602 



being plants whose roots contain nitrogenous nodules, and thereby 

 enrich the soil in which they grow. 



Crotalaria striata. — Seeds of this plant have been in such great 

 demand during the year that it has been found impossible to get suffi- 

 cient seed to carry out the experiments at first designed (arrangements 

 have been made to get the seed earlyin this year). A plot, one acre, 

 was sown broadcast and came up w T ell. Owing to the shortage of the 

 seed supply the plants were allowed to grow up for seed and not cut 

 over in the ordinary way. 



Mimosa pudica. — Special attention has been given to this plant. 

 Areas of it have been planted up in various ways and at various dis- 

 tances. Some very good examples of it can now be seen both at Kuala 

 Lumpur and Batu Tiga plantations. 



Full details of the various experiments have been recorded to date, 

 when the work is more advanced they will be published. 



With regard to planting, the quickest returns were obtained from 

 old, long, straggly plants? in seed, pulled up from the road-sides. These 

 plants were put in about 2i feet apart and the long shoots layered, viz., 

 covered with soil at about the middle of the shoot. The plot was 

 planted in the middle of June, by the middle of August the plants had 

 made good growth and a large number of young seedlings were visible. 

 By the end of September the plot was well covered with a dense mass 

 of growth. 



Weeding was done twice (July and the last w T eek in September), 

 the work of weeding was slow, the coolies working very cautiously 

 owing to the thorns. A plot of young seedlings, planted 18 inches 

 apart, put out on same dates as preceding one, took nearly three 

 months longer to cover the ground, one plot sown with seeds (broad- 

 cast) w r as very slow in germinating, it took about ten months to cover 

 the ground. 



The mimosa grows, when once established very quickly, but is oc- 

 casionally inclined to become patchy. 



Dcsmodium triflorum. — A stock of this plant was collected at 

 Sungei Buloh, where it grows in large quantities by the side of the 

 railway. A plot, 1/lOth of an acre, was planted in clumps about 15 

 inches apart. 



The weather being favourable growth was quick from the begin- 

 ning, in two months the ground was almost covered ; at the end of 

 four months it was completely covered, the whole forming a beautiful 

 green carpet. 



When at their best the plants were unfortunately attacked by 

 insects, and almost completely defoliated. Spraying with kerosene and 

 soft soap was resorted to and proved effective, the plants are now again 

 assuming their original green colour. Desmodium triflorum appears 

 to be fairly common all over the country, but unfortunately it seeds 

 very sparsely. 



The only practical method of propagation is by division, the 

 creeping stems emit roots from every node under favourable condi- 

 tions. 



The plant in the open usually grows about two or three inches 

 high, but in slight shade, or in moist places, it sometimes grows about 



