4 
Another genus of plants which was tried with some suc¬ 
cess is Crotolaria, Grotolaria juneea was found to be very 
hardy and free from blight but it failed to establish itself like 
Tephrosia Candida and has to be sown in beds before being set 
out. The crop of leaves is moreover small the plant producing 
straight uiibranched stems which are being used for making 
fibre in S. India. This plant is worthy of attention although 
the growth of leafage is sparse because it spreads quickly and 
flowers within two months producing an abundant croi? of seeds. 
Crotolaria retusa was foimd to produce a much better 
growth of leafage and to cover the soil in the right manner but 
this plant like the other three following crotolarias, viz : G. 
incana, G. verrucosa and C. striata is very susceptible to the 
attack of Aphis insects and will not. grow well during periods 
of drought. A.Tiath.eY crotolaria (unnamed) with tomentous leaves 
was introduced from Le Reduit, Mauritius, and was found to 
grow more vigorously than all the other crotolarias. It has 
not yet seeded. Crotolarias striata when not attacked by 
Aphidae is the most promissing of the crotolarias or cascavelles 
as these plants are named in the Colony. 
A new Tephrosia and Sophora tomentosa were also received 
from the Director of the Agronomic Station of Mauritius but 
these plants grow more slowly than the crotolarias and do not 
cover the ground as well as Tephrosia Candida which is the best 
of green dressing plants grown as yet in the Colony. 
Soy beans were tried in garden soil but they only grew 
to a height of one foot and then flowered and fruited profusely. 
They were free from the nodule organism that lives in sym¬ 
biosis with the other leguminous plants. The seeds were received 
from Mr Stuart R. Cope and were derived from Manchurian 
selected varieties. A new trial will be made with the same 
seeds mixed with soil on which the plant had been successfully 
grown by Mr Cope. It is also proposed to introduce other 
varieties of Soy beans from Java and India. This plant de¬ 
serves a place in aU gardens of Seychelles on account of its 
delicious beans but I do not think it will ever be used as a 
green dressing plant. 
Many varieties of Lyon bean and Bengal beans [Stizolo- 
bium) and a great many species of cowpeas {Dolichos) were 
tried with success but the climbing habit of these plants and 
their short duration make them unsuitable as a green dressing 
in orchards. A very interesting variety of cowpea with erect 
non-trailing stem was received with many others from the 
United States Department of Agriculture but it failed to grow 
vigorously except in garden soils where it deserves a good 
place. 
Yantias, Taros, and Basheens. 
Another experimental plot was started this year for the 
purpose of testing the qualities and defects of the numerous 
economic avoids locally called Arouilles some of which are sub- 
spontaneous in the marshes of Seychelles and others were intro¬ 
duced by this Department in 1908 from W. Africa, in 1910 
from the West Indies, and in 1911 from India and Ceylon. 
All these ancient varieties are i;sed by the natives who eat 
only the tubers and rootstocks while the Indians coolies now 
residing in Seychelles eat also the tender leaves as a vegetable. 
As these plants grow in soils which are much too wet for other 
crops it has been long thought advisable to introduce new 
varieties in order to increase the food resources of the native 
population in places where they ai-e unable to grow cassava or 
sweet potatoes. It was also found necessary to get another 
material for stock feeding, especially pigs and poultry which 
have been deprived of their usual food, poonac or coconut oil 
refuse, since the exportation of nearly all the coprah made in 
the Colony. 
It was found that the Yantias or tanniers ( Xanthosoma 
Sagittifolium ) were almost entirely missing in the Colony and 
as they furnish the largest yields, no less than eight of the best 
varieties were introduced from Dominica and one from Lagos. 
