33
ency than of strictness. The mares rejected were such that were either fitted
to be covered by District Board stallions or by donkeys.
175. I have already pointed out, when reviewing the work done in the Farid-
kot State, how popular the State's brand is; zemindars in that State are always
anxious to obtain it, in order to secure the services of the two Arab stallions.
176. Branding may be said not to be in force in the following parts of
India:—
Central India.—Where one stallion stands.
Ajmere-Merwara.—At Kekri, where a stallion has stood for one year.
Baluchistan.—In certain hill tracts where small Arab stallions are
allowed to serve small unbranded mares, there being no District
Board stallions in that Province,
North-Western Provinces.—Hardoi District, where one stallion has
stood for the past two years. It may appear strange that branding
is not carried out in a district of an old horse-breeding province,
but no stallions had stood at Hardoi till 1895, and the Deputy
Commissioner then said he would prefer the system not being in-
troduced until the people had taken up the matter in earnest.
This was sanctioned on the understanding that no mare was to
receive the services of the Government stallion unless she had
been approved by a District Officer.
Punjab.—In certain frontier districts where horse-breeding is in its
infancy.
177. In order to remove all cause for complaint it was decided, with the
sanction of the Government of India, that certificates should be granted by the
various Superintendents, Civil Veterinary Department, to owners of mares,
desirous of selling them, that had been covered twice without holding; but in
addition to this, should the owner of any mare prove satisfactorily that, owing
to pecuniary difficulties or to scarcity of fodder, he is unable to keep his mare,
and that he can find a purchaser in a Remount Officer, a certificate is at once
granted.
On this point, the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, North
Punjab, states:—
"I was not surprised to find this year that, owing to scarcity, a greater demand was made by mare owners
for a certificate to sell their branded mares; these were usually granted. It would have been a hardship to the
people to restrain them from selling when badly in need of money, and the result of granting these certificates,
allowing them to sell, will be increased confidence."
178. Remarking on the popularity of the brand, the Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, South Punjab, states:—
"I have found that no objection has been made to the brand, except in cases where the owner was poor and
wished to sell; it is on the contrary much sought after, and its advantages are well known and appreciated in all
districts except Hoshiarpur, where horse-breeding operations have been completely disorganized by 'Surra,'
which has carried off all horses in the district during the past two years."
179. And, although not actually affecting the popularity of the branding
system, but rather as affecting the popularity of horse-breeding generally, this
officer brings to notice petty, yet vexatious, obstacles, which are placed in the
way of the development of this industry. He states:—
"The Dusturi system is one which, to a considerable extent, binders horse-breeding operations. While on
tour, zemindars frequently complained that they were kept waiting, sometimes two or three days, before they
could get their mares covered."
"Abdul Majid, Tehsil Mohurrir (Munshi) of Pipli in the Umballa District, was dismissed on the 1st Janu-
ary 1897 by the Deputy Commissioner for attempting to extort a fee of R5 from zemindar Udmi of Teoria village
in the Tehsil of Pipli before he allowed him to have his mare covered by the Imperial Arab stallion 'Bithoor'
standing at Pipli."
"The verification of zilladar's returns by tehsildars is probably a source of annoyance to breeders: Tehsil-
dars order owners of branded mares to bring them into Teshil, and so put them to expense and loss of time, or if,
instead they should go into the Tehsil themselves, they force themselves upon the hospitality of zemindars who
may not be at all willing to entertain them."
"Veterinary Assistants and Zilladars are sometimes over officious in the performance of their duties, when,
for instance, they wish to ascertain the result of the covering of a mare, or when a mare has dropped a foal, they
sometimes put the breeder to considerable trouble; here again an opening occurs for the Dusturi system to come
into play. The results of the coverings of mares, I believe, are frequently given to them nil when they have
been positive."
"At Shakurgurh, in the Gurdaspur District, the Tehsildar would not allow branded mares to be covered by
Imperial stallions before they had been inspected by him, and thus mares were kept waiting. A letter was sent
to the Deputy Commissioner of the Gurdaspur District by the Director of Land Records and Agriculture, Pun-
jab, requesting him that no restriction of this kind should be imposed."
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