-2- Flax. Acting on behalf of the Ministry of Supply, the Ministry has purchased the entire surplus of this year's Canadian flax seed crop. This quantity alone is sufficient to saw an acreage almost equal to the total area under flax in Northern Ireland this year. Home saved seed, together with supplies from other sources will make available a total quantity of seed for the sowing of about 100,000 acres, which is the area at which the Ministry is aiming next year. Pigs. Heavy decline in population.