Male rats were subjected to the following treatment: 1. Castration or treatment with the oestrogens polyoestradiol phosphate (PEP) (estradurin®), polydiethylstilboestrol phosphate (PSP), polyoestriol phosphate (SEP) (triodurin®), oestradiol‐17‐undecylate (EU) (progynon®‐depot), oestradiol‐3‐N‐[bis(2‐chloroethyl)]‐carbamate‐17‐dihydrogenphosphate (E) (estracyt®) or diethylstilboestrol diphosphate (H) (honvan®). PEP, PSP, SEP and EU were given as a single injection intramuscularly in a dose of 8 mg/kg, whereas E and H were given orally as water solutions (8 mg/kg) every second day. 2. Castration and treatment with the oestrogens. 3. Castration and treatment with testosterone‐3‐(p‐hexyloxyphenyl)‐proprionate (A) (andradurin®) (60 mg/kg intramuscularly in a single injection) and the oestrogens. – After 20 days the weight of the ventral prostate in group 1 was reduced to 85% by SEP, to 20% by E and to 10% by castration and the administration of other oestrogens. In group 2 the prostatic weight was reduced to 10%. In 3, A alone or combined with PEP, SEP, EU or E restored the prostatic weight. PSP reduced the prostatic weight to 75% and H to 65%. The alkaline phosphatase activity in group 1 was reduced to 55% by castration and increased to 135% by EU; in group 2 PEP, PSP, EU and E restored the activity; in group 3, A given alone restored the activity and A + PEP, PSP, EU or H increased the activity to 175–350%. The acid phosphatase activity in group 1 was reduced to 45% by castration, to 55% by H and to 70% by PSP. In group 2 PEP, PSP and E partly reversed the decrease brought about by castration; in 3, A given alone restored the activity, which was increased to 115–155% after A + PEP, PSP, H or E. Secretion from the ventral prostate of intact rats or castrated rats treated with A or A + PEP was squeezed out. The alkaline and acid phosphatase activities after A + PEP were approximately doubled. The findings indicate that oestrogen can affect the rat ventral prostate in ways other than by reducing the secretion of testicular androgens.