114 COCOA CHAP. 



In many countries, however, cassava is used to a large 

 extent as temporary shade, especially by the small 

 proprietor, for whom this plant has a greater household 

 value than the banana. The cassava cuttings may be 

 placed three in number round the place where the cocoa 

 will be planted, at a distance of 1 to 2 feet from this 

 point. 



The pigeon pea (Cajanus indicus) does not appear 

 to be greatly used anywhere, the reason probably being 

 that it is not so useful as the banana or the cassava. 

 It is not eaten in such large quantities, is not such a 

 daily food, and the gathering is a tedious work which 

 takes much time. Further, it has no use as a forage 

 crop, although several authors assert the contrary. In 

 other respects, however, the pigeon pea is very useful ; 

 it grows well even under unfavourable conditions of soil ; 

 it improves stiff and sour soils remarkably quickly ; 

 and as it can stand very rough pruning without damage, 

 the exact amount of shade required can be obtained. 



Other plants sometimes used for the purpose of 

 temporary shade are the tannia (species Xanthosoma 

 and Colocasia) (Fig. 40), and the castor-oil plant (Ricinus 

 communis), the latter, however, never to a large extent. 



Planting of inter -crops. In most systems of 

 establishing a plantation, the growing of catch crops is 

 not possible. Other crops cannot be cultivated under 

 the shade of bananas or other temporary shade plants, 

 when regularly planted, and this is also the case later 

 on, when the permanent shade trees have grown up. 

 Inter-crops, however, come into consideration in places 

 where no bananas are used for temporary shade, and 

 the planter will look out for another plant which will 

 preserve the soil and if possible yield some paying 

 product. 



As soil improvers, leguminous plants belonging to the 

 order of Leguminosae e.g. all sorts of beans, peas, 

 ground-nuts, mimosa, etc. are always to be preferred, 

 but sometimes plants belonging to other families have 

 been used with apparent success. On the plantation 



