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190. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, South Punjab,
when remarking on this subject, states:—
The low percentage of foals dropped is due to the famine of the previous year which necessitated the removal
of mares from districts where forage was scarce, to others where it was more plentiful, so that they were lost sight of
Poorness of condition would also cause many mares not to hold. Statistics, however, are very unreliable and the
average of foals dropped must be more than that reported. In many cases it must be impossible for a Zilladar to
ascertain the results of coverings where for instance, mares change hands more than once or pass from one district
to another. Last year, owing to the famine, many of the poorer zemindars were compelled to sell their mares to save
the cost of feed and keep. On the other hand, Zilladars obtain information indirectly through their friends or by
simple enquiries without taking the trouble to find out personally, and a zemindar when asked if his mare has-
dropped a foal will often reply in the negative, to save himself the trouble of having to entertain the Zilladar and
supply him with particulars.
When at the end of every month the Zilladar has to report the results of the coverings of the same month
of the previous year, there will always be a few mares about which he has not been able to get any information, and
these are probably put down as 'not held' rather than 'not known,' because he could be called to account if they
were shown as the latter.
Mares are often brought to the stallion which are not in season. Others are ridden some distance to the
stallion, the saddle is removed at once, and the mare is then covered while she is perhaps hot and sweating, she is
than again saddled immediately and ridden away. The new Covering Certificates which have been issued should
in the course of time tend to lessen these practices.
191. The increase in Baluchistan is one of the great successes gained by
this Department during the year. At last in a large breeding centre where 2,571
mares were covered, we are able to show a reliable 40 per cent. of successful
coverings; this is entirely due to the better working of the Zilladars. Baluchistan
should always take the lead in this direction, owing to the fact that the climate is
better, not being so enervating as that of the North-Western Provinces and the
Punjab, and the breeders in this Province are better horse-masters and understand
the management of mares better than the general run of zemindars do in other
parts of India.
192. The Bombay statistics are difficult to understand. The Deccan is
stationary; this can be accepted, but the great falling off in Guzerat is not under-
stood and the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Dapartment, offers no explanation;
whilst the enormous increase in Sind, in which Province the very high percentage
of successful coverings is recorded as 44.78, cannot be relied on. On this subject
Veterinary-Captain Morgan states:—
The statistics in Sind are not reliable; for instance, in the Upper Sind Frontier districts, no mare is shown
under the heading 'not held' during the year, which cannot be correct.
193. We can, therefore, dismiss Sind altogether as unreliable and for this
reason I have asked Government to sanction the appointment of Zilladars to this
Province.
194. When remarking on the bad results obtained from the coverings of the
previous year, Mr. O'Dwyer, late Director of Land Records and Agriculture,
Punjab, remarks:—
The proportion of foals dropped to coverings under 29 per cent. is still extraordinarily low and less than
half. I believe, of what it is in England. This no doubt is partly due to failure to report the true results, but
chiefly to the general ignorance among petty breeders and these are a vast majority, as to the proper treatment of
their mares before and after coverings and this ignorance, the instructions now issued on the covering certificates,
and the Manual on horse-breeding by Veterinary Captain Pease, which has been largely circulated in vernacular at
Horse Shows, &c., tend to dispel.
195. There can be no doubt that many causes contribute to the bad results
obtained, amongst which, are:—
(a)—Bad working on the part of some of the Zilladars; but I begin to think
that the working of these men is not as bad as we were inclined to
believe it was, and therefore, we must ascribe failures to other causes.
(b)—Ignorance of breeders as to management of mares after covering.
(c)—Too gross a condition of stallions. Some of the best results obtained in
England are from Roadsters who travel a long distance daily and are in
good hard condition. This is impossible to obtain in the districts,
for unless very carefully supervised, syces will not exercise stallions.
nearly enough.
196. But some statistics have lately been brought to my notice that lead
me to ask, are we much worse, than other countries? I have already shown that
in a Stud, as well supervised as that at Kunigal,—Mysore—is, only 32.32 per cent.
of mares covered held, and it is stated that in the Government breeding establish-
ments in Algeria 75 per cent. of mares fail to breed. To the three causes above-
mentioned, to which can be attributed our want of success, we must, I think, add a
fourth, viz:—