9
I regret to say I was unable to keep), and at every village I visited, the whole
subject was carefully gone into by me with the assembled breeders, and as a last
resource I ordered all Inspectors to travel with a donkey stallion from village to
village. I obtained promises from several men that they would get their mares
covered by donkey stallions which they never fulfilled. Considerable reluctance
was shown by owners to get even wretched little mares, which graze along the
sides of the road, covered, and only the persistence of the Inspectors and the
promise of prizes at the shows gained an unwilling consent. This class of ani-
mal was selected, because owners of better mares steadily refused, and it was
thought that a start, no matter how bad, was better than attempting nothing.
The opposition was steady from the very beginning, and no part of the Deccan
showed any signs of giving way or taking up the industry. During the whole
time I have been in the Deccan only on two occasions have I seen owners of
their own free will bring their mares to be covered by donkey stallions. This
alone will give some idea of the tremendous odds that the Department has been
working against in endeavouring to establish an industry opposed alike to the
prejudices and wishes of the people, and, as I have stated before, when the ryot
realizes that money is to be made out of mule-breeding the industry may gra-
dually become popular, but at present there is no market for a young mule, and
until that is established any further attempt will be to court failure. This
unsatisfactory state of affairs has been carried on for the last four years in the
hope that time would effect an improvement, but as that improvement did not
take place I was compelled to remove the stallions with the view of preventing
further waste of Government money.
Gujarát.
22. Identically the same efforts were made in this province as in the Deccan,
and the following table will show that the result proved
far from satisfactory. The ryot steadily refused to
breed mules and I was compelled to abandon any further attempt.
Table showing the progress of Mule-breeding in Gujarát.
Year.
1883-84 ... ...
1884-85 ... ...
1885-86 ...
1886-87 ...
1887-88 ...
1888-89 ... ...
1889-90 ... ...
1890-91 ...
1891-92 ... ...
1892-93 ...
1893-94 ... ...
1894-95 ...
1895-96 ...
1896-97 ... ...
Stallions.
0.60
0.60
1.0
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
0.35
1.0
1.0
1.0
Mares
covered.
...
...
16
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
11
17
19
19
Produce.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
3
6
11
9
Mares
covered per
stallion.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
31.42
17.0
19.0
19.0
Produce
per
stallion.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
8.57
6.0
11.0
9.0
Remarks.
Statistics incomplete.
There was no donkey
stallion.
Káthiáwár.
23. Several of the State paddocks have purchased donkey stallions within
the last few years, and quite recently three more ap-
plications have been received. It is proposed, as soon
as they are obtainable, to locate one or two donkey stallions in every paddock, and
I trust that the industry, when fairly started, will flourish in this province. The
Bhávnagar State, some 8 years ago, bred a few mules which are at present in the
transport of the Imperial Lancers. They are without exception some of the
finest I have ever seen in India, short.legged, with immense bone and very powerful,
and prove without doubt that the climate and soil of Káthiáwár is well adapted
for this purpose.
B
302—3