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important foods of the tropics: In several countries they take the 

 place of the potato and are considered by many people superior to it. 

 They have been frequently recommended for extended cultivation 

 in India in times of famine as they are not affected by long periods 

 of dry weather. In such countries as Malaya, where a large pi'oportion 

 of the population is almost entirely dependent on the rice crop for 

 their food, yams might, when the price of rice is high, partly serve as 

 a substitute. 



Sweet Potatoes. 

 These are often looked upon as yams but this is not the true use 

 of the word. The type of soil and the depth of cultivation required 

 are similar to those for the yam. They may be grown on flat ridges 

 3 feet apart. The stem cuttings are planted on top of the ridges 

 at distances of 1^ feet, but when grown on the flat the cuttings are 

 placed 2 feet apart each way. The tubers may also be used for 

 propagation purposes but the former is the general method. The 

 crop is best lifted during dry weather. 



Jerusalem Artichoke. 

 This root crop, which is easily grown, does exceedingly well 

 in Malaya and gives very good yields, probably as large as in any 

 country. The soil is deeply cultivated previous to planting and 

 maintained clean during the period the crop occupies the land. 

 The best time for planting is just as the young shoots are appearing 

 on the tubers and is done at distances of 2 feet. The crop takes 

 from three to four months to reach maturity. The tubers are read}' 

 for the table when the leaves begin to wither and dry. The plants 

 thrive well in most situations but preference should be given to 

 reasonably rich soils. 



ViGNA Catjang. 



This bean has for a number of years been successfully grown at 

 the Kuala Lumpur Government Plantation. There are several forms 

 of the plant, the one commonly grown in this country by Chinese 

 market gardeners has long pods and is often sold as a substitute for 

 French beans. The crop is ready for collecting in about two and a half 

 months. It does well on light alluvial soils or loamy lands. When 

 cultivated on a small scale it is generally grown in prepared nursery 

 beds, the seed planted in rows 18 inches apart, the young plants 

 being trained to grow upon sticks, two or three plants to each stick. 

 In India the seed is sown broadcast on prepared land. 



Tapioca. 

 Tapioca has been grown fairly extensively in Negri Sembilan 

 and Pahang in the past few years, the export from the former State 

 during the years 1914 and 1915, being 21,585 pikuls and 17,235 

 pikuis, respectively. If grown for any length of time on the same 

 area, manuring will ultimately have to be resorted to as a means 

 of securing good yields and for this reason it is best grown as a sole 



