2
3. Of the 66 horse and pony stallions borne on the register on 1st
April 1897, four (inclusive of the thorough-bred English horse "Tam
O'Shanter ") were destroyed, two were sold as being unfit for stud purposes,
one was transferred to Baluchistan and one was bought by the Cutch Darbár.
Owing to the demand of exorbitant prices by the dealers in Arab horses, no
new stallions were purchased locally during the year under review, and with
the addition of two thorough-bred English horses received from England
the total number on the register on 3lst March 1893 stood at 60, of which
32 were located in the Deccan, 10 in Gujarát and 18 in Sind. In view of this
decrease in the total registered number, the slight fall in the average number of
stallions actually at stud work from 59.52 in 1896-97 to 58.82 in 1897-98 is in-
considerable. While the total number of mares covered (1,565) by Government
stallions and the average number served (26.60) by each stallion during the
year under report show a considerable falling-off (which was mainly confined to
the Deccan) as compared with the corresponding figures (1,919 and 32.24) of the
preceding year, the produce results ascertained in the year under review are
on the whole more satisfactory than those of 1896-97, the total number of foals
produced from the previous year's coverings by Government horses and the
average known produce per stallion being 714 and 11.99 in 1897-98 against
597 and 10.59 in 1896-97 respectively. It is, however, noticed that the produce
results of Gujarát and Sind for the two years referred to show large fluctuations
in the percentages of ' mares foaled ' and of ' those not held '. His Excellency the
Governor in Council trusts that the introduction of the new village and táluka
forms for the registration of branded mares and their produce by Government
stallions, recently sanctioned in Government Resolution No. 4929, dated 30th
July 1898, will ensure in future greater accuracy in the statistics of produce.
4. The total number of donkey stallions on the register fell from 28 at
the commencement of the year under review to 24 at the end of the year, four
being destroyed and none being added to the register during the period. Of
these 22 were located in Sind, one in Gujarát and one in the Deccan. While
the average number of donkey stallions actually at stud work in 1896-97 and
in l897-98 was almost the same, viz., 25.40 and 25.34, the total number of mares
covered and the average number served by each stallion fell from 753 and 29.64
in l896-97 to 713 and 28.13 in 1897-98 respectively, and the total number of
known produce resulting from previous year's coverings and the average number
of foals per stallion rose from 127 and 5.52 in 1896 97 to 181 and 7.12 in 1897-98
respectively. Sind mainly contributed to these results. In paragraphs 20
to 26 of his report Veterinary Major Morgan has reviewed the progress made in
mule-breeding in the Deccan, in Gujarát and Káthiáwár and in Sind between the
years 1881-82 and 1896-97 and has recorded his opinion that under existing
conditions it will be a waste of time and money to carry on mule-breeding in
the Presidency proper, but that in parts of Sind this industry is well established
and promises to expand in future and that in Káthiáwár also there is a good
field for its development. In their Resolution No. 4356, dated 4th July 1898,
Government have already decided that a further continuance of the experiment;
to establish mule-breeding in the Deccan and Gujarát is not desirable and have
directed the Superintendent to dispose of the donkey stallions stationed in these
provinces in the manner recommended by him.
5. During the year under review the Superintendent branded 1,544 mares
(796 for horse and pony-breeding and 788 for mule-breeding) against 525 in
1896-97, as many as 82 per cent of them having been branded in Sind. Exclud-
ing 113 mares removed from the register during the year owing to death or other
causes, the total numbers of branded mares for horse, pony and mule-breeding
remaining on the register on 31st March 1893 were 4,449, 5,045 and 2,447
respectively. Under the certification system in force 37 mares were certified
by five officers during the year under report. The Superintendent points out