57
Horse and mule-breeding
under Local Boards and in
Native States.
17. The Arab stallion "Maxim," maintained by the Hyderabad Local Board,
covered as many as 63 mares during the year, which
shows that his services are in great demand. The
result of his previous year's coverings (23) is also
satisfactory (48 per cent. foaled, 26 per cent. not held,
and the rest unknown). The Board has also kept a donkey stallion recently
presented to them by Khán Bahádur Ghullam Rasul Khán Jatoi.
The Government stallions in Cutch have been purchased by the Darbár,
and are now maintained at their own cost.
In Káthiáwár, very satisfactory progress has been made. Some of the
States are desirous of having Thorough-bred English stallions lent to them, and
arrangements are being made to lend two Thorough-bred English stallions to
Pálitána and Rájkot on certain conditions, by one of which the Superintendent
has the first right of refusal of the produce got by those stallions. (Vide Gov-
ernment Resolution No. 4636, dated 16th July 1898, Revenue Department.)
It is also proposed to keep good pony stallions in the States to improve the
breed of pony stock in the province. The mule-breeding industry appears to
take a firm footing in Káthiáwár, especially in the Bhávnagar State, where there
are very fine mules bred in the State.
Cattle-breeding.
18 There are only two stud bulls at present maintained by Local Boards,
one in the Panch Maháls and the other in Hyderabad.
The former was purchased in 1891, and has since been
handed over to a herdsman. The latter was purchased in February 1889, and
covered 36 cows during the year under report. Veterinary Major Morgan
deprecates violent out-cross of foreign blood, and in support of his remarks cites
the case of the Katchi bull, which was purchased by the Hyderabad Local
Board in 1894. This bull covered some 30 cows, several of which died whilst
calving to him, and the majority of the calves died before reaching maturity,
being unable to stand the climate.
Horse shows.
19. Three shows, aided by Government, were held during the year, viz.
at Jacobabad, Moro and Talhár. A show was also
held at Junágad in Káthiáwár.
Veterinary Major
Morgan has given a detailed account of each of these shows, and the undersigned
has no remarks to offer, other than those already made, on the reports submitted
to Government. No show was held at Ahmednagar and Bhúj on account of
the prevalence of plague.
Cattle diseases.
20. The figures reported show that there were 12,648 attacks of epizootic
diseases against 20,713 during the preceding year.
Out of these, 5,918 or 46.79 per cent. proved fatal
against 10,211 or 49.34 per cent. 57 percent, of the attacks were due to rinder-
pest, 31 per cent. to foot and mouth disease, and the rest to other diseases.
Rinderpest appeared in sixteen districts of the Presidency, and was responsible for
83 per cent. of the total number of deaths, and the districts, that suffered most
heavily from it, were Upper Sind Frontier, Shikárpur and Thána. Veterinary
Major Morgan is inclined to believe, though he has not sufficient materials to
prove it, that rinderpest in this country will, in the course of years, become milder
and milder in each successive generation, through the fact of a very large per-
centage of the animals getting the disease and recovering, thereby becoming
immune, and that they will, to a certain extent, transmit this immunity to their
offspring.
The Veterinary Graduate, appointed by the District Local Board of Ratná-
giri, is still working in the district, and a Veterinary Inspector (who is not a
graduate as stated by the Superintendent) has also been recently engaged by
the District Local Board of Kolába to repress outbreaks of cattle diseases
in the district. In view of the heavy mortality from which Kánara suffered
annually, it was proposed to the Collector, last year, that the Board should enter-
tain a Veterinary Graduate for at least a couple of years. No graduate has,
however, been employed, chiefly for want of funds, but it is fortunate that the
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