INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1917-18 65 



the greatest use in India for improving the feeding value 

 and palatability of existing materials such as bhusa, karbi 

 and dried grass both for ordinary stock, for oxen engaged 

 in transport and also for dairy cows and buffaloes. 



Lucerne behaves as a perennial both on the soils of the 

 Peninsula and also on those of the alluvium wherever the 

 drainage and soil aeration during the monsoon period are 

 sufficient. When kept free from weeds, when well manured 

 and supplied with sufficient moisture, large crops are 

 obtained. Berseem does well during the cold season in 

 localities like Sind and the Central Provinces where the 

 temperature and soil conditions are suitable. Shaftal does 

 best on the upland frontier valleys but it can also be grown 

 to advantage in the Punjab. In some localities, all three 

 of these crops can be grown and in this way a large number 

 of cuts of fodder could be produced for making into hay. 



3. The sun-drying of vegetables. 



The preliminary work connected with the sun-drying of 

 vegetables at Quetta, referred to in the last report, has 

 aroused a considerable amount of interest throughout India 

 and numerous requests for these products have been re- 

 ceived. In order to discover the extent of the demand for 

 sun-dried vegetables from the civil population, an exhibit 

 of this material was arranged for at the All-India Food 

 Products Exhibition at Calcutta in January of the present 

 year. By this means we were enabled to get into touch with 

 a number of possible consumers including some of the lines 

 of steamers based on Calcutta. There is likely to be a 

 demand for sun-dried vegetables from hotels and boarding 

 houses, clubs, private individuals in Southern India, expedi- 

 tions, passenger steamers, sailing ships, engineering parties 

 engaged in railway construction, bridge building and on 

 oil-fields, and also from the caravans on the trade routes in 

 desert regions like Persia and Seistan. A number of sam- 

 ples have been tested by various people and very favourable 

 reports have been received. The Calcutta exhibit, for which 

 a special prize was awarded, was then transferred to Lahore 



