ENG-1950 — Page 52

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AGRICULTURE

The Colony's countryside consists mainly of mountains and hills, the more gradual slopes being covered with grass, ferns and sparse pinewood, the rocky ravines with evergreen trees and dense thorny scrub. Very little of the 391 square miles is suitable for cultivation and practically all that is suitable has already been brought under cultivation. The main, gentle slopes of the valleys are intensively cultivated and the lower shoulders of the hills have also been terraced where water is available for irrigation. Some of the terraces and irrigation channels date back many years. On the higher slopes of mountains such as Taimoshan are remains of terraces for tea cultivation long since discontinued probably due to high winds in summer and the cold experienced during winter.

The Chinese farmer of the New Territories is primarily a rice producer and generally speaking any other crop grown is subsidiary to rice except in one area in Tsun Wan which is primarily vegetable growing. Practically all rent of farmland is paid in terms of rice which makes it an important crop to the farmer. Except for the lands irrigated with brackish water, where only one crop is obtained, most of the paddy fields of the Territories produce two crops a year, water supply being the limiting factor. The main area for salt-water paddy is the district around Mai Po. The rice straw is short and the grains are small, narrow and of excellent quality. It is difficult to estimate the amount of milled rice produced annually but the figure of 20,000 short tons is considered about the annual production. This of course represents a very small proportion of the total annual consumption.

On land unsuited to rice other crops may be grown, such as sugar cane and ground-nuts. Vegetables are grown extensively during the winter, particularly in recent years when the general price of vegetables has increased. A great deal of sweet potatoes is also grown during winter for pig food-an essential product of the New Territories. During the summer, vegetables are cultivated on a limited scale and Hong Kong has to rely to a large extent on imported vegetables during this season. Before the war, there was a certain amount of fruit grown, including olives, but large numbers of trees were cut down during the Japanese occupation and have not been replanted. Guava trees are valuable, their wood being used for making plough frames. Lung-ngan timber is also valuable for use in junk building. Lemons and grapefruit do well and it is hoped in due course to be able to extend their cultivation.

As far as livestock is concerned the farmer keeps cattle and buffalo purely for draught purposes. There is hardly any dairy farming except near Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. Cattle for slaughter are almost entirely imported except for the occasional beast sold by local farmers because of old age or injury. The increase in poultry farming and pig keeping noted in last year's Report has been maintained and these two types of farming are assuming a place of importance in the agriculture of the Colony.

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