MUKTESAR, FOR THE TWO YEARS ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1924 15
higher rates paid for labour, it is a sound policy to unload the maximum
amount of work involving upkeep of large animals on to the plains sta-
tion. In 1902, a small station was opened at Kurgaina near Bareilly,
for experimental research entirely in the first place, but the economic
possibilities of serum manufacture there were seen in the year 1912-13.
However, the Kurgaina site was too restricted for the work and in
dangerous proximity to the main thoroughfare. Hence in 1912 the late
Col. Holmes, when he was Director of this laboratory, moved Govern-
ment to purchase an extensive plot of land, extending to 700 acres,
situated at Izatnagar near the headquarters of the R. & K. Railway.
Sanction was obtained in 1913 and the erection of buildings commenced.
Owing to Col. Holmes death on 28th February 1915 and the outbreak
of the war the scheme subsequently suffered many vicissitudes, and on
the 4th December, 1919, a meeting comprising the Hon'ble Sir Claude
Hill, K.C.S.I., C.I.E., I.C.S., the Hon'ble Mr. R. A.Mant,C.S.I., I.C.S.,
Mr. J. Mackenna, C.I.E., I.C.S., Mr. A.L. Sheather, B.Sc., Col. G.K.
Walker, C.I.E., Col. W. F. Harvey, I.M.S., and Dr. E. J. Butler, M.B.,
F.L.S. was called at Pusa at the instigation of the Agricultural Adviser
to the Government of India to enquire as to the desirability of retaining
the site. The final conclusions arrived at by the committee on the data
supplied by Mr. Sheather, the then Director of the laboratory, were that
" Bareilly is not suitable either for a manufacturing centre or for a
research institute and that the idea of utilizing the buildings there for
the purpose of extending Muktesar operations had better be abondoned
at once."
In 1920, Mr. Pool, the officiating Director of this laboratory, with
much foresight as to the potentialities of a tributary " plains " station,
reopened the project and strongly advised the retention and development
of the Izatnagar site. In this matter he was strongly and shrewdly
supported by Mr. Milligan, the Agricultural Adviser to the Government
of India. The sanction of Government was therefore obtained for the
commencement of operations at Izatnagar in 1922, and the Kurgaina
site was sold by auction through the district authorities. 814,372 doses
of anti-rinderpest serum were made there during the cold weather 1922-23,
and 2,487,310 doses during the cold season 1923-24. The relief was so
considerable as the result of the operations of the latter season that
sufficient stocks of anti-rinderpest serum were on hand to meet the anti-
cipated demands for the whole of the hot weather season 1924, without
calling upon Muktesar to make any of this serum specially, although
small quantities would be forthcoming from certain large-scale experi-
ments. An attempt was also made to manufacture anti-hæmorrhagic
septicæmia serum there during the 1923-24 season, but the results were
not successful owing to lack of sufficient knowledge in the necessary
special technique at the time. The research work which has been done
since at Muktesar, however, justifies the hope that the greater part of
our needs in this serum can readily be met also during the cold weather
season on the " plains," so that the Muktesar laboratory can be reserved
very largely for the work for which it is admirably suited, the
B