Forage legumes which can be grown during the dry winter season have an important role in raising animal productivity in the hill farming systems of Nepal. The contribution that legumes can make to herbage quality is considerable and there is ample evidence of substantial gains in animal production being possible. At Pakhribas Agricultural Centre (PAC), South Farm, Dhankuta, at an elevation of 1520 masl with an average rainfal1 of 1500 mm/year, a study was carried out of six forage legumes, Desmodium intortum cv.Oreenleaf, Desmodium uncinatum cv. Silverleaf, Neonotonia wightii cv. Clarence, Stylosanthes guianensis cv.Graham, Cassia rotundifolia cv. Wynn and Vicia dasycarpa cv. Namoi, to assess their performance underboth irrigated and rainfed conditions for two years. During the years 1989/90 and 1990/91, observation on survivility and establishment of forage legume blocks through vegetative propagation was also recorded. The biomass yield from six species were obtained with and Without irrigation. The average yield increase dueto irrigation was 0.51 DM t/ha, a non-statistically significant effect.  However: there were statistically significant differences inyield between species (p<0.001) and between years (p<0.002). The highest average annual dry  matter (DM) yield  was  obtained from   Desmodium   intortum  (4.25  DM  t/ha), followed by Stvlosanthes guianensis (3.84 DM t/ha}, Desmodium uncinatum (3.11 DM t/ha), Neonotonia wightii (3.08 DMt/ha), Cassia rotundifolia (1.00 DM t/ha) and Vicia dasycarpa (0.48 DM t/ha).The introduction of legumes into mid hills of Nepal seems to be suitable and practicable for the improvement of livestock production, particularly during the dry  winter season (December to May). Furthermore, theselegumes have multiple roles of nitrogen fixation into the soil, conservation of soil,- high nutritive value andability to produce good forage  during the dry winter season. There is great potential to establish forage legume blocks on terraces, bunds and terrace risers of bari/khet land, not only through sexual propagation but also through vegetative propagation. Nevertheless, there is aneed for detailed study of establishing forage legume blocks through vegetative propagation concerningestablishment, time of harvest, biomass production and effective ways of transporting the cuttings for longer distances.

 Forage legumes which can be grown during the dry winter season have an important role in raising animal productivity in the hill farming systems of Nepal. The contribution that legumes can make to herbage quality is considerable and there is ample evidence of substantial gains in animal production being possible. At Pakhribas Agricultural Centre (PAC), South Farm, Dhankuta, at an elevation of 1520 masl with an average rainfal1 of 1500 mm/year, a study was carried out of six forage legumes, Desmodium intortum cv.Oreenleaf, Desmodium uncinatum cv. Silverleaf, Neonotonia wightii cv. Clarence, Stylosanthes guianensis cv.Graham, Cassia rotundifolia cv. Wynn and Vicia dasycarpa cv. Namoi, to assess their performance underboth irrigated and rainfed conditions for two years. During the years 1989/90 and 1990/91, observation on survivility and establishment of forage legume blocks through vegetative propagation was also recorded. The biomass yield from six species were obtained with and Without irrigation. The average yield increase dueto irrigation was 0.51 DM t/ha, a non-statistically significant effect.  However: there were statistically significant differences inyield between species (p<0.001) and between years (p<0.002). The highest average annual dry  matter (DM) yield  was  obtained from   Desmodium   intortum  (4.25  DM  t/ha), followed by Stvlosanthes guianensis (3.84 DM t/ha}, Desmodium uncinatum (3.11 DM t/ha), Neonotonia wightii (3.08 DMt/ha), Cassia rotundifolia (1.00 DM t/ha) and Vicia dasycarpa (0.48 DM t/ha).The introduction of legumes into mid hills of Nepal seems to be suitable and practicable for the improvement of livestock production, particularly during the dry  winter season (December to May). Furthermore, theselegumes have multiple roles of nitrogen fixation into the soil, conservation of soil,- high nutritive value andability to produce good forage  during the dry winter season. There is great potential to establish forage legume blocks on terraces, bunds and terrace risers of bari/khet land, not only through sexual propagation but also through vegetative propagation. Nevertheless, there is aneed for detailed study of establishing forage legume blocks through vegetative propagation concerningestablishment, time of harvest, biomass production and effective ways of transporting the cuttings for longer distances.