70
The Cattle of India and their Development
Three outstanding Sahiwal herds are those at the Imperial Agricultural Re-
search Institute, New Delhi, the Punjab Agricultural College Farm, Lyallpur,
and the Military Dairy Farm, Ferozepore. These herds were established about
25 years ago, and since then the overall average daily yield has increased from
5-6 lb. to 17-20 lb. The average lactation yield started with about 2,000 lb.
of milk, and to-day it is over 7,000 lb. The monetary value of this work has
been such that proved bulls from the herd belonging to the Imperial Agricul-
tural Research Institute, New Delhi, have been sold for six times the price of
an ordinary Sahiwal bull. An analysis made of the 289 lactations completed
by the herd of 51 cows which existed at the Ferozpore Farm in 1932 showed
that 117 lactations exceeded 6,000 lb., 66 exceeded 7,000 lb., 30 exceeded 8,000
lb., 16 exceeded 9,000 lb., and 6 exceeded 10,000 lb., including two pedigrees
which produced between 12,000 and 13,000 lb. The average lactation length
was 308 days, calving interval 408 days, and fat percentage of the milk 4.7.
The average yield of all farm-bred Sahiwal cows in India during 1937-8 was
5,085 lb. of milk in 308 days. About 45 per cent of the total number of ani-
mals is above this average. The high standard to which this breed has been
developed is well shown in the photograph of ' Mudini' (Plate VIII, a) a
Sahiwal cow belonging to the Military Farms Department and winner of a
supreme championship at the All India Cattle Show of 1940.
A herd of Tharparkar (Plate VIII, c) and a herd of Hariana (Plate IV, b)
cattle were established at the Karnal Sub-station of the Imperial Agricultural
Research Institute in 1923. The average yield of the foundation herd was 8.8
lb. during lactation. By 1934 this rose to 13.2 lb. in the Tharparkar herd and
14.1 lb. in the Hariana herd ; individuals have yielded up to 8,734 lb. in the
former and 7,412 lb. in the latter herd. This Hariana herd is now located at
the Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, whilst other herds of
this breed are to be found at the Hissar Cattle Farm, Punjab, and at the
Madhurikund Farm in the United Provinces. Other pedigree herds of
Tharparkar cattle are maintained at the Patna Veterinary College and the
Agricultural Farm, Kanke, both in Bihar. The latest averages for all Thar-
parkar herds of farm-bred animals in India is 4,056 lb. of milk in 267 days,
the proportion above the average being 46 per cent. Corresponding figures
for Hariana are 3,426 lb. of milk in 308 days and 32 per cent.
The Sindhi breed (Plate VIII, b) is maintained on many farms in India,
some of the best-known herds being those at the Willingdon Cattle Farm,
Karachi, the Livestock Research Station, Hosur, Madras Presidency, the
Central Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, and the Agricultural Institute,
Allahabad, United Provinces. It is a breed which thrives under all climatic
conditions in India, and is extensively used for grading up local inferior stock.
The average of last completed lactations of farm-bred Sindhis is 3,934 lb. in
325 days. The highest yield reached is 9,283 lb. of milk in a lactation of 351
days. The bullocks of this breed have also a good reputation for work.
No publication on milk production in India would be complete without a
reference to the capabilities of the Indian buffalo (Plate VIII, d), which, as
Kartha [11] has shown, is in many respects a more economical milk producer
than either indigenous or cross-bred cattle. The average amount of butter-fat
in buffalo milk may be placed at 7 per cent, and these animals are able to keep
up their supply of this rich milk and maintain their condition in places where