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REVIEWS
the principles and technique of bee-keeping, with particular reference to the climatic
and other conditions prevailing in the British Isles. The book is singularly free
from un-essential matter and matter of doubtful utility. A chapter of 10 pages
is devoted to the production of heather honey, a honey variety highly prized by
Consumers in Britain. The book, though primarily written for British bee-keepers,
contains much sound advice, applicable to bee-keeping in all countries. Stress has
rightly been laid on adequate feeding. 'At no time should there be less than ten
pounds of stores in the hive, and feeding must be resorted to at once if at anytime
the flow of nectar is insufficient to meet the growing needs of the growing stock'
say the authors (page 61). This is advice which bee-keepers in India might well
take to heart.
The book is a welcome addition to the existing literature on the subject in the
English language. (R.N.M.)
A REPORT ON THE MARKETING OF MILK IN THE INDIAN UNION
(Published by the Manager of Publications, Civil Lines, Delhi)
T HIS is one of the series of reports on the marketing of agricultural commodities
issued by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection of the Ministry of Agricul-
ture, Government of India. The last report on milk was published in 1942, since then,
although the capacity for production, the trend of utilization, and the organisation
and economics of milk industry have hardly registered any deviation, there has
been from August 1947 a change in the map of India, the overall effect of which
has brought about, as in all other sectors, a change in the position of the dairy
industry in India. It has, therefore, been very moot on the part of the Directorate
of Marketing, to take stock of the situation as it stands to-day and to present an up-
to-date picture of the subject.
To start with, a survey has been made of the production capacity of milk in
the constituent States and the Indian Union as a whole through several angles of
consideration. On the basis of the census figures of 1945 and the demarcation
of areas which followed in the wake of the political partition of the country a survey
has been made of the breeding stock of cows, buffaloes and goats kept for milk
production. Computation of milk yield from different species in different areas
has been made in accordance 'with information and data available locally'. Certain
recognized principles were supposed to have been used in arriving at the estimates,
but knowing as we do, our limitations in resources for collecting the primary data
the veracity of these estimates cannot be fully vouchsafed. The figures never-
theless, as general observations indicate, give the picture in broad outlines in regard
to milk supply in. the individual areas and in the Union as a whole. It has been
shown that the average annual yield per cow is only 37.5 per cent of that per buffalo.
As a result, although the total number of she buffaloes is 195.72 lakhs compared
to 411.01 lakhs of cows, buffalo milk accounts for 54.4 per cent of the total supply
of milk. The contribution from cows is 42.8 per cent and from goats 2.8 per cent
only. The survey shows that during the last quinquennium, milk production has
not kept pace with the increase in human population rather there are signs of Indian
cattle deteriorating in milking capacity during recent years. The overall milk
supply as recorded in the earlier report has not been influenced by the comparatively
negligible export and import trade in dairy products.