No. 1601—IV-20.
FROM
J. McSWINEY, Esq., M. A., I.C.S.,
DIRECTOR OF LAND RECORDS AND AGRICULTURE, ASSAM,
To
THE SECOND SECRETARY TO THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER
OF ASSAM.
Shillong, the 22nd July 1912.
SIR,
I have the honour to forward herewith the report of the Civil Veterinary
Department, Assam, for the year 1911-1912 ; it is the first for Assam and was written
under the orders conveyed in Eastern Bengal and Assam Government letter No.
922—85, dated the 27th March 1912.
General Administration.—Mr.
Harris was in charge of the Department through-
out the year.
Veterinary Instruction.—It
is satisfactory to note that a Khasi has come out
successful this year for the first time in the final examination of the Belgaohia College.
He was a Government Stipendiary and has since been employed as Veterinary Assist-
ant.
Treatment of Disease.—The salient feature of the year has been an increase in
attacks of rinderpest : over 48,000 cases of deaths from contagious diseases among cattle
were reported during the year, and nearly half this number (20,614) of deaths was due
to rinderpest : Darrang and Sibsagar have largest number of deaths.
Preventive inoculation.—The inoculation work done by the Veterinary Assistants
showed a very considerable increase, and the utility of this work can be judged from
the fact that out of 33,052 cattle inoculated in villages in which outbreaks of rinder-
pest occurred only 881 died of the disease, while 7,276 deaths were reported amongst
un-inocnlated animals. In all 84,912 animals were inoculated against contagious
disease.
Subordinate Establishment and Itinerant Assistants' work.—The number of cases
of contagious disease treated by the Itinerant Assistants has fallen by more than half
since the previous year owing to the absence of foot-and-mouth disease. To combat
effectually the various outbreaks of contagious diseases, especially rinderpest, the
number of Assistants must be greatly increased. The scheme approved by the Govern-
ment of India aims at the appointment of two Veterinary Assistants to each subdivi-
sion in the province, but this can only be attained gradually.
Veterinary Hospitals and Dispensaries.—With
a separate Veterinary Depart-
ment for Assam it has become imperative to make adequate accommodation for its
headquarters at Gauhati, and particularly for a laboratory and hospital. After the
close of the year the Chief Commissioner accepted a proposal for the construction of
Veterinary buildings at Gauhati from a special grant given by the Government of
India. The dispensary at Shillong has been completed and one at Silchar has been
taken in hand : no steps have yet been taken by the South Sylhet Local Board with
a view to a dispensary at Srimangal.
Breeding Operations.—Little is done as yet in connection with cattle breeding :
only five districts keep stud bulls. The cattle herd at the Shillong Farm has proved
successful and there is quite a demand for the bulls amongst the Khasias. We have
a project to establish a large cattle herd to supply the province, but further inform-
ation regarding the methods to he adopted and the objects to be aimed at is required
before the large expenditure that the scheme entails can be undertaken. Mr. Black-
wood, the 8pecial Officer appointed in Eastern Bengal and Assam to hold a cattle
survey, has made enquiries in most of the districts of the province, and the publication
of his report on the subject is awaited.
Sheep-breeding operations in the Khasi Hills are still in a rudimentary stage,
but already the superiority of the cross-bred offspring of Dumba rams is being
Appreciated: we shall add two more Dumba ram to the flock next winter.