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partly controlled this, vile practice (as it was in Sunamganj Subdivision)
it occurs to me that systematic operations against it is necessary. The Civil
Veterinary Department, Assam, has been investigating into various methods
applied in carrying out the mischief and proposes to leave nothing undone
to effectively check it on the basis of the results of this investigation.
65. Poultry breeding has been in operation in Assam not only in some
of the Government Farms but it has been taken up by many private indi-
viduals. Poultry breeding is thus gaining ground even as a cottage indus-
try so that almost every household resort to rearing and breeding poultry
in rural areas as a lucrative business. It is a definite source of income
solving economic problem at least to a certain extent to many a poor
owner. Unquestionably this offers scope for a subsidiary source of income
to many in this province. There however can be hardly any denial that
thousands of birds perish every year from known and other little investi-
gated poultry diseases which have been seriously affecting the progress of
poultry industry in Assam. The Department and the Government have
given their anxious thought to remedy this and with this object in view
initiated a scheme for research and investigation into poultry diseases in
Assam. It is gratifying to record that the Imp rial Council of Agricultural
Research having appreciated the value of the scheme have been pleased
to agree to take financial responsibility with the Government of Assam on
50: 50 basis. It is now proposed to depute a suitable Veterinary Officer
for training in Poultry Husbandry and Poultry Diseases in the Imperial
Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar, so that the scheme may be
operated in collaboration with the Imperial Veterinary Research Institute
as soon as possible.
66. Further investigation on epizootiology of the pathological condi-
tion of cattle simulating Bovine Contagious Fleure-Pneumonia as reported
in paragraph 70 of my annual report of 1939-40 was carried out in col-
laboration with the Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar.
Results of this investigation and research indicate that my observation that
this pathological condition is the one and the same as classic Bovine
Contagious Pleuro Pneumonia was appropriate. Though India was sup-
posed to be free from this fell disease it is no good hiding the fact that
spasmodic incidence of this disease has been known in Assam for over two
decades and it has been responsible for considerable economic loss to the
Assam Valley. The causal organism of this disease as it occurs in Assam
has been isolated by the Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar,
from materials collected and sent from natural eases of infection in Assam.
Transmission experiments done in Assam gave sufficient evidence that the
disease can be reproduced in cattle and that goats are resistant thus
confirming the observations in the actual field of outbreaks. Further work
for determining the strain of the causative organism and evolving a vaccine
for immunisation of healthy cattle against this fell disease has been engaging
the attention of the Imperial Veterinary Research Institute. In the
meantime amongst the various methods of curative treatment followed in
Assam the one adopted lately with Novarsenobillon (N. A. B) through
intravenous route appeared to be promising and more of the treatment is
contemplated as opportunities may occur.
These investigations and findings are of great scientific and economic
importance as there is no denial that this disease has a great economic
bearing upon the cattle wealth of our ryots. The following extract from an
authenticated report will indicate the magnitude of loss suffered abroad from
this one disease alone and nothing more eloquent need be cited to prove the
seriousness of this disease.