FODDER PLAXTS 591 



unsuitable for close grazing, may be found useful for this 

 purpose : 



Alyssicarpus vaginalis. "Aswenna," S. A leguminous straggling 

 perennial, common in the low-country, more especially in the dry region. 

 Much relished by cattle. 



Amarantus gangeticus. "Sudu-tampala," S; Chirukirai, T. A suc- 

 culent plant, 2 to 3 feet high, common in the low-country and throughout the 

 tropics, often cultivated in native gardens as a curry vegetable. 



Chou Moellier, Chou de Burghley, or Cabbage Broccoli. Consider- 

 ed to be a cross between the Cabbage and Broccoli ; attains a height of 4 to 

 6 ft. It possesses to some extent the characteristics of both these, and may be 

 used either as a vegetable or as feed for stock. It is more specially as a fodder 

 plant that it is cultivated, the leaves being broken off from the stem from time 

 to time ; but it is also sometimes grown as a vegetable. MR. DKIEBERG informs 

 me that it has become a popular vegetable in some school-gardens in the low- 

 country, growing to a height of 6 ft. or more. 



Commelina benghalensis. " Diya-meneriya," S. A slender succulent 

 herb with creeping stems and bright blue flowers, common at low elevations in 

 Ceylon and elsewhere in the tropics. Cattle eat it with relish. 



Desmodium gyrans. " Chanchala," S. ; also called the " Telegraph 

 plant " ( from the rotary motion of the two lateral leaflets, resembling sema- 

 phores ). An i rect leguminous perennial, about 2 ft. high, indigenous to the 

 moist low-country up to about 3,000 feet. 



Glycine hispida. Soya-bean. In sub-tropical countries, where this 

 annual thrives and grows to several feet in height, it furnishes valuable fodder 

 either in the green or dry state. See Tropical Vegetables. 



Hedysarum coronarium. Soola, or Sulla-cl.<ver. A leguminous 

 plant, 2 to 3 feet high, much esteemed in Australia for green forage. Said to 

 give a yield of 40 to 50 tons per acre. Thrives best in moist, deep, calcareous 

 soil. 



Pithecolobium ( Inga ) saman. Rain tree ; Peni-karal, S. The thick 

 sugary pods of this well-known shade tree are very nutritious and much relish- 

 ed by cattle. They resemble the Locust-bean of commerce, and in South 

 America are collected and exported for cattle food, being esteemed in Europe 

 for fattening purposes. 



Ipomoea aquatica. " Kankun." S. A small herbaceous creeper with 

 succulent stems and leaves, commonly found in the low-country in wet places. 

 The leaves are used as a curry vegetable by the Natives. 



Medicago sativa. Lucerne or Alfalfa. This well-known and much 

 esteemed leguminous forage plant is not, unfortunately, as a rule suited to the 

 tropics, except under irrigation ; even in sub-tropical countries irrigation is 

 generally essential. It has been grown with moderate success at Hakgala 

 Gardens, Ceylon, where however the cost was out of proportion to the value 

 of the crop. It should bj sown in drills, thus requiring about 6 to 8 Ib. to sow 

 an acre. 



Mucuna utilis (= Sticilobium deeringianum). Velvet-bean. An 

 annual, rapidly growing bean, with short, black velvety pods. This and similar 

 free-growing beans are valuable fodders, and are extensively grown both for 



