9
having been taken greater care of. To unusual dryness must also be attributed
the decrease in outbreaks of disease, especially of a contagious nature. In some
localities, though forage has been plentiful, cattle have died for want of water.
The causal organisms of Rinderpest and Foot and Mouth Disease are soon ren-
dered inert by desiccation, and the people have proved by experience that the
best means they can adopt to check an outbreak of these diseases is to picket the
affected herd on the dry sandy bed of a river. The number of cases reported
must be very much below the number which really occurred. Relatively, how-
ever, it is perhaps much the same. Rinderpest is often reported incorrectly for
some other disease.
(3)—Treatment,
Vaccination, &c.
24. The total number of " In " patients treated by Veterinary Graduates
in Veterinary Dispensaries is much the same as last year. The " Out " patients
treated have increased by 1,173, and of these the number of deaths recorded is
166 less.
Inoculation.
25. Two outbreaks of rinderpest, one each in the Násik and Poona Dis-
tricts, were visited and 159 cattle were inoculated with anti-rinderpest serum.
The Special Assistant, Mr. Basu, left his appointment in this Presidency to join
one in Assam in August 1901. Veterinary Graduate Buxy succeeded him in
September. Mr. Buxy went to Muktesar in November to receive instructions
in preventive inoculation against rinderpest and returned to Ahmednagar in
December. Immediately afterwards he went to Poona to assist Dr. Lingard in
his experimental inoculation of Deccan cattle. Since Mr. Buxy joined the
appointment no telegram reporting an outbreak of rinderpest has been received,
except one from Bádámi in the Bijápur District, where, however, on careful
enquiry, nothing was found like an outbreak of rinderpest. It will be seen from
the cattle disease reports received by me and summarised in Table XX (Provin-
cial) of the appendices that the year under report was free from cattle disease
excepting a few sporadic cases here and there, and nothing could therefore be
done to carry out the work of inoculation more extensively.
IV.—CATTLE-BREEDING, INCLUDING CATTLE FAIRS AND SHOWS.
Cattle-breeding.
26. Efforts should rather be directed to the preservation and increase of
such special breeds of cattle as yet exist in certain localities in the Presidency
than to the improvement of non-descript herds such as are to be found in the
Deccan. Generally speaking in the Deccan there is no regular system of cattle-
breeding, and never will be so long as it is cheaper to buy cattle imported by
dealers from other countries where there are extensive grazing lands or an
abundance of fodder, than to breed them. The Málwa cattle, for instance, are
most suitable for almost all purposes and can scarcely be improved upon, nor
can the Gujaráti breeds for their particular country.
V.—VETERINARY INSTITUTIONS.
(3)—Dispensaries.
Násik.
27. Veterinary Graduate R. Reuben.—Inspected on the 5th September
1901 and found to be in good order. The total num-
ber of cases treated during the year was 1,293 as
compared to 1,135 in the previous year. Of these 295 were horses, 610 cattle,
194 buffaloes and the remainder small animals. The Graduate paid 45 visits to
owners' houses and did good work in the town and neighbouring villages. One
case of poisoning by arsenic occurred, verified by chemical analysis. Thirty-one
cases of Foot and Mouth Disease from surrounding villages were treated. No
other epizootic was reported. The Veterinary Graduate attended a course of
instructions in inoculations at Muktesar during February and March, during
which time the Itinerating Veterinary Graduate acted for him. The report is
satisfactory.
B 308—3