12
90. One hundred and fifty Ordnance bullocks were supplied, thirty-six
bulls were sold to the Punjab for work in the districts and two to Native States.
The class of bull turned out was good and there is now a considerable demand
for them. I consider that by steadily pursuing the policy of careful weeding
out of unsuitable animals and selection of the best types, we shall be able to
produce stock such as cannot be obtained any where else in India. The change
effected is already very marked. The castings during the year only amounted
to 26 cows, 8 female young stock and 1 herd bull which were all unsuitable.
91. Mules.—There were 248 mules present on the 31st March against 287
last year. Fifty-five were purchased during the year and ten were born on the
Farm. Fifty-three were supplied to the Remount Department and issued to the
Kashmir Service Artillery and forty were issued to the Supply and Transport
Corps for Maxim gun work. The General Officer Commanding, Sirhind Brigade,
reports that they are of unusually good stamp and quite the best he had yet seen
and of a different class from those obtainable in the market. Eight mules were
sold by auction as they grew too big for Mountain Battery work. The mules
supplied from the Farm are fit for hard work and not fed up for sale and soft
like those purchased from dealers.
92. Donkey stallions.—Eleven donkey stallions were present on the 31st
March. Six Punjabis, which had been purchased young in the districts and
reared on the Farm, were sold to the Remount Department who have reported
very well on them. Two were sold to districts and one, an Italian, cast and sold
as unfit. There are remaining at present, 2 Italians and 1 American, used as
sires, and 8 Punjabis being reared for sale.
93. Thirty-one mares are at present employed for donkey breeding and are all
doing well, being either in foal or having a foal at foot. Two mares which did
not hold were cast and sold during the year. Seven donkey colts were born on
the Farm bringing the total number present up to thirteen, and eight fillies
were born making a total of eleven present at the end of the year. These are
all of good stamp. The donkey breeding experiments are very encouraging.
The demand for donkey stallions is great and the stamp of animal bred very good
and we have been able to supply them at an average of Rs. 400. Suitable
mares are, however, difficult to obtain so progress will be, for a time, somewhat
slow.
94. Zebras.—The experiment of breeding Zebra hybrids is now making some
progress. The four Zebras received last year were at first very wild but after
six months' careful treatment and handling, three of them have become tame:
the fourth, in trying to break out of his box, killed himself. Only one has
covered donkey mares so far but will doubtless soon cover pony mares now.
There are 19 pony mares and one donkey employed in this experiment.
95. Sheep.—An experiment in sheep-breeding has just been commenced, a
small flock of 25 ewes and 3 rams have been collected.
96. Cultivation.—Considerable progress has been made in the extension of
cultivation, 100 acres of new land having been thoroughly cleaned, levelled and
brought under irrigation. Roads and water-courses have been improved and
pucca masonry bridges made. The " Stabling " cultivation has been enclosed
in a 6 feet wall. Unfortunately, owing to failure of the rains, the whole of the
Barani crop was lost and a great deal of reserve fodder had to be used up. We
have adopted a system to provide green fodder all the year round, which has
proved very beneficial to the stock.
97. Table XVIII shows the expenditure of the Farm for the year under report
to be Rs. 1,12,838-14-1 and the receipts Rs. 85,790-7-10 against Rs.95,086-8-2
and Rs. 1,00,594-10-8 respectively in the previous year. The increases in
" Expenditure " are chiefly under the heads of Cultivation, Purchase of Reserve
fodder, and Purchase of animals. The decreases in " Receipts " appear under
sale of animals.
98. Under orders of the Government of India, contained in Revenue and
Agricultural Department letter No. 298-9-2, dated 20th February 1905, it has