REVENUE DEPARTMENT.
AGRICULTURE.
DARJEELING, THE 14TH OCTOBER 1913.
RESOLUTION—No. 2706 T.—R.
READ—
The Animal Reports of the Veterinary College and of the Civil Veterinary Department, Bengal,
for the year 1912-13, with the Director of Agriculture's review thereof.
MAJOR A. SMITH was attached to the Bengal Veterinary College from his
arrival on the 15th April, 1912, and performed the duties of Principal during
the absence, on vacation leave, of Colonel Raymond, who retired on the 4th
June. On that date Major Smith took formal charge of the appointment
which he held till the close of the year. As a temporary arrangement, the
work of the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Bengal, was carried
out in the Eastern Bengal districts by Mr. Harris (Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, Assam), and in the West Bengal districts by
Mr. Quinlan (Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Bihar and Orissa),
for the first three weeks of the year. Major Smith then held the post in
addition to his own duties until the 28th October 1912, when Mr. P. J. Kerr
joined from Madras. Major Smith's other duties precluded him from making
any tour, but Mr. Kerr was on tour for 61 days between the end of October
and the close of the year.
2. The number of students on the college roll at the end of the session
was 99, of whom 88 were stipendiary students, as compared with 110, 138
and 132 in the three preceding years. The decrease which was noticed
last year continued and is ascribed mainly to the poorness of the prospects of
those who go through the course. The matter is under the consideration of
Government, and it is hoped that means will shortly he devised to increase
the popularity of the college. The percentage of passes in the final examina-
tion was 73.4, as compared with 79.38 last year. In the previous year
the number of scholarships had boon 33, all of a uniform value of Rs. 5.
In order to reward those who passed with distinction and to afford an incen-
tive to better work, the scholarships wore graduated from Rs. 5 to Rs. 10
during the year, and the total number reduced to 24 so as to keep the total
value the same as before.
3. In last year's Resolution on the work of the Veterinary Department
the Governor in Council noticed with satisfaction the excellent results
achieved in the Raymond Research Laboratory, and His Excellency is glad
to see that steady progress is still being maintained. The laboratory has
been improved by the addition of up-to-date electrical apparatus. It was
able to supply the British Commission on Foot and Mouth Disease and the
Government Serologist with a large amount of material for their work ; and
a number of spleen smears of dogs were examined on behalf of Dr. Percival
Mackie, I.M.S., who has been working on Kala-Azar under the Indian Research
Fund. An important and interesting achievement is the cure—the first
reported in Bengal—of a case of equine Surra by a method suggested by the
Imperial Bacteriologist. A start was made in investigating the proportions
of fat during the milking period of the various breeds of Bengal cattle.
Five officers of the Veterinary Department (one from Bihar) were trained at
the laboratory in special advanced branches of veterinary science.
4. The report of the Civil Veterinary Department shows a further
considerable decline in the mortality of bovines from contagious diseases.
This is attributed to less actual disease and also to better reporting on the
part of police officers, whereby the prompt and effective attendance of
veterinary assistants was secured. This is satisfactory, but the system of
reporting is still far from perfect, and the possibility of improving it has been