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Tephrosia Hookeriana, Wight ^" Am., var, amoena, Prainy 



(often but wrongly called T. purpurea)^ lias been grown in our 

 Gardens for about seven years and has always given great satis- 

 faction. It produces many leaves and may be cut two or three 

 times, at intervals of five months, before it dies. The seed may 

 be sown in lines or spread broadcast. If sown in lines they 

 should be eighteen inches apart. 



. T, Hoo/ceriana, var. amoena^ produces many seeds, which will 

 germinate even after they have been kept for a long time ; 80 per 

 cent, of seed, as much as a vear and a half old, was found to 

 germinate. The young plants will not stand much rain, and 

 it often happens that a young planfation will die away after rain 

 has fallen for a couple of days. 



If the plants have reached a height of about a foot, however, 

 they are not nearly so susceptible to damp off with excess of rain. 



It has also been noticed that seed kept for two or three months 

 under favourable conditions will germinate more quickly than 

 freshly gathered seed. Seed germinates in a few days and the 

 soil becomes entirely covered by the crop in about three months' 

 time from sowing. During the first three months the plantations 

 should be weeded once or twice. 



This Tephrosia grows very well from 600 to 2000 feet above 

 sea-level, and will also stand some shade. Plants partly in the 

 shade were not quite so vigorous as plants in full sun. As long 

 as the plant is young, it does not suffer from the stem disease 

 ** djamoer oepas.''* This disease sometimes attacks the plants 

 when the stems become more woody. It seems that this disease 

 does not attack the plants to .such an extent if each time 



! 



Tephrosia Candida, DC. 



This plant is even better than the former species for green 

 manuring purposes, since its growth is more vigorous and the 

 leaves are much larger and very hairy on the underside. The 

 seed, which should be sown in lines a foot apart, germinates in 

 about a week's time, and the soil should be covered by the crop 

 in about three or four months. If the plants, when they have 

 grown to a height of 18 ins. to 2 ft,, be cut down to a height 

 of 9 ins. above the level of the soil, they will become more 

 spreading in habit and send out branches from the lower 



stem 



every 



months. T. Candida can withstand considerable drought and 

 frequent pruning; it has many leaves, which last a long time 

 and form a good covering to the soil. The plants also live for a 

 long time, and up to the present have been found to be almost 

 the best for use as green manure. 



T. Candida may be used in Coffee and Hevea plantations, and 

 it is also a very suitable cover crop for ground that is rather 

 poor in quality, or for fresh-cleared land. Plants of two years 

 standing did not appear to have lost their vigour, and no sign of 

 Corticium was to be found on them. 



* "Djamoer oepas " is a well recognised stem disease, caused by 

 Corticium BalmonicoloT, B. (C javanicum, Zimm.), 



