n8 RUBBER AND 



Crotalaria striata^ Indigofera arrecta^ Tephrosia Candida 

 and Leucaena glauca. The last named plant grows into 

 a good sized shrub if permitted to do so, but it can be 

 kept coppiced and then provides a heavy mulch of 

 green shoots. Any of the above named plants may be 

 sown broadcast on level land or in transverse lines 

 on sloping ground. A maximum of green material is 

 generally available just before flowering, after four or 

 five months growth, when the plants have reached a 

 height of from four to six feet. The plants are then 

 cut down close to the ground and mulched round the 

 trees. On slopes they may be spread in the form of a 

 crescent some feet below each tree, in order to lead 

 to the formation of small natural terraces. Such a 

 mulch is specially valuable in times of drought, but 

 the method can only be applied with safety in countries 

 where the drought begins at stated periods. The cutting 

 and mulching must be carried out at the beginning of 

 such a period, otherwise the green crop will dry up 

 the soil by evaporating water. The dry stems left after 

 cutting lead to no appreciable loss of water, whilst the 

 green mulch is a valuable protection. After cutting, 

 the plants throw up fresh shoots, and in a moist 

 climate they can be cut repeatedly at intervals of four 

 or five months. Ultimately their growth is checked 

 by the shade of the rubber and they should then be 

 uprooted. 



In situations where it will grow freely, one of the 

 best types of tree for green manuring is the dadap, 



