( 24 )
317. There were a few pens of cocks and hens. Some of them were fair;
there were also some ducks.
318. The exhibition of vegetables and produce was very small, but some
of the vegetables wore good in size.
319. I judged the bulls and bullocks. A Committee judged the other
items.
320. On the 8th His Honour Sir Alexander Mackenzie inspected the Show,
and distributed the prizes.
321. The programme of the Show (Appendix LII), the list of subscribers
(Appendix LIII), the list of awards (Appendix LIV), and the names of the mem-
bers of the Committee (Appendix LV) are attached.
322. The arrangement of the mela was similar to that of last year, but
the cattle pens and other show stands were better.
323. Mr. Fischer and Babu Chandra Gati Mustaphi, though handicapped
with other business, worked very hard to make the affair go off well. Babu
Kumada Kinkar Mukerji lent his garden.
324. The subscriptions were large, amounting to Rs. 1,575. The Raja
of Hitampur sent a heavy subscription. I should have been very glad to have
seen some of his cattle at the Show.
325. A great number of gentlemen who owned prize-winners refused to
accept their money prizes, and requested that the amount should be added to
the Fund; this, I think, is creditable to their zeal for improving the local cattle.
326. With regard to future arrangements, I fancy that our experience
rather points to the fact that two days are enough for the purpose of the
Show. A five days' function keeps people too long away from their business.
327. I am glad to say that it is in contemplation to devote part of the
savings on the Show to the purchase of some good bulls.
HORSE AND PONY-BREEDING.
328. I have boon directed by His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor to
study this subject in its relation to Bengal, as he has noticed that our animals
have degenerated.
329. The subject is a large one, owing to the fact that horse and pony-
breeding in this Province appears to have fallen upon very bad times, and will
require careful handling if it is to be revived successfully.
330. The first thing to be done is to collect all the information we can
from the various parts of Bengal in which there is any chance of horse and
pony-breeding being successful.
331. This work, which will take some time to carry out, is receiving
my attention.
ARAB PONY STALLION AT BUXAR.
332. Babu Hurdhyan Singh, in whose charge the stallion "Ruby," which
is a District Board property, is kept, reports that 56 mares, against 43 in last
year, were covered by the stallion during the year under report (Appendix
LVI). The result of the covering is not exactly known, as many of the mares
came from distant places and different districts bordering Shahabad. But gene-
rally the coverings were successful, and rarely any complaint was heard. The
cost of feed and keep of the stallion is about Rs. 273 (Appendix LV1I).
333. In July Babu Hurdhyan Singh sent a report on the stallion, which
will be found in Appendix LVIII.
334. I have seen one or two of Ruby's progeny; they are nice little ponies
of the sort that a native likes to ride. Those I saw had good straight legs, and
wore an improvement on the ordinary tat of the country.
MULE-BREEDING.
DONKEY STALLION AT GANTAK.
335. The Donkey stallion "Tiharan" that was maintained last year at
Gantak under the charge of the Political Officer, Sikkim, for the improvement of
the mule-breeding in Sikkim, having failed as a Mule-getter, the Inspector-
General, Civil Veterinary Department, sent to Gantak in May another stallion,
"Charakh," in place of the former.