7
Twenty-eight thousand one hundred and eighty animals were attended at
the Hospitals as compared with 26,213 in 1915-16. Table V gives particulars
of the working of the hospitals.
TABLE VIII .
BREEDING OPERATIONS.
Table VIII shows the number of bulls maintained in the districts during
the year. Only four requisitions for the purchase of animals were received,
but none of these could be met owing to the Inspectors being employed in
attending outbreaks. Two buffalo-bulls were secured from the Military Dairy
Farm at Allahabad for the Hazaribagh Reformatory School and for a Zemindar
in North Monghyr. They were very good animals from she-buffaloes
giving large milk yields; they are reported to be doing satisfactorily. Twenty
cows and sixteen bull-calves were selected in Shahabad, Ballia and Bhagalpur
for the cattle-breeding farm at Bettiah.
TABLE IX.
BULL-BREEDING FARM.
Bettiah Farm.—The Bettiah Farm is still under the control of the
Veterinary Department and was inspected by me only twice. At the end of the
year, the herd consisted of 47 cows, 49 bull-calves below three years of age, 29
heifer-calves of the same age, 2 stud bulls, 4 desi bulls and 8 buffalo-bulls,
which were not yet fit for distribution when purchased in 1915-16. The above
number includes the 20 cows and 16 bull-calves, which were secured in the
districts referred to in a previous paragraph ; they are doing well. One
farm-bred heifer was taken into the herd.
Twenty male calves and 21 female calves were born during the year while
7 bull and 7 heifer-calves and 2 cows died. An outbreak of Anthrax occurred
during March 1917 and one animal died; inoculations were carried out, and
the disease subsided. Six cows, 6 heifers and 2 bull-calves were rejected for old
age or other causes and realized a total sum of Rs. 479.
Owing to the improvement in the grazing mentioned in last year's report,
and through better arrangements for their feeding, the cattle showed improved
condition. The newly purchased stock on the other hand took a considerable
time to get acclimatized.
Although 9 bulls and 5 buffalo-bulls were distributed during the year,
there still appears to be great reluctance on the part of cultivators to take
them over to improve their herds of desi cattle, and were it not for the factories,
very few could have been distributed at all; with buffalo-bulls, on the other
hand, there is very little difficulty in finding persons willing to take them,
and many more than were available could have been sent out. They are prov-
ing a great boon owing to the increased supply of milk given by the crosses
and to the greater prices which they fetch in consequence.
The total cost of the herd during the year amounts to Rs. 10,601.
Sepaya Farm.—The herd at the end of the year under report consisted of
two stud bulls, 88 cows, 16 male and 7 female calves 2 to 3 years old, 38
male and 25 female calves 1 to 2 years old, and 80 calves at heel or a total
of 256 animals against 204 at the beginning of the year. Eighty calves were
born during the year of which 35 were males and 45 females. Five young
calves and four cows died during the year, of the latter, three died of old age
and one young cow as a result of an accident.
Two bull-calves after being castrated and 17 young female calves were sold
by public auction during the year and they are not included in the number
given at 31st March 1917. The prices realized amounted to Rs. 725. There
are 8 young bulls of breeding age for disposal in the Farm. It is proposed
to keep one of them as a prospective Stud bull and the distribution to
District Boards and other bodies of the other 7 is now being arranged.
One hundred and thirty-eight general cases were treated during the year.
The Farm was free from every sort of contagious disease throughout the
year. 267 animals were inoculated with Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia vaccine,
as there was an outbreak of the disease in the vicinity of the Farm.
TABLES X, XI AND XII.
(These tables are blank.)