F. WARE 67
Sindhi, Hariana, Tharparkar, Sahiwal, and Kumaun Hill breeds of cattle,
as well as the Murrah breed of buffaloes, and the success already obtained in
some of these herds, details of which will be referred to later, is very marked.
The Government of India has also recently given tangible proof of its
interest in cattle-breeding by providing a sum of money for inaugurating an
All-India Cattle Show, such shows having been held at New Delhi in February
of each year since 1938. An All-India Cattle Show Society has now been
formed and it is hoped, with the help of contributions from the Provinces and
States, to make this Show an annual and permanent event. The advantages
of such a show, where cattle-breeders can meet once a year and discuss their
numerous problems and compare results, need not be laboured; it also provides
a unique opportunity for foreign buyers to see at a glance what India has to
offer in the way of well-developed breeds suitable for export.
(b) Imperial Council of Agricultural Research.—The Imperial Council of
Agricultural Research was established ten years ago at New Delhi as a direct
consequence of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.
The Council has given considerable impetus to cattle-breeding, and its efforts
have resulted in much greater coordination and uniformity of effort. The
Advisory Board of the Council is composed mainly of the Directors of Agricul-
ture and Veterinary Services of the Provinces, and the meetings and discussions
therein have enabled the Directors to exchange ideas and to shape their pro-
grammes and policies according to the requirements of the country as a whole.
Collection and publication of data is one of the functions of the Council, and
the publications issued so far on cattle-breeding and milk production have been
very useful.
From its very inception the Council realized that the corner-stone of cattle
improvement is pedigree registration. Accordingly, steps have been taken
to define authoritatively the characteristics of the more important breeds of
cattle, and a bulletin [9] has already been published containing the definitions
of seven of the milch breeds of India. Details for the initiation of Central
Herd-books for these breeds are under consideration and when they are settled
herd-books will be opened and maintained by the Council. The scheme
envisages a complete co-ordination of pedigree and performance by laying down
that, in addition to conformation and descent, a prescribed minimum milk
yield should be a condition of entry of cows in the herd-books.
Regular publication of such approved milk records as exist in dairy farms
is now being made, and this activity will increase when the herd-books are in
use. Studies of milk records are being made from time to time and the results
published.
There is at present no arrangement for recording milk yields amongst
village cattle. Much propaganda is necessary in this direction and preju-
dices have frequently to be overcome. The Council has realized that non-
official societies similar to those existing in other countries are essential, but
they cannot be formed until the value and the advantages of milk recording
have been demonstrated practically. A scheme has therefore been sanctioned
for starting milk recording in the home of the breeds chosen for central registra-
tion. It is hoped that those owners whose animals are recorded under the
scheme will eventually form themselves into milk-recording societies.