5
forests, which are largely situated along the Deg, are breeding grounds of
Tabanus.
The Baluch camelmen in the Surra season have nowhere to go to graze
their cames save by trespass ; irrigation has cat up the old jungles and the
zamindars will not at this season allow camels on their land. Tabanus is now
found along the banks of the branch canals in the rainy season. There is a
deterioration from a camel grazing point of view, even in the variety of the
trees left standing about the fields ; much of the Jhand which yields a useful
wood is cut down by the zamindars, who have left a great excess of Kareel
and Jal. In the rains camels cannot graze on Kareel and Jal alone and remain
in health without a change of diet every few days at least ; and in this
part of the country the necessary change was afforded by Lana and Lani
(saltworts.)
To get this the camels approach the Deg Nullah, and come into the
Surra-zones.
In the Surra season, the camelmen trespass a good deal on zamindars' land
and are subject to being driven about, picking up what they can on the way.
There is also a tendency to remain near the good grazing on the Deg too
long at the beginning of the Surra season and to return too soon before the
end of it.
Needless to say camel-breeding here is on the decline owing to irrigation.
The Baluches are anxious to keep more dachis, but there would be nowhere
for them to graze in the hot weather.
I toured in July in this country; it was known that the grazing-grounds
in the neighbourhood of Kala Shah Kaku and Muridki have to be avoided owing
to biting flies and Surra in the rainy season. My tour was made to investigate
the conditio as further west.
Details:—
At Shakupura, I found no Tabanus.
There is a strip of high-lying land on the west of Shakupura which runs
south to Mamonwali and then south-east towards Hoeke and I crossed it 4 or
5 times without finding Tabanus on it. Many zamindars do not allow camels
to graze on it in the rains as some of it is good pasture for cattle ; camels are
grazed there until turned off by the zamindars.
On it and a few miles from Shakupura is a good rakh, belonging to Raja
Fateh Singh, on which I could find no Tabanus. Camels are not allowed on
this rakh in the rainy season. I hear the land it occupies is shortly to be
brought under cultivation by irrigation.
Rakh Mandevi is open in the Surra season ; the best part with the lana
is nearest the Deg on the south-east and that is in the Surra-zone. It is a large
rakh, however, and I twice crossed the part furthest from the Deg. The North-
west portion of the rakh seems to be free from Dhang, but there is no Lana
in this part of it; villagers of Mahandevi and Bhulianwala have lost horses
from Surra but it is only an occasional occurrence and the cases were possibly
infected at work or when grazing in the Surra-zones, a mile or two to the
south-east.
Irrigation, however, extends up to the western border of Rakh Mandevi ;
on the banks of the branch canals I found many Tabanus at Tashpura and
Mamonwali ; whilst at Mirapur the zaildar said he lost many horses from
"Phait gya" one year.
The healthy portion of Rakh Mandevi is too much hemmed in to be
recommended for camels in the Surra season.
From Hoeke to near Mamonwali the country was dryer, and I saw no
Tabanus. The jungle is closed at this season to camels by zamindars, the
grazing has deteriorated and there is now a great excess of Kareel and Jal.
Rakh Khera is open but it is on the Deg ; it was not visited by me as
the camelmen report the presence of the fly, and do not graze there in the rains.
The camels to be provided for in this part of the country are principally
of Shakupura, Jiwanpura, Gunjyana, Butur, Mamonwali, Jhingar Sireenh,
Mirapur, Qila Miansingh and Nomads.