from the growing plants often twice, the hills are moulded up again 

 and fresh tubers are produced. There do not appear to be any 

 named varieties of this plant. 



DIOSCOREA TRIFIDA Linn. "Indian Yam." "\ampee" "Ciish- 

 Cusli." Stem angular, slightly winged; leaves 3-lobed ; tuber 

 cylindrical, about 6 inches long. Each plant produces several 

 tubers. 



This is quite the nicest of all yams for table. The tubers boiled 

 or roasted, and eaten with good butter, are delicious. They have 

 a " nutty" flavour not noticeable in other yams. 



DIOSCOREA BULBIFERA, Linn. "Acorn Yam." "Bulb-bearing 

 Yam." East Indies. Naturalised in West Indies. 



Stem sub-cylindrical ; leaves heart-shaped, ovate, pointed ; tuber 

 somewhat globose. 



This plant produces numbers of rather large bulbils on its 

 stems ; these are of a light brown colour, about 3 inches long, 

 oval roundish, or flat on one side. They may be planted to pro- 

 pagate the plant. The tubers are rarely eaten, but a good starch 

 is obtained from them. 



Cultivation. 



There is no crop so generally grown in the West Indies as 

 that of yam of one kind or another. In Jamaica, yams may be 

 seen from near the coast up to 4,000 feet altitude, and they seem 

 to thrive everywhere. 



Tubecs grown in good open soils are naturally superior to those 

 grown in damp, heavy clayey soils, but certain varieties are suited 

 to the soils of certam districts, and as this is a crop on which the 

 small cultivator largely depends for his food supply, he grows 

 only those varieties that he knows from his own experience, and 

 that of his neighbours, will produce good crops in the land that 

 he cultivates. 



The main crop of yams is planted from January to end of March, 

 but planting is continued to July. 



The " Negro" and " Indian" yams are planted first, and they 

 take from five to seven months to produce edible tubers ; the 

 " Afou" or " yellow yam" is planted next, and it takes about seven 

 months ; the " White Yams" are planted last, and they take ten to 

 twelve months to arrive at maturity. The length of time varies 

 according to altitude and climate. In the mountains, from the 

 time of planting to the time of lifting the ripe " heads" occupies 

 twelve months. 



The first tubers of "Negro Yam" and its varieties, and the 

 " Afou" are cut during the growth of the plants, but the " White 

 Yams" are allowed to finish their growth and ripen before being 

 cut. When the tubers are all cut, the base of the vine, with the 

 fibrous roots is carefully moulded up, and left undisturbed for a 

 period of five or six months, or longer, during which time the 

 " head" is formed. When the stems and leaves turn yellow and 



