Agriculture in leading capitalist countries as a complicated State regulated mechanism is discussed. The functions of the state in regulating agricultural production are analysed. Different means influencing farmers incomes, structure of production, market and prices are pointed out. The aims of national and international programmes assisting the state in its regulating functions, their drawbacks and advantages are considered.

The aims and tasks of veterinary genetics and selection are stated. The role of genes in inheriting physical defects and susceptibility to deseases is explained. The causes of the deseases affecting sires and their daughters are pointed out. The problem of selecting healthy sires with desirable traits is discussed. The importance of artificial insemination for the elimination of undesirable genes is emphasized.

The main conditions required for successful pine growing and achieving high productivity are analysed. The problems of the stress condition in pine growing, different management methods and the control of the main pine diseases are discussed. The article presents the fact of the formation of the monitoring network of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program in the Baltic countries where specialists make observations in the local forest monitoring demonstration squares estimating and analysing not only trees, but also the changes in the environment. An urgent problem - the selection of environmental pollution resistant trees is considered.

A new series of articles on economic problems is described. Three kinds of economic systems are discussed: 1) traditional economy, 2) market economy, 3) command economy i.e. centralized or planned economy. The regulatory function of the state performed through tax system, fiscal and credit policy, income regulation, social and foreign trade policies is analysed.

Changes taken place in agriculture and other fields of national economy of Latvia have been analysed. Factors influencing the development of agriculture have been discussed. The important role of the goverments policy and the general situation in the country is emphasized. The preconditions for profitable agricultural production in future are pointed out. A belief in a successful development of agricultural production in Latvia is expressed.

The article is devoted to the most popular cattle breeds in Latvia. The author describes the development of the Latvian Brown breed, analyzing the productivity and other characteristics of the cows as well as their suitability to the climatic, economic and soil conditions of Latvia. The Latvian Brown breed is compared with the black-and-white coros having higher productivity, but being more susceptible to diseases. The author gives some suggestions concerning crossbreeding.

The causes of decreasing yields of potatoes in Latvia are analysed. Pest and desease control problems are discussed. The most important viruses identified in the fields of Latvia are pointed out. The virus infection level tested by ELISA has been found very high despite the use of meristem culture in seed potato production. It is stated that the main cause of low quality potato seed is poor knowledge of potato growing technology.