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the stock population dropped to a fraction of what it had previously been.
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At the time of the Japanese surrender, therefore, the population of the agricultural area was depleted, the land was exhausted through absence of fertilizer, the established economy of a balanced growth of rice and vegetables was upset, the strains of seeds had deteriorated, the number of pigs was reduced to one-fifth of what it had been before the war, the number of water-buffaloes and draught cattle was wholly inadequate for ploughing needs (the fields are too small to permit of mechanical ploughing), and the number of poultry was reduced almost to nothing. The Chinese are a resilient people, and through their efforts some improvement soon became apparent. They were helped by the fact that the higher prices prevailing in Hong Kong encouraged the importation of livestock from the Chinese mainland, so that the Hong Kong farmers were able to purchase stock animals and poultry at favourable prices; but their purchasing power was small since any money which they had saved during the war years was in Japanese currency, which was worthless after the recovery of the Colony.
The New Department of Agriculture.
The Department of Agriculture was set up without delay after the re-occupation and such action as was possible to assist the farmers was put in hand at once, with the object not only of restoring the farming industry to what it was before the war but also of establishing it on a much sounder basis with a view to steady development on scientific lines. The most immediate need was for fertilizers. Before the war the fertilizer most commonly used was human manure, brought from the urban areas. This supply practically ceased during the occupation, and there was no substitute for it, since, owing to the serious reduction of livestock, there was an almost complete lack of animal manure. Owing to the danger of the spread of disease through the use of human manure it had been decided before the war to build maturing-tanks where it could be stored until it was disease free. The Japanese built some tanks, but never used them. They were conse- quently brought into use by the Agricultural Department, and were capable of dealing with twenty tons a day. After a period of maturation the manure was distributed to the farmers and thus a beneficial, though still inadequate, supply of fertilizer began to reach them regularly. Plans to build additional tanks and increase the quantity were still under consideration at the end of 1946. This form of manure is suitable mainly for the cultivation of vegetables. To meet the need of the rice growers the Agricultural Department took over the output of peanut cake, which is the residue after the extraction of oil from peanuts, and arranged its distribution to the farmers on a rationed basis. The Colony's quota of