6
TABLE VIII.
BREEDING OPERATIONS.
The cattle-breeding scheme in Shabahad District met with further success
during the year. At the show which was held in this connexion at Niazipur,
579 animals including 14 District Board hulls were exhibited and prizes
amounting to Rs. 402 were distributed to the owners. A sum of Rs. 228 was
also Paid to the keepers of the bulls. An interesting feature of the show was
that fifteen calves being the progeny of the stud bulls were present. These
animals showed a distinct improvement in their bones and conformation. The
number of the stud bulls increased from eleven to twenty-two during the year.
Table VIII shows the number of stud bulls maintained in the districts.
TABLE IX
BULL BREEDING FARMS.
The Bettiah Raj Farm.—The cattle-breedirg farm at Bettiah was inspect-
ed by Mr. Quinlan once in January. I visited the farm once in April and
again in September.
At the end of the year the herd consisted of 1 bull, 40 cows, 49 bull
calves under three years, 42 heifer calves of the same age, and ten buffalo
bull calves, or a total of 142 animals.
During the year, 29 bull calves and 22 heifer calves were born, one stud
bull was obtained from Hissar, ten buffalo bull calves were purchased from the
Punjab, while one desi bull calf was purchased locally.
As regards casualties, 5 of the newly born calves, 1 old cow and 1 farm
bred bull died, 80 animals consisting of 31 cows, 25 heifers, 23 bull calves and
1 buffalo bull were rejected and seven desi bulls were distributed to different
persons. Of the rejected animals, six bull calves ware made over to the Raj and
the rest were sold for Rs. 2,285-8-0
Out of the distributed bulls, two died, one at Belwa Factory and the other
at Shikarpore.
The upkeep of the farm cost Rs. 20,950 against Rs. 20,475 in the year
1919-2 .
Govement
Catle Farm, Sipaya.—The farm was inspected by Mr. Quinlan
thrice, once in April, again in September and a third time in January.
The herd at the end of the year consisted of 4 stud bulls, 74 cows, 8
bulls intended for distribution, 38 male and 10 female calves two to four years
old, 32 male and 6 female calves one to two years old, 66 calves at heel, 2
Montgomery bulls, 2 buffalo bulls and 107 bullocks„ or a total of 319 as
compared with a stock of 461 animals of the previous year.
Seventy one calves were born during the year of which 44 were males
and 27 females, while 17 young calves, 1 cow and 1 old stud bull died from
Black-quarter.
Twenty-five cows with 12 calves at heel and 75 female calves were sold
by public auction, one old cow was removed as being unsuitable for breeding
and one stud bull was sent to a goshala for shelter.
Besides the above, nine bulls of breeding age were sold to the District
Board, Shahabad, and one each was supplied to Gaya, Sambalpur and Begusarai„
district Monghyr ; eight more were supplied to some local zamindars free of
charge for improvement of the village stock. Altogether 35 young bulls,
unsuitable for breeding, were castrated during the year.
As regards the buffalo bulls, seven bulls which were obtained during the
previous year from the Kirkee farm were supplied to Netarhat in Palamau
while the two bulls which were obtained from Siripur, were sent to Shahabad
for beeding purposes.
One calf died from black-quarter and another from hæmorrhagic septi-
cæmia. Two hundred and thirty-six cattle were vaccinated against the former
disease, while 405 were inoculated against the latter. One hundred and forty
cases were treated for ordinary complaints. The agricultural stock which
comprised 95 bullocks during the previous year was increased to 107.
With the exception of the cases mentioned above, the general condition
of the animals was good during the year.