Soy Bean in- 
struction. Inoculate the Seed with Farmogerm. 
^'if^JyT.*.!" (P"rT,mji IPonfo This variety is widely used in the sections where they produce large 
'i^iay 1 eUb, quantities of Cow Peas. It is a prolific yielder of peas. And at the 
same time has just about as much merit in a general way as any other strain of peas. Splendid for 
soiling and forage. When properly inoculated, it is a good gatherer of nitrogen. Although not on our 
list for a few past seasons, these "Clay" peas will be welcomed by many customers as their old favorite. 
The quality of these peas is equal or better than any other variety, and we oflfer them to you with 
our recommendation. See Price List. 
—Cow Peas — Continued next pags 
