94
HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
The Association has also assisted during periods of drought by pumping water for nurseries, the pumping units being operated by the Agricultural Division. It has provided village groups with 200 Japanese Rice Threshers and 5,150 Japanese Knapsack Sprayers for pest control, and made gifts of cattle, goats, pigsties, pigs, poultry, farm buildings, and free livestock inoculations to the poorer members of the farming community. A new scheme of livestock improvement is described below under Animal Indus- tries.
The most significant change resulting from these efforts is that although rice is still the major crop and is efficiently cultivated, it no longer occupies a dominant position in the thinking of the farmer. There is a greater tendency to diversify agriculture and, on the average, about 35% of fallow rice land is used for catch- cropping following the harvest of the second rice crop. Orchards are being established where land is available and more small live- stock are being raised in association with rice and vegetable culti- vation. Farmers are using more and more artificial fertilizers to enhance their production and more insecticides to control pests and diseases.
The formal training classes for young farmers in practical crop and animal husbandry which were started in 1957 were consider- ably increased in 1959. Agricultural education is now the responsi- bility of one senior officer of the Department, and during 1959 a total of sixty eight students was trained at Sha Tin, Castle Peak and Sheung Shui Agricultural Stations in courses arranged by specialist officers. This scheme has been enthusiastically adopted by farmers and will be further extended in 1960.
ANIMAL INDUSTRIES
Pigs and poultry are the principal food animals reared in the Colony. Cattle are mainly used for draught purposes. There is insufficient land for extensive grazing.
A census of the livestock population completed in November 1959 yielded the following numbers of animals and birds:
Dairy Cattle
Yellow Cattle
Water Buffaloes
3,000
14,000
2,000