(2)
6. Mr. T. S. Davies, probationary Deputy Superintendent, was 22 days
on tour and travelled 1,727 miles by rail and 187 miles by road. His tours, which
were chiefly in connection with outbreaks of animal epidemics, inspection of the
department's farms, dépôt, &c., were made with a view to gaining practical
experience of the work. He, however, assisted Superintendents in checking the
tours of itinerating veterinary assistants and the work carried out at hospitals
and dispensaries.
I.—VETERINARY INSTRUCTIONS.
7. Up to the present there has been no veterinary college or school in
connection with the United Provinces, which have hitherto either been dependent
on other provinces for their recruits, or have found it necessary to send their
own selected candidates to Bengal or Lahore for veterinary training. There still
appears to be some reluctance on the part of students to go a long distance into
another province to study, and hence some difficulty is experienced in obtaining
suitable candidates. It is now considered that the time has come for an
institution for the training of our own veterinary assistants and the establishment
of a veterinary college in these provinces is worth consideration.
8. Mr. T. S. Davies, who had been undergoing a special training in the
Bombay veterinary college, has duly passed his examination and joined the
department as probationary Deputy Superintendent on January 1st, 1915.
9. The practice of deputing newly joined veterinary assistants to the
Imperial laboratory at Muktesar has now been altogether discontinued, as the
veterinary colleges provide suitable training for their students in inoculation
methods. Moreover the facilities now at hand in the department itself for giving
practical instruction to these men in the field has removed the necessity for their
deputation to Muktesar for that purpose. Practical demonstration in pathology
and bacteriology is now available at the new research station and headquarters
laboratory in Lucknow which now afford the young veterinary assistants greater
facilities for obtaining sound scientific experience.
10. Eleven students were this year selected for training in veterinary
colleges as scholarship holders. Three have been sent to Bengal and eight to the
Punjab veterinary college. Of those students who are already undergoing a
course of study two at Bengal passed from the second year class into the final;
while those remaining in the first year class have been promoted to the second
year's course. At the Punjab veterinary college the two students in the final class
have passed their examinations and joined the department, the two in the second
year class have also duly passed into the third year class, while the remaining two
have successfully passed their first examination.
11. The United Provinces Veterinary Medical Society, which was started
in 1912 by the members of the civil veterinary staff, appears to be doing good
work, and is greatly to be encouraged as means of keeping the members up to
date in their scientific knowledge, and promoting an interchange of professional
ideas. Much good work has been done by means of magic lantern demonstrations
dealing with veterinary work and connected with live stock generally.
12. The Deputy Superintendent, M. Niaz Muhammad gave lectures to
cultivators and others at the Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar and Meerut
fairs. I personally lectured to the students of the Colvin taluqdar school on the
domestic animals of India, and to the Cawnpore, Allahabad and Lucknow squadrons
of the United Provinces Horse on horse management. I also read a paper on
cattle breeding at the recent co-operative credit conference.
13. Bulletins on the question of cattle improvement and protection of live
stock against contagious disease have been distributed, and a note on the results
of preliminary experiments in sheep-breeding have been published.
14. A series of lectures and demonstrations in meat inspection was again
this year delivered to the recently appointed health officers of the Sanitary
department.
15. Owing to the difficulty in obtaining good shoeing smiths in these
provinces the formation of a nalband's instruction class is under consideration.