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53. Depôts and Studs.—I visited the following depôts and studs during
the year.
54. Bhávnagar.—Breeding has been carried on in these paddocks under
the judicious management of Mr. Proctor-Sims for many years and the stock
got by Arab sires out of country-bred mares, that produce again crossed by
Arabs or thorough-bred English (the latter preferable), produced the best and
most uniform results. The stock I saw bred on these lines were of a distinct
type, stood about 14.3 to 15 on good short legs, well topped and up to weight.
55. Saháranpur.—The most noticeable feature in the depôt was the size and
substance shown by the young stock out of waler mares by Government sires,
and I am informed by the Director of Army Remount Department that all foals
dropped in the depôts out of waler mares have without a single exception gone
into the service.
56. Bdbugarh and Hapore Depôts.—I attended the Christmas class held at
Babugarh and was much pleased with the working of the farm, &c. The Beluchis
who attended this class, I found on my arrival in Beluchistan some three weeks
afterwards had already made ploughs, harness, &c, and I am informed by the
Political Agent that a great deal of land has been worked by brood mares.
Owing to the success which has attended this venture it has been decided to give
prizes for ploughing, teams, harness, &c, at the next Quetta Show, and I have
great hopes that these men, who are quick to learn where any advantage is to
be gained, will, in the course of a year or two, utilize nothing else but brood
mares on the land.
57. Karnal.—Essentially a country-bred depôt, the stock by Arab sires
particularly good, The paddocks gave me the idea of being damp, no doubt due
to leakage from the canal.
58. Ahmednagar.—The stock at the Rearing Depôt have been particularly
healthy during the past year and no contagious or infectious disease has broken
out amongst them. Precautionary measures have been adopted with all Arabs
and Persians purchased in Bombay and they have been carefully segregated for
a definite period prior to being admitted into the lines. On no consideration
whatever should these measures be relaxed, as glanders has been very rife in
Bombay during the last year. A great deal of the farm land has been ploughed
and worked with walers, and I trust in future that more horses will be utilized
for this purpose. They settle down very quickly to the work, improve in con-
dition and earn their keep.
59. Exercise and feed of Stallions.—During the past year I have taken
steps to have all the stallions in the Presidency ridden at exercise, and the
majority go from 10 to 14 miles daily. All stables have been converted into
loose boxes and no horses are allowed to be tied up day or night. Lucern or
guinea grass patches are being made at all stallion stands where green fodder is
unobtainable during hot weather, and in future a daily ration of green food will
be given. This I think is very necessary, as many of the stallions were fed for
several months in the year on nothing else but dry "kirby" and gram.
60. Crops.—The following fodder crops have been grown by me at
Ahmednagar on a small scale with success.
61. "Guinea grass" grows in this climate luxuriantly all the year round
and yields dense crops.
62. Lucern.—Indigenous Kandahar, Mustoong and Quetta seeds have
been used. The seeds obtained from Mustoong have yielded the best results, as
it appears less liable to blight and insect attacks grown on the ridge and furrow
system. Hariali grass grown on Otley beds and the Trench system, both have
yielded good results.
63. Lathyrus Silvestris.—The seed obtained direct from London was sown
in August last; that sown on poor lime soil has done fairly well. The remainder
on carefully prepared "Black Cotton" soil germinated and throve vigorously
for a short time, and then died off. Two small crops have been cut off the former.
Persians and Arabs eat it greedily,—country-breds, walers and cattle sparingly,
and I have failed to induce sheep to touch it. Like many new fodders it is
probably necessary to accustom animals to it before they will eat readily.