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REVIEW BY THE DIRECTOR, LAND RECORDS AND
AGRICULTURE, BOMBAY.
No. A/6432 OF 1905.
Poona, 1st September 1905.
Submitted to Government.
Veterinary Instruction.
2. A separate report has already been submitted to Government on the
administration of the Veterinary College, Parel, and no
further remarks are necessary here. It is suggested
that the two reports may usefully be published together in future.
Treatment of diseases.
3. The Presidency enjoyed a remarkable immunity from contagious diseases
during the year and has been free from rinderpest
for the last two years.
Breeding operations.
4. The practice of maintaining stud bulls for the improvement of cattle-
breeding has hitherto been adopted in this Presidency
in a few isolated instances only. The ryots depend
to a greater extent than in most provinces on the importation of their bullocks
from neighbouring places and Provinces; e.g. the best Gujaráti cattle come from
Pálanpur and adjoining tracts in Rájputána; and the Málwa cattle, which are
especially popular in the Deccan, come from Central India. It is probable
therefore that local bodies do not attach the same importance to cattle breeding
as in other provinces of India. Mistakes too have been made in the past in
procuring unsuitable bulls for mating with local cattle. But with the establish-
ment of the bull-breeding farms at Chhárodi and Sholápur the Civil Veterinary
Department will shortly be in a position to distribute bulls of the breeds most
highly esteemed by the cultivators and local bodies will be able to undertake this
branch of their duties with more confidence. A few bulls have already been
distributed from Chhárodi with favourable results.
Horse-breeding.
5. The abolition of the system of branding mares
has as was anticipated led to the fuller employment of
stallions.
Fairs and Shows.
6. The hopes entertained of the revival of horse-breeding in the Ahmed-
abad District have received further encouragement
from the results of the last horse-show. In order to
determine this point conclusively, it is important that the show should continue
to receive liberal support from Government for a series of years.
Cattle Fairs.
7. The experiment of the grant of prizes at cattle fairs was revived after
many years' disuse, and no conclusion as to its utility
can be based on the first experiment. The people
were inclined to suspect that Government intended to impress the cattle for
military purposes or else to buy them for the meat market.
Subordinate establishment.
8. It has been decided to abandon the attempt to train sálutris in the
vernaculars of the Presidency; and the charge of
Veterinary Dispensaries will be entrusted only to
assistants who obtain the English diploma of the Veterinary College.
An important scheme for the development of the Department has been
submitted to and approved by the Bombay Government and awaits the sanction
of superior authority.
Veterinary Dispensaries.
9. There are 18 Dispensaries in the Presidency Proper and 5 in Sind
New Dispensaries were established at Nandurbár and
Lárkhána. The number of cattle treated amounted
to 30,700 in the Presidency and 9,000 in Sind. The Dispensaries continued to
do very good work, but the number of villages visited and of cattle treated outside
Head-quarter Dispensaries are still insufficient (vide Table IV). It is observed
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