43
Review by the Survey Commissioner and Director, Land Records
and Agriculture.
No. A/2342 OF 1895.
Poona, 2nd August 1895.
Submitted to Government.
2. Veterinary Captain Morgan was in charge of the Department during
the year under report, and though the report has been signed by Veterinary
Lieutenant Larnder, the whole of the report, with the exception of the returns
from Shikarpur, was compiled by the permanent incumbent.
Ahmadabad, Kaira, Khandesh, Nasik,
Ahmadnagar, Poona, Sholapur, Belgaum,
Karachi, Hyderabad, Shikarpur, Upper
Sind Frontier, Cutch, Káthiawar, Pálanpur,
Kolhápur, Miraj, and Nizam's Territory.
Ahmadnagar,
Malegaon
(Nizáim's Territory), Jacoba-
bad, Talhár, and Moro.
3. The Superintendent's tour extended over 10,710 miles as against 13,951
done in the last year, but it was none the less satisfactory, and the difference
seems to a great extent due to the Superintendent not having had to travel
beyond the limits of the Presidency as in the previous year. In his tour the
Superintendent travelled in the districts
and states noted in the margin. In
Kathiawar he paid, in company of the
Remount Agent, a second visit to the
state paddocks of Bhavnagar, Vankaner,
Morvi, Palitana, and Wadhwan, and found a marked improvement in the general
management of the stock. He purchased 10 head of young stock as against 11
in the previous year. He also paid a second visit to Cutch and purchased 6
head of young stock. The inspection of the Kolhapur state paddocks showed
that the general management was faulty, and a thorough change in the present
system appeared necessary to produce any good results. He visited and assisted
at the shows held at the places noted in the margin.
He inspected all the veterinary dispensaries except-
ing the one at Surat established in the latter part of
the year under report. He paid eight visits to Bom-
bay in connection with the purchase of stallions and one to act as president of
the examination committee of the Bombay Veterinary College.
4. The year commenced with 73 and ended with 67 stallions on the regis-
ter. The Superintendent could not make up the deficit caused by the some-
what large number of casualties (10) and sales (8) of old and worn-out or other-
wise incapacitated stallions. The scarcity of high class Arab horses (by far the
more numerous class of stallions used in this Presidency) which has of late
been felt, was so great that the Superintendent could not purchase suitable
Arab stallions for the maximum price (Rs. 1,500) fixed. Government have
however, at the request of the Superintendent, raised the maximum price to
Rs. 2,000, and the Superintendent has made definite arrangements to import
Arab stallions specially for the Civil Veterinary Department. A country-bred
pony stallion was purchased in the Bombay market. This is the second country-
bred stallion in the Department. It is too early as yet to say anything positive
as to their usefulness or otherwise. The Superintendent's remark that stallions
should not be sent to this country until they are at least four years old is worthy
of consideration.
5. The percentage of stallions actually at stud work further fell from 86.6
per cent to 83.2 per cent of the total number on the register, the effective
number being 55.75 as against 63.22 in the previous year. The Superintendent
has not clearly explained this falling off, but implies that it must be attributed
to the keeping of a certain number of newly purchased stallions at the
Ahmadnagar Depôt for acclimatization or treatment. As regards the suitability
of stallions to produce remounts, the results shown are quite the reverse to those
obtained in the previous year. The Arab stands first, followed by the thorough-
bred English stallion, and the Norfolk trotter and Hackney which are classed
together comes third as the producer of the most suitable stock for the army.
The percentage of rejections was very small, being only 2.94 per cent of 68 horses
inspected as against 41.6 per cent of 72 horses inspected in the previous year.
B 411—12