Tho soyii I)ciiti, wliicli t.lirirc!s priictitxilly till over the teniperiitc zone, grow to ii liciglit of nbout 3 ft. iintl tlcrclop pails : it is ii nicnil~cr of the Iiyiminosm.
I n tlic Uriitctl States it is often pliintctl in rows iiltcrnnt.ing wit.11 corn. The beans may be scpiiriitely 1i:irvcstcd hy use of it conihinc nntl the straw thrown 1)iick into tlic field :is fcrtiliecr. A common order of rotiition of crops is corn, oats, wlicat, iind clover. Soya bciiIis ~i ~i i y IE pditiiI>ly siibstit,utctl for oats in this crop rotlition. Like otlicr nicmbcrs of tlic Icgmninosic, the soyit beiili is c;ipalilc of fixing ntmosplicric nitrogen by inciins of ninny notlules oil tlic roots contiiinirig t,lic nit,rogcn fixing biictcrin. 1hc world production of soyii I)ciins in 1031 nns 18,750 inillion Ib,, tlic two 1:irgcst producers hing Aliincht1riii nncl t,lic United States. The main ititporters of soya bcans iirc .Jitp;in, Ocrni:iny, C h i t 13ritain, Denmark, iilitl 11oll:intl. Tlicrc nrc over 1500 riirictirs of tlic soya bciin, tile colour wrying froin light yellow to bliick, the fornicr being gcIicriilly the richest in protein ;ind oil. About 15 viirieties of soyii l)e;in tirc grown in the Uiiitctl Stiitcs iind i n C'iiliatlii.
The soyit bciin \viis introtlricctl into the \Yestern IIernisplierc iit tlic close of t.lic ~~I I S S ~~I I -J ~I ~~I I C S C wir, ant1 by 1007 shipments wcrc being Iniidc to Ihglnnd. The riipitl growth of tlic culti\yiition of tllc soya bciili in the Unit.ctl Stiitcs Iiiiiy be SCCII from tlic fiict tliiit in 1914 2000 iicres ~v c r ~' tlc.otcd to this crop wliilc in 1031 tlic acrcagc hiitl incrciiscd to 3,500,000 iicrcs.
Tlic bean is 1)riict icully free from st.nrcli iind is tlicreforc viilual~lc in foods wlicrc t,lic Iiitkcr is not desired. Tlic coinposition of the bean is substiintiully 11s follows :