ENG-1948 — Page 70

Sheung Shui Agricultural Station

Before the war there was a small station at Sheung Shui of 4 acres devoted to rice, vegetables, a few fruit trees, tree seedlings for roadside planting and tung oil trees. In the summer of 1946, this area, which lay derelict during the Japanese occupation, was reconditioned and about two acres set aside for intensive vegetable trials. Several hundred varieties of European and to a lesser extent Chinese vegetables have been grown under standard conditions of spacing, fertiliser etc. Data are being collected and an idea gained which varieties of many important crops are most suited to the Colony. An area is also devoted to fruit trees and bananas, and papayas have been planted. It is hoped to concentrate on citrus at this Station, as there is great scope for such fruits in the Colony.

Kam Tin Agricultural Station

Situated in the heart of the New Territories in the centre of Pat Heung plain, north of Tai Mo Shan, is an area which was purchased and levelled in 1936 to serve as an airfield. It consists of 277 acres with a regular slope of 1/60 from East to West. This area was never used as an airfield; it is too small for modern aircraft and is in a pocket in the hills. Early in 1947 it was taken over by the Agricultural Department to be developed as an experimental and demonstration station. Much of the ground was in poor con- dition, bulldozers having removed the silt from the top and exposed the gravels which lay beneath. During the war a small part was cultivated by landless people or by neighbouring farmers, but it was difficult for them to obtain adequate water supplies and the soil was very

infertile.

The department is only using a small portion of this area at present, the balance being rented to villagers on a yearly tenancy. Early activities of the department included the building of a dam and the digging and cleaning of water channels. During 1948 observations were made on local and imported rices using different quantities of fertilisers and different mixtures. Rice seed selection. is being done each year and seed paddy is available to the farmers on an exchange basis. The possibility of growing a third crop of rice is also being investigated. A survey of the yields of various local varieties of rice is being conducted with a view to obtaining more accurate data on the local average yield in the outlying districts.

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A fish pond was constructed and stocked with carp of several species; and experiments are being conducted in conjunction with the Fisheries Department in the growing of common carp in paddy fields together with the growing rice.

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