66 



CROPS 



Area in Madras— 2,208,000 acres. 



There are varieties with black, grey or mottled seeds of 

 various shades. The crop is sown pure on the poorest and 

 thinnest red soils. It is found as a mixture with cotton in 

 Nandyal and Tinnevelly. The grain is used for feeding 

 cattle and horses, and is also eaten by man, it is a good fodder 

 .and green manure crop. The black variety is of short duration 

 and is therefore sown late. 



Seed-rate — 15 to 20 lb. ; in the case of black horse gram 

 it is 30 to 40 lb. Half the seed-rate or less if the seed ia 

 jnixed. For fodder crop from 30 to 50 lb. per acre. 



Volume weight— 1 M.M. weighs 3*45 lb. 



Weight of seed -1,000 seeds weigh 29*25 grammes. 



Number of seeds in 1 lb.— 15,500. 



Germination capacity— 90 per cent. 



Yield— 100 to 200 lb. in a mixture and 300 to 400 lb. if 

 sown alone ; 500 lb. of dry fodder, including pods, etc. 



FIELD BEAN. 



(Dolichos Lablab.) 



Tamil 

 Telugu .. 

 Kanarese ., 

 Malayalam 

 Oriya 

 Tulu 



Mochai. 



Anumulu. 



Avarai. 



Moccakotta. 



Bairq. 



Abare. 



The seeds vary in colour from a dark red apj 

 black to a light cream almost white. Flowers white, occa- 

 sionally purple. 



It is a climbing plant which is always grown as a mixture, 

 generally with some upstanding cereal like sorghum or kambu 

 sown early in lines. A pure crop may be used to check 

 weeds (smother crop). 



Seed-rate— For a pure crop about 30 lb. would be needed. 

 In mixtures 7 to 14 may be sown. 



Volume weight— 1 M.M. weighs 3*33 lb. 



Husk to grain— 21 per cent by weight. 



Weight of seed — 1,000 seeds weigh 256*94 grammes, 



Number of seeds in 1 lb.— 1,765. 



Germination capacity— 89 per cent. 



Yield— 100 to 200 lb. in a mixture ; 300 to 400 if sown 

 alone. 



