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beet from Czechoslovakia for Baghlan. These strains are more suitable for local farming conditions and yield a higher percentage of sugar. The Department of Animal Husbandry: The Department of Animal Husbandry is chiefly concerned with the manufacture of various vaccines against animal diseases, the running and supervision of laboratories for artificial insemination, poultry breeding, and the veterinary school. During the fourth year of the Plan the Department has managed to manufacture vaccines against eight different diseases. Altogether the amount of vaccine manufactured was sufficient to inoculate 1,082,850 animals. 663,479 different animals throughout the country were inoculated against nine different diseases by 30 combat squads. The combat squads distributed 239,116 pills for a typical sheep disease and 50,538 pills against another prevalent disease generally contracted by sheep. The animal husbandry clinics treated, during the fourth year of the Plan, 1,077 animals in the capital and managed to install equipment for the clinics in Katagan, Kandahar, Mazarisharif and Nangarhar Provinces. The laboratory for artificial insemination has been making great progress, with a branch which functions in Jalalabad during the winter and a new permanent clinic in Kataghan. The Department of Animal Husbandry is planning to open more of these laboratories in all important centres in order to produce better animal strains throughout the country. The poultry farm in Bini Hissar has been completed and provided with 3,600 chicks and 600 Chinese ducklings. The farm is planning to gather the eggs for distribution among interested farmers. The poultry farm in Kabul has distributed thousands of eggs among farmers to increase the imported strains of chickens and ducks in the country. The new veterinary school sent out its first batch of 25 graduates this year to work in various veterinary centres in the country. The school has three classes and 106 students at present. A breeding centre in Nangarhar Province was opened this year and 42 cows and bulls of a better strain were imported from India for breeding purposes. The sheep breeding centre in Kandahar distributed a large number of an improved strain of Merino and local sheep among farmers. The Department of Agricultural Extension: The Department of Extension opened a course for its 18 extension staff and relevant subjects were taught by foreign experts working with the Ministry of Agriculture. The students joined a number of farmers after their graduation to work with them in the wheat fields where they introduced a better strain of wheat in the suburbs of Kabul. They also persuaded the farmers to cultivate a certain American strain of clover, called Buffalo, and a few strains of American maize. Nine of the graduates were posted in five locations in Kabul Province and elsewhere, to run extension centres in their areas. These extension offices showed a number of agricultural films to the farmers, demonstrated spraying in fields and vineyards, and convinced farmers about the practical methods of modern farming. Their efforts resulted in a great demand on the part of the farmers for artificial manure and spraying material and equipment which were provided in co-operation with the Agricultural Bank, at reasonable rates. The extension officers made a considerable effort in their campaign against vine disease. In Kabul Province and Kohdaman they sprayed 14,505,930 vine trees. In various places in Kohdaman they sprayed fruit trees with sulphur and other insecticides and in Paghman they made 3,000 kilometres of arable land immune against rats. These officers supervised the reaping of clover, wheat and maize which had been grown by farmers from seeds supplied for experimental purposes. 28