VEGETABLES AXD FOOD PRODUCTS 209 



and on the Continent, they are sometimes used as a substitute for, 

 or adulterating, coffee. In India they are eaten in the form of 

 "dhal." The famous Soya-sauce, said to be the basis of many 

 popular sauces made in Europe, is made from these seeds. A 

 useful domestic oil is also obtained from them, and the residual 

 cake resulting from the expression of the oil forms a nutritious 

 cattle-food. Recently a considerable demand has arisen, chiefly 

 in England, for the seed for the purpose of supplying oil for soap 

 making, etc. The present quotation for the seed in England is about 

 8 to 9 per ton in London. According to SIR GEORGE WATT, the 

 Soya Bean is extensively cultivated in Eastern Bengal, Khasia 

 Hills, Burma, etc. Yet I can rind no mention of it in either 

 FIRMIXGER'S or WOODROW'S works on gardening in India. Culti- 

 vation is very simple. A loose rich soil is preferable. Seeds may be 

 sown thinly in rows about l| to 2 ft. apart, about 2 bushels of 

 seed being required to sow an acre. The seed should germinate 

 in four to five days, and the crop may be ready for picking in about 

 six weeks to 2 months from the time of sowing. The yield of seed 

 varies, according to soil, etc. 15 to 20 bushels* per acre is con- 

 sidered a good average, while the amount of green fodder 

 produced per acre may be about 6 to 10 tons. The plant has 

 been successfully grown at Peradeniya, and might thrive at eleva- 

 tions up to about 3,000 feet ; but it does not appear to be suited 

 to tropical conditions, and seems especially adapted to the cotton 

 and corn belt, thriving best on fertile loam or clay. It is a valuable 

 soil renovator, and would seem to be adapted for green-manuring 

 on loose sandy soils. There are several varieties, these varying in 

 the colour of the seed ; the yellow-seeded variety is probably the 

 best suited for the tropics. 



Ground Nuts. See under Miscellaneous Vegetables. 



Lens esculenta (= Ervum lens.) Lentil; "Misurupur" T. 

 This valuable pulse has been cultivated and used as food from 

 time immemorial, and Lentils are to this day an important article 

 of food to the inhabitants of Egypt, Palestine, and the Mediter- 

 ranean region. As a winter crop, the plant is grown all over India, 

 especially in the Central Provinces and Madras. The land having 

 been ploughed, the seed is sown broadcast, one maund (about 80 

 Ib.) of seed on an average being sown per acre. If sown in drills, 

 half that quantity will suffice. The seed is eaten as "dhal," and 

 considered the most nutritious of pulses. The dry leaves and 



* Say 1,600 Ib. to 2,000 Ib. 



