(7)
good buffaloes or Montgomery cows make the best milkers, and as there is a
great demand for good milk and ghi, so everything should be done for the early
improvement of these breeds. While on tour in villages the Superintendent
very strongly advised all stock-owners to arrange to collect money, so as to get
the type of bulls they wanted. The result has been that they are very keen to
get bulls of the Nili breed though they are not prepared to pay the price from
their own pockets. They want the Sarkar to pay the price of the bull.
Montgomery cattle.
29. Three more Montgomery bulls were purchased for the Bannu
District and arrangements for the
purchase of more bulls of this type for
the Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar districts are being made. Cows of this
breed are very good milkers and, as there is a great number of them in the
Province, everything should be done to save them from mixing up with other
breeds and getting them covered by Montgomery bulls only. This is not
impossible, if every District Board arranges for at least one or two bulls at
every Hospital in the district and the public in general is informed about it.
This may appear an expensive item, but it is essential for the improvement
of this very important breed of cattle and to solve the milk-supply question
for the Province.
Sheep and goat breeding.
30. Two male goats of the Barbari breed were purchased by the Hazara
District from Gujrat for breeding pur-
poses.
Six merino rams were working in the Hazara District at the end of
the year against 11 last year. More rams are badly needed for sheep-breeding
in the Frontier Province. Merinoes will do very well in the Kaghan Valley,
provided a good selection of them is made and they are entrusted to the right
type of men in the valley. We shall have to pay the market price if we
want pure-bred merino rams and owes, otherwise we shall have to be contented
with three-fourth or half-breeds which we can get very cheap in this country
and from which we cannot expect very good results with the country-born rams
and ewes.
SECTION 2.—EQUINES.
Number of stallions.—Table X.
31. There were 15 horse and 3 pony stallions in the non-selected
districts and agencies of the Province
at the close of the year compared with
13 horse and 3 pony stallions at the close of the year previous.
Two Arab stallions — one for Kurram and the other for the Bannu
District — were purchased by me this year from Bombay.
There were 20 donkey stallions at the close of the year under report as
against 18 last year. Two donkey stallions were purchased by me from Hissar
for Bannu. There were no casualties.
Services of stallions.—Table XI.
32. Fifteen horse and 3 pony stallions were actually employed at
stud against 14 horse and 4 pony
stallions last year.
They covered 758 and 182 mares, respectively, against 675 and 195 mares
covered last year, thus giving an average of 50.5 and 60.6 against 48.2 and
48.7 last year.
Twenty donkey stallions remained at stud against 19 last year. They
covered 800 mares against 1,015 last year, or an average of 40.0 against 53.4
last year.
Feed and keep of stallions.—Table XII.
33. The average annual cost of the feed and keep, etc., of stallions is
given in Table No. XII. It amounted
to Rs. 1,079-7-0 per horse, Rs. 893-11-2
per pony and Rs. 702-9-2 per donkey against Rs. 588-13-0, Rs. 551-7-2 and
Rs. 440-11-2 per horse, pony and donkey stallion, respectively, last year.