Nov. 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
303 
THE VELVET BEAN. 
So much has been heard of late of the Velvet 
Bean as a green dressing, Ac, that the follovviug 
extract from Louisiana Planter of 4th March, 1899, 
will be of interest. The plant has been irai^orted by 
the Botanical Department, and has produced a fair 
crop of seed, but not sufficient for general distribu- 
tion. During the year a section will be set aside 
at the experimenc grounds, St. Clair, for the local 
trial of this Legume, 
Velvet Beans. — This val-.iable plant has been 
grown extensively in this state During the past year. 
Our agricultural press has been tilled with accounts 
of its superior excellence. The plant is still on 
trial, but promises to become a rival to our best 
varieties of cow-peas, wherever it can be grown. 
Unfortunately it is not yet well acclimated, so far 
as the production of seed is concerned, since an 
early frost last year destroyed many immature pods. 
By planting very early and using some tree, house 
bush, or arbor upon which the vines can climb, the 
seeds can be matured before frost. Gradually by ac- 
climation and selection, it is believed its cultivation 
can be successfully extended even north of this state. 
As it requires comparatively few seeds per acre, 
planted as usually done, in rows about four feet wide 
and two feet apart in the drill, it is worthy of ex- 
tensive cultivation even for its enormoTis vines, which 
can be easily cured into an excellent quality of hay. 
It is an enormous nitrogen gatherer, as analysis 
elsewhere shows. The tubercles on its roots are the 
largest of any plant so far experimented with. Coral- 
like clusters of tubercles, each as large as a hen's 
egg have been gathered from its roots, and analysis 
made of them by Mr. Clarke, station chemist, at 
State Experiment Station, Baton Rouge, La., showed 
six per cent, of nitrogen- The vines may be cured 
into hay or turned under easily with a disc plow. 
In smmer old leaves are replaced by new ones and 
the ground, underneath the vines, becomes covered 
with dead leaves. The seed grow in velvety pods, 
which are collected into racemes, thus making them 
easy to gather. They are difficult to shell by hand. 
The seed are larger than a cow-pea, and a bushel 
will plant several acres. 
The only work in the scientific investigation of this 
bean, that we have seen, is reported in Bulletin No. 
35, of the Florida Experiment Station. Prof. A. A. 
Persons, chemist of that station, reports the follow- 
ing analysis of the bean, and then compares it with 
cow-pea. 
" An analysis of the beans, not including the 
shells or pods, made by Professor A. A. Persons, 
gave the following results :— 
ANALYSIS OF THE VELVET BEAN. 
" Moisture at 100 degrees . , 
"Crude Ash 
'' Crude Protein 
"Albuminoid Nitrogen 
" Crude fat (either extract 
" Crude Fibre 
" Nitrogen (free extract) . 
]I'93 per cent. 
2-02 
18 81 „ 
2-87 „ 
6- 29 
7- 45 „ 
53-50 
Calculated to a water-free basis, and compared 
with an analysis o£ the cow-pea under the same con- 
ditions, the following figures express the relative 
composition of the two : — 
Vihet hean. Cow-pea. 
"Ash 2-20 ... 10-50 per cent. 
"Protein 21-36 ... 14-30 „ 
"Fat 7-14 ... 2-60 
"Fibre 8 46 . . 29-00 
"Nitrogen (free extract) 60-75 .. 43-60 „ 
" The nutritive ratio of the cow-pea is about 1-3. 
It is impossible to assign a definite ratio to the 
velvet bean, for the reason that, so far as I am 
aware, its percentage of digestibility has never been 
determined. The only manner of accomplishing this 
is by meansof practicalfeeding experiments with stock. 
"Assuming the digestibility of this velvet bean to 
be equal to that of the cow-pea, it will be found 
that it compares quite favourably with the letter 
and since it grows luxuriantly in different sections 
of the state, and since stock are known to feed upon 
it with great relish, it may, perhaps, play a promi- 
nent part as a forage crop in Florida in the future. 
" It is to be classed among the feed stuiis which 
are especially rich in nitrogen [protein substancesl. 
A feeding stuff so rich in nitrogen should not be 
fed alone but in conjuction with some coarse fodder 
containing a much larger proportion of carbo-hydrates 
[starch, etc.], such, for example, as corn fodder." 
This analysis, supplemented by those given else- 
where in this bulletin, will furnish all the informa- 
tion necessary to form a correct estimate of the 
value of this plant as a nitrogen gatherer. There 
are rumours of a poisonous principle in the beans 
of this plant, but judging from the above remarks, 
and others made in the same bulletin by Dr. Clute 
and Mr. Green, on orange grower, of Orlando, Fla., 
these rumours are not founded in fact. 
The velvet beans are largely used in Florida, and, 
to some extent,, in this state, in the orange groves, 
both as a fertilizer for the trees and as a destroyer 
of weeds and grasses. It will completely destroy 
Bermuda and temporarily obscures coco or nut grass 
{Cypertis rotiindus). It may, perhaps, successfully cope 
with Johnson grass. — Trinidad Bulletin. 
MANORIAL PLANTS FOR TEA. 
To say where seed can be obtained, and the cost it 
is a very simple matter, but to say what to grow is 
quite another and larger matter. The tea is already 
to a large extent in possession of the land on which 
it is proposed to grow legumes for its benefit ; it 
has been systematically cultivated for more or less 
lengthened periods. On this class of soil it is pro- 
posed to grow legumes for the purpose of organising 
free nitrogen for the benefit of tea. Quite a number 
of practical considerations crop up at thi^ stage of the 
enquiry, and in order to see what is really practical 
for tea we mast look into them. 
First comes the matter of convenience — getting freely 
about among the tea, facility for plucking, and pru- 
ning, and so forth. Any plant that materially inter- 
feres with these operations is manifestly out of the 
question, and that unfortunately places a number of 
eligibles without the pale, such as the Lupines ; un- 
less indeed they admit of systematically cutting down, 
which I think they do not. But we are so much in 
the region of the unknownable, or more correctly the 
theoretical, that I would beg the reader to take much 
that follows here as suggestive and matter for ex- 
periment ; and likewise to fail not give us the result 
of any experimental knowledge he may possess, as a 
matter of first class importance to the tea industry 
at this stage. 
Secondly there is the que.stion of what will and 
what won't grow among tea plants, and nhea these 
plants will grow and when they won't grow to any 
advantage. These are points that cannot be answered 
off-hand. Again, it is highly improbable any one 
legume exists that will grow freely in all tea districts ; 
and the different soils too ; these are not going to 
grow legumes at random. I even question whether 
there are not thousands of acres that will not grow 
legumes to any advantage to the tea because it has 
been discovered certain plants organize free nitrogen. 
I am strongly of opinion we have not, therefore, 
found a universal panacea for tea, and I would 
beg leave to caution planters against for a moment 
allowing themselves to imagine they have arrived 
on the verge of the millennium for debilitated tea, 
or that in this discovery there is found a soit of 
universal resuscitator. I nowhere gather that the 
most expert scientist is prepared to say or prove 
that the discovery has even caused a small revo- 
lution in agriculture wliere its advantages can be laid 
hold of to the fullest extent ; let alone doing any- 
thing very great for tea. I am very far from wish- 
