157 
are developed at a small depth under the soil. Three to five 
months, according to variety and nature of soil, are required to 
produce a crop. A light friable soil is best suited. The nuts are 
collected when the leaves begin to wither.' If the seed is to be kept 
for any length of time it must be well dried in the sun 'before 
being stored. The Bambara ground-nut, the fruit of which is 
somewhat similar to the ordinary ground-nut yAraclds hypogsea), did 
very well and is perhaps more suited to this country as it is not 
affected to the same extent by seasons. Ground-nuts may con- 
veniently he grown as an intercrop. 
I will now refer to a number of root crops, the cultivation of 
which is sadly neglected here. It is surprising that residents who 
have in most cases every facility for growing them do not as a rule 
produce such foods for their own tables, particularly those any 
distance from a market. 
Yams. 
Some 20 varieties of yams were introduced from India, 
Ceylon and Barbados and experimented with by the Department. 
I have no hesitation in stating that they can be successfully grow T n 
m Malaya; the weight of individual tubers compares favourably 
with those of other countries and no special difficulty is experienced 
in their culture. Suitable soils are sandy loams but deep cultivation 
and good drainage are more important than quality of soil. The land 
should be forked or changkolled to a good depth in orc^er to enable 
the tubers to develop properly. The soil is then put up into ridges 
3 to 4 feet apart and the seed tubers planted on the ridges at 
distances of from 1| to 2-| feet depending on the variety. The 
object of raising the ground is to ensure better drainage, to do 
away to some extent with deep trenching and to make the conditions 
for lifting the crop more easy. In this country planting could 
be done at any time but the wet season might be taken advantage of. 
Hear each plant is placed a stick for the creepers to grow upon. 
The stick should be from 12 to 16 feet high. A common 
practice is to plant up trees for support. It is not uncommon to 
allow the plants to trail on the ground huh this method is supposed to 
decrease the yield slightly. The crop takes from nine to eleven months 
to mature. At the end of this time the leaves become brown 
and drop, and the stem dies down ; this indicates that the tubers are 
ready for lifting. The tubers should be lifted as inquired, as they do 
not keep long when exposed to the atmosphere, but when left in the 
ground they keep for quite a long period. The yields depend on the 
variety grown, suitability of soil, cultivation, etc., but generally 
speaking it varies from 4 to 10 tons per acre, approximately the same 
as the yield of potatoes. In Malaya, yams are seldom if ever seen, 
but in the West Indies, particularly, they form a standard diet both 
for Europeans and natives, the latter living largely on this food. 
Being more nutritious than the potato they form one of the most 
