ENG-1960 — Page 349

GEOGRAPHY

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water for supplies as described in detail in Chapter 1. The highly variable and erratic rainfall régime of the area alone accounts for many of the water shortages. In 1938 the total rainfall was only 55 inches. In order to husband and conserve water reserves to meet the demands both of an ever increasing population and of agriculture and industry, it has been necessary to apply rationing restrictions during dry seasons, and they have been applied for some part of every year since 1934.

VEGETATION

Hong Kong lies in the frost-free Double Cropping Rice Zone of East Asia. Rice is the main crop of the New Territories and where enough water is available two crops are grown each year. The first sowing, in early March, is harvested about the end of June. The second crop of rice seedlings is grown ready to be planted out about the end of July and harvested about the end of October.

Market gardening for the city market is also very important. A fair range of vegetables is grown, particularly during the cooler months. Production is very intensive and some lands raise as many as eight crops of vegetables a year. Sweet potatoes, ground- nuts and sugar cane are grown on a smaller scale.

The upland areas with their severely eroded surfaces and highly leached soils only have value if they are repastured and afforested. Afforestation has been vigorously pursued since 1945, largely with local pine and eucalyptus. The target is 1,000 acres or more every year. However, droughts, floods, winds, hill fires and illicit cutting are serious hazards that retard progress. Fruit production is developing. In favourable locations there are plantations of pineapples, oranges, bananas, lychees, papayas, figs, pomeloes, apricots and peaches. Tea plantations are increasing their output especially on Lantau Island. Chapter 7 tells much more about food production in the Colony.

POPULATION

Less than one per cent of the entire population is non-Chinese. The last detailed census was carried out in 1931 when the popula- tion was found to be 840,473. In 1941 a count of heads for Air