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The district is very largely cultivated, and except in the " Bet, " there is
very little grazing ground in which to turn the milch cows and calves. In the
Settlement Report it is stated that it is doubtful if there will be much waste of
any sort left in 10 years, for already, when the assessments were announced,
the people have begun to bring the remaining waste under the plough.
The district is divided into low-lying and upland tracts. In all the
low-lying country composed of principally the Budha-nala and the bed of the
Sutlej there is plenty of grazing to be had, but grasses are not so nutritious as
the grasses on high lands, and it has been satisfactorily proved that cattle bred
in such swampy land never grow to any size; nevertheless they may become,
with care and judicious feeding, stiff, sturdy animals, suitable for plough work.
From observations made on tour it would seem that the zeminders in the " Bet "
are not sensible to the advantages of improving their cattle, nor do take much
interest in the matter.
There can be no doubt that the ordinary stock are capable of improvement
by the crossing of the cows with good bulls, and this may be observed in every
village where the services of a good bull have been obtained.
Ferozepur.—This district, at least the greater part of it, should be suitable
for breeding cattle, but the small rainfall is an argument against there being
much grazing. But, taking the district as a whole, it would seem to be well
suited for cattle-breeding, particularly for the production of good draught cattle.
The principal zemindars are Jats, who are very fond of their animals, and it was
particularly noticeable that in all the Jat towns the cattle were in fairly good
condition, considering the time of famine through which they had passed.
It is not to be expected that in the low-lying portions of the district cattle
of any size can be produced, inasmuch as both climate and soil largely influence
the breeding of cattle. These cattle, though small, are capable of doing a lot
of work, but they have not the weight to enable them to plough through stiff
land, nor to draw the heavy carts used in this district. In the Fazilka Tehsil
the cows seen were of fine physique, and if some good Hissar bulls were placed
here, some fine cattle might be bred, and this would probably become a pros-
perous industry. At Abhohar there is a large lake formed by the termination
of the Sirhind Canal, and large herds are annually grazed in the Bir at Hauz
which is adjoining the lake. So far as could be learnt there were no good
bulls among all these cattle.
Lahore.—Although there is an enormous area of grazing in this district,
the country is mostly low-lying, and the cattle seen were of the poorest descrip-
tion. Both cows and bullocks were small, weedy, and very thin. The zemin-
dars take absolutely no interest in cattle-breeding. There are extensive rukhs
in this district, and large herds are driven from the surrounding districts to
graze here; but the poor, starved look of the cattle was no doubt principally
due to the present year of scarcity and drought.
Taking the district as a whole, there is no palpable reason why cattle-
breeding should not become an important occupation, because, as has already
been noted, there is ample grazing. In consequence of the land being low-
lying, however, the animals do not grow to any size. The large herds seen
were said to belong principally to other districts, and are brought here for the
sole purpose of grazing. The zemindars buy according to their requirements,
and this probably accounts for their want of interest in cattle-breeding. A
few good bulls have been supplied by the District Boards, but the cattle owners
are so careless about them that these valuable animals are allowed to stray
without any efforts being made to bring them back. This proves that no
interest is taken in the matter, and if the people themselves are so void of
interest in their own welfare, what can be done to help them.
Amritsar.—The northern portion of this district is quite unsuitable for
breeding good cattle. Those inspected were small, weedy, and wretched look-
ing in the extreme. And, with regard to the Ajnala Tehsil, it may be taken
that there is little chance of doing much towards the breeding of large cattle.
A certain amount of improvement might be effected if several good indi-
genous bulls could be placed in several of the more important villages, but
from the information gathered it seemed almost incredible that the zemindars
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