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Moradabad.
(x) There are no bulls kept by the District Board of Moradabad at
present.
There are no funds at present available for the maintenance of bulls or
their purchase, and it is not likely that they will be available at present unless
they could be arranged for by a corresponding reduction in the Horse-breeding
Department.
Sultanpur.
(y) The District Board decided that it was not advisable to keep a bull.
From the above noted replies it will be seen that—
14 districts are unable to buy owing to want of funds.
5 districts already keep bulls.
2 districts do not consider the purchase of bulls advisable.
3 districts are willing to purchase.
24 districts returned no answer.
Bengal.
752. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Bengal, reports as
follows:—
" Speaking, generally, the best draught cattle are to be found in Upper Bengal, where the best grazing is
procurable.
" The question of grazing areas is of vital importance in this province, and the revenue is to be congratu-
lated for not losing sight of this matter in settling Orissa. I am not aware if in Bengal there is any danger of
the grazing grounds being encroached upon; but if any such danger exists, I hope, for the sake of our cattle
that these areas will be strictly protected.
" In Upper Bengal there is a large cattle trade; dealers export the animals to the rest of the province, even
as far as Mymensingh and Assam. Moreover, the Commissariat Department of the North-Western Provinces
sends officers to our up-country fairs to purchase."
"It has been said that the breed is deteriorating, and that fresh blood is
needed. I have myself noticed that the legs and feet of a good many animals
are not as good as they might be, and this applies particularly to the bigger
bullocks. I have conversed with many practical men, and they all say that
Hansi and Hissar bulls are what they want.
"I think it may be safely admitted that, as regards breeding draught
bullocks, neither the planters nor the rayats in Upper Bengal have much to
learn from any one.
"They know very well what is wanted to refresh the breed, but the difficulty
is to get good bulls for the purpose. In the absence of good bulls, they have
to make use of what they can procure locally. Hansi and Hissar bulls are
not easily procured. It took six months to obtain three bulls from Hissar for
Sitamarhi district, and they have not given complete satisfaction owing to
their not being considered big enough (58" and 59" only).
"My predecessor formulated a very good scheme for supplying bulls in a
cheap way to Bengal. He suggested that Brahmini bulls from up-country
should be imported into Northern Bengal, and superfluous local Brahminis ex-
ported from there to the lower districts. The obvious danger of importing
Brahmini bulls has been indicated in a note by the Director of Land Records,
viz., that only worthless brutes will be sent to us. The only way to meet the
risk would be the adoption of a system of inspection and testing, which presents
difficulties. Moreover, it has been found that the scheme has not worked
very well in practice for various reasons: first, Captain Gunn has not been able to
procure bulls (for Dinajpur) in the Punjab, because the local raiyats objected to
part with their animals; second, I have not succeeded in procuring Brahmini
bulls at Sitamarhi for exportation to the Lower Provinces so far (but I intend to
try again when the crops are beginning to grow); third, those procured by my
predecessor's time do not appear to have found universal favour. In whatever
manner bulls are procured, it is evident that a number are required, for, if
the cattle of Bengal are deteriorating, a few bulls will scarcely stem the pro-
cess except in their immediate neighbourhood. Moreover, the progeny of
these bulls will tend to degenerate, though starting from a higher level.