11
103. Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia and Charbon Symptomatique.—A serum
for both these diseases is now under preparation at Muktesar and will be used
in the field after thorough testing at the Laboratory.
104. All reports received from the various parts of India and Burma, with
the exception of one or two villages in the United Provinces of Agra and
Oudh, state that no opposition whatever was shown to the system of injection.
The rapidity with which the native owner has grasped the benefits to be derived
from this method augurs well for the furture and will considerably reduce the
difficulties of the Department in coping with outbreaks of disease.
VETERINARY DISPENSARIES.
105. In Table XIX (Provincial) will be found a statement showing the
number of animals treated during the year by Veterinary Assistants. The
numbers are:—
In-patients ... ... ...
Out-patients ... ...
or a total of ...
over the previous year.
6,122 against 5,199 last year.
178,935 „ 146,982
184,057 or an increase of 31,876
106. A reference to the corresponding table in last year's Report will
show that while there was a decrease of one Veterinary Dipensary in the United
Provinces and one in the Punjab, due to the transfer of selected districts to the
Army Remount Department, a satisfactory increase of Veterinary Dispensaries
was effected, viz., 2 in Bengal, 1 in Bombay, 11 in Central Provinces, and 17
in Berar.
VETERINARY ASSISTANTS.
107. Table XXIV (Provincial) gives the total strength of the subordinate
Veterinary Staff, after deducting those transferred to the Army Remount
Department. The present staff consists of 13 Veterinary Inspectors and 308
Veterinary Assistants. This number for, practically, the. whole of India will be
admitted to be quite inadequate to cope with outbreaks of cattle disease and
the treatment of animals at dispensaries, etc.
108 The number of Veterinary Assistants employed at dispensary work has
increased from 64 to 99: those employed at work connected with horse and
mule breeding have decreased from 37 to 3 owing to the transfer of breeding
operations to the Army Remount Department. The number employed in attend-
ing to cattle disease is practically the same as last year, being 204 against 205
in 1902-03.
109. The number of animals treated by Veterinary Assistants in villages
is shown in Table XXI (Provincial). It is reported that 38,396 villages were
visited by 264 Veterinary Assistants, and that the total number of animals
treated by them amounted to 203,197 against 165,238 in the previous year.
110. It will be observed that, with the exception of Bombay and Burma,
all the other Provinces show an increase in the number of animals treated. Last
year no particulars were furnished by Madras, and this year the North-West
Frontier Province has failed to fill up details required for Table XXI (Pro-
vincial).
IV.-CATTLE BREEDING, ETC.
CATTLE FAIRS AND SHOWS.
111. Reports were received of the following Cattle Fairs and Shows:—
Sonepore, Kalimpong, Khagra, Rajnagar, Suri, Bittah and Sitamarhi
in Bengal.
Lakhimpur, Karwi, Batesar and Karma in the United Provinces.
Choa Saidan Shah, Amritsar, Karnal, Muzafargarh, Jellalabad, Hissar,
Lyallpur, Lidbari and Jehazgarh in the Punjab.