Annual Administration Report of the Civil Veterinary Department in the Bom-
bay Presidency for 1895-96.
No. 9927.
REVENUE
DEPARTMENT.
Bombay Castle, 7th December 1896.
Letter from the Survey Commissioner and Director of Land Records and Agriculture,
No. A—2642, dated 1st September 1896—Submitting one No. 902, dated 13th June
1896, from the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, together with that officer's
Annual Administration Report of the Civil Veterinary Department in the Bombay Pre-
sidency for the year 1895-96, and Colonel Godfrey's review of it, No. A—2449, dated
12th August 1896.
Memoranda from the Under Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Revenue
and Agriculture, Nos. 1521, 1696 and 2145, dated respectively 4th September, 3rd Oc-
tober and 19th November 1896.
RESOLUTION.—The following table shows the progress made by the Civil
Veterinary Department in the improvement of horse-breeding and mule-breeding
in the years 1894-95 and 1895-96, respectively:—
Number of stallions on the register at the end of the
year
... ... ... ...
Average number employed on stud-work... ...
Number of mares covered ... ... ...
Average number of mares covered per stallion ...
Total number of foals ... ... ...
Percentage of foals to mares covered ... ...
Average number of foals per stallion employed ...
Horse-breeding.
1894-95.
67
55.75
1,869
33.52
550
35.7
8.69
1895-96.
69
56.37
1,894
33.59
615
39.99
11.03
Mule-breeding.
1894-95.
26
22.82
763
33.43
110
21.07
5.47
1895-96.
26
23.03
872
37.86
101
17
4.42
2. Of the 67 horse and pony stallions borne on the register at the commence-
ment of the year under report, one stallion died, two were destroyed and one was
sold as being old and worn out. Three thorough-breds and one hackney were
imported from England during the year, but of these the hackney and one
thorough-bred were transferred to Bengal as they were 3 years old and
unsuitable for this Presidency. Four Arab horses were purchased locally
and one that was presented to the Department by Major Walter of the 7th
Hussars was sold to the Hyderabad District Local Board for stud-purposes.
Government note with satisfaction that the increase of the maximum price per
horse from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 had a good effect on the local market
and that the Superintendent was able to purchase horses of a high class in the
last season. The number of stallions on the average actually at stud-work
during the year under review was 56.37 against 55.75 in the previous year,
the remainder having been kept at Ahmednagar for acclimatisation or treat-
ment. There was a large difference between the number of stallions (21) on the
register and the average number of those (12.99) actually at stud-work in Sind
and Cutch, but it is reported to be due to the fact that the new stallions sent to
replace the old and worn out horses that were removed in the early part of the
year reached Sind almost at the close of the year. The Superintendent states
that the Presidency is now fairly well supplied with young and vigorous horses
and that their distribution will receive careful consideration in future. 615 foals
were reported to have been produced from coverings by Government horses in
1894-95 against 550 in 1893-94, the number of mares covered being 1,869 and
2,017 respectively. The average known produce per stallion rose from 8.69 in
the previous year to 11.03 in the year under report. The percentage of produce
foaled showed considerable improvement over that of last year, but the percent-
age of coverings of which the results were "unknown" was very high in Sind. It
is however reported that the district officers in that province do not consider
B 449—a