History of Soy

Soybeans: The Success Story - p.2

PATHS OF DISSEMINATION NORTH AMERICA (EARLY PERIOD)

In 1916, USDA scientists C. V. Piper and W. J. Morse reported that James Mease in 1804 was credited with being the first person in the U.S. literature to mention the soybean. Mease stated "The Soy-bean bears the climate of Pennsylvania very well. The bean ought therefore to be cultivated". For almost 70 years the 1804 literature date remained unchallenged. In 1983, however, Dr. Jack Harlan and I published a paper clearly documenting earlier introductions.

Henry Yonge, the Surveyor General of the Colony of Georgia, planted soybeans on his farm at the request of Samuel Bowen in 1765. Mr. Bowen, a former seaman employed by the East India Company, brought soybeans to Savannah from China via London. From 1766, Mr. Bowen planted soybeans on his plantation "Greenwich" located at Thunderbolt, a few miles east of Savannah. Today the property is used as a city cemetery. The soybeans grown by Bowen were used to manufacture soy sauce and vermicelli (soybean noodles). In addition, he manufactured a sago powder substitute from sweet potatoes. The three products were exported to England. Samuel Bowen received a patent (No. 878) for his manufacturing inventions for producing these products. He was awarded a gold medal from the Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce and received a present of 200 guineas from King George III. In addition, Bowen sent soy sauce and beans to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia and was elected to membership of the society. Unfortunately, when Bowen died in London on 30 December 1777 his soybean enterprise in Georgia ended.

Another early introduction of soybeans to North America was by Benjamin Franklin. In 1770, he sent seeds from London to the botanist John Bartram who most probably planted them in his garden which was situated on the west bank of the Schuykill River below Philadelphia. The 1804 soybean note by Mease probably refers to the soybeans introduced by Samuel Bowen and/or Benjamin Franklin and planted by John Bartram.

In 1829, Professor Thomas Nuttall reported that he grew soybeans in the Botanic Gardens, Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1846, Dr. Emerson of Philadelphia received soybeans from a friend in China. It is possible that there were other soybean introductions into the United States during the first half of the 19th century. However, the results were either not reported or if they were reported they were printed in local newspapers, discussed in personal letters, or presented orally at local horticultural society meetings.

In 1851, the soybean was introduced first to Illinois and subsequently throughout the Com Belt. The introduction came about through a series of very unusual circumstances. In December, 1850, the barque Auckland left Hong Kong for San Francisco carrying sugar and other general merchandise. About 500 miles off the coast of Japan the ship came across a Japanese junk foundering on the sea. The Japanese crew was removed from the junk and placed on board the Auckland which continued on to San Francisco. In San Francisco, the Japanese fishermen were not permitted to go ashore because of the possibility of spreading diseases. By coincidence, waiting for a passenger ship, to take him back to Alton, Illinois via the Panama overland route, was Dr. Benjamin Franklin Edwards. Dr. Edwards examined the Japanese fishermen, declared them free of any contagious diseases and received as a gift a packet of soybeans that were carried back to Alton. Mr. John H. Lea, an Alton horticulturist, planted the soybeans in his garden in the summer of 1851. In 1852, the multiplied soybeans were grown in Davenport, Iowa by Mr. J. J. Jackson and in Cincinnati Ohio by Mr. A. H. Ernst. In 1853, Mr. Ernst distributed soybean seeds to the New York State Agricultural Society, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and the Commissioner of Patents. The two societies and the Commissioner of Patents sent soybean seeds to dozens of farmers throughout the United States.

In the following two years, testimonials as to the potential value of soybeans appeared in newspapers, agricultural journals, and in letters written to the Commissioner of Patents. For example, in 1855 "T.V.P" of Mount Carmel, Ohio reported that he cultivated "soybeans for the past three years and have disseminated them from Canada to Texas". His evaluation of soybeans as a potential new crop was amazingly astute. He suggested that the crop be planted on good corn land, in rows from 18 to 24 inches apart, wide enough to hoe or use a small cultivator. In addition, the beans should be cooked before use as a feed for chickens or hogs. In 1854, when Commodore Matthew Perry's Expedition opened up Japan to western trade, the expedition's agriculturist, Dr. James Morrow, obtained soybean seeds and sent them to the Commissioner of Patents; subsequently the seeds were distributed to farmers. Thus, by the late 1850s, soybeans were evaluated for forage potential by many farmers throughout the United States. However, the scientific approach for evaluating the crop had to wait untii the emergence of the agricultural experiment stations at land grant institutions during the latter part of the 19th century.

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