306 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



been quite widely grown in Hawaii for the past 12 years. 

 Exceptionally, it is allowed to grow for 8 to 10 years. It 

 may attain a diameter of 8 inches, becoming almost a small 

 tree. If not pruned back the plants readily reach a height 

 of 10 feet within 2 years. It yields its first crop about 7 or 8 

 months from the time of planting. The pods are 2 or 3 inches 

 long and J^ inch wide and contain 4 to 6 seeds. Many varie- 

 ties of pigeon peas are known, varying in color from light 

 yellow to black and many of them variously speckled. As a 

 low hedge plant the pigeon pea is extremely valuable in tropi- 

 cal countries. When planted about gardens and pruned, it 

 develops into a dense hedge somewhat resembling the privet 

 hedge in general appearance. In this form it is useful chiefly 

 in protecting young seedlings and delicate plants from the 

 effects of the constant trade winds. It is possible to obtain 

 a dense pigeon-pea hedge 2 or 3 feet in thickness and 3 to 6 

 feet in height. As a green manure plant it gives excellent 

 results. For this purpose it is perhaps best planted broadcast 

 or by drill, using about 2 bushels of seed per acre. The 

 plants are readily plowed under after they attain a height of 

 2 or 3 feet and the vegetable substance promptly decays into 

 a form available as plant food. The pigeon pea is fairly free 

 from serious insect pests except the small blue butterfly, the 

 caterpillars of which live in the pods. 



Chick pea (Cicer arietinum), also native of India, is much 

 more widely cultivated in the Tropics than in northern cli- 

 mates. It is commonly called garbanzo by the Porto Ricans 

 and Mexicans who are particularly fond of the peas. In 

 India, the chick pea is cultivated in large areas, especially 

 for its seed, which is used as a stock feed and to some extent 

 for adulterating coffee. The chick pea is an annual, attaining 

 the height of 12 to 18 inches. The fuzzy pods contain only 

 I or 2 peas. 



The soy bean (Glycine hispida), a legume native to China 

 and Japan, is a familiar crop in most of the Southern and Cen- 



