March, 1910.] 



259 



Miscellaneous. 



this can be grown with the April-May 

 rains, and will be ready to plough in by 

 the time transplanting commences. 

 When grown on only a small scale, 

 people who try this for the first time are 

 apt to be disappointed as the crop is 

 very liable to be eaten by caterpillars, 

 but on a large scale of 3-4 acres 

 the attack is much less. This remark 

 applies to nearly all green manure 

 crops. Some trial fields are often the 

 the only green crop in the neighbourhood 

 and therefore are very liable to be 

 attacked by insects, but when once the 

 practice becomes widespread, so do the 

 insects and the attack is not so severe. 



Indigo. — This is a very useful crop to 

 grow for green manure. It is very 

 drought-resistant and at the same time 

 will grow on heavy land even when it is 

 wet, but it will not thrive on land at all 

 saline. It is now largely grown on the 

 Cauvery delta. The seed of this crop 

 can be sown at the time of the harvest 

 of the samba crop. If there, is sufficient 

 moisture in the soil for germination, the 

 land can be ploughed and sown as soon 

 as possible after harvest. If it is too 

 dry or too sticky, the seed can be sown 

 a week or two before the paddy harvest, 

 provided the water has been drained off. 

 In the Perambalur taluk there is an 

 excellent practice on tank lands of 

 sowing indigo with cumbu and irrigating 

 from wells. The cumbu when ready for 

 harvest is cut and the indigo is allowed 

 to grow and gives an excellent crop. 

 This is ploughed in at the time of trans- 

 planting the samba crop. 



Wild Indigo. — This was dealt with 

 fully in last year's Calendar in the note 

 on improvements in the cultivation of 

 paddy on the Sivagiri home farm. 



Coiogram. — This promises to be a very 

 useful green manure crop on the West 

 Coast. It grows quickly and is not so 

 liable to insect attacks as sunnhemp. It 

 can be sown with the April-May rains, 

 and will have grown sufficiently to 

 plough in by the time transplanting 

 commences in June-July. 



Groundnuts. — This also promises to be 

 a very useful green manure crop on the 

 West Coast on single crop lands which 

 are harvested in October. The land can 

 be ploughed after the paddy harvest 

 and the seed sown behind the plough. 

 The crop should give sufficient nuts to 

 pay for the cultivation expenses while 

 the tops can be ploughed in. This has 

 been tried most successfully at the 

 Taliparamba Agricultural Station, and 

 under similar conditions in the neigh- 

 bourhood, but it has yet to be proved 

 whether it will do equally well on the 

 83 



lighter and more exposed lands near 

 the coast which do not get the nightly 

 dews which are experienced in the 

 valleys. 



Daincha.— This plant will prove very 

 useful on land which is liable to flooding 

 or are badly drained or slightly saline. 

 It grows to a height of 6-8 feet and will 

 continue to grow for several months. It 

 can, however, be ploughed in within four 

 months if necessary. This should prove 

 very useful in the Cauvery delta on 

 such lands which are too wet to trans- 

 plant with the first crop, 



THE ROTHAMSTED EXPERIMENT 

 STATION. 



(Prom the Gardeners' Chronicle, XLVII., 

 1, 201, January, 1910.) 



The important part played by the 

 Rothamsted Experiment Station, in the 

 development of scientific agriculture is 

 recognised throughout the world. Since 

 its foundation by Messrs. Lawes & 

 Gilbert in 1843, it has been in the fore- 

 most rank of agricultural research insti- 

 tutions. Prom the days when it played 

 a leading part in solving the mystery of 

 the source of nitrogen to plants, till the 

 present time, it has continued to make 

 contributions to knowledge which have 

 advanced science and assisted practice. 

 At no time during its long and distin- 

 guished career has the station been more 

 active than it is now in the investiga- 

 tions of the problems, particularly those 

 appertaining to the soil, which concern 

 the agriculturist and horticulturist. 



This being so, it might be supposed 

 that, whatever was the case with 

 younger and less proved situations, the 

 endowment of Rothamsted would be 

 adequate for its requirements. Par 

 from this being the case, it is a fact that 

 the income available for the work of the 

 station is less than that enjoyed by any- 

 one of the fifty-two separate experiment 

 stations attached to the several states 

 of the Americau Commonwealth. 



Thus, although no State Experimental 

 Station exists in this country, our only 

 institution, which, by its* work, has 

 won for itself world-like recognition, is 

 allowed to depend for its resources on 

 private munificence, on the support'of 

 one of the great City companies and on 

 casual subscriptions. We are not aware 

 that Rothamsted receives any support 

 whatever from the State, but in amy 

 case, it must be admitted that for the 

 work of Rothamsted to be curtailed for 

 lack of funds is a reproach to the whole 

 community. 



