( 6 )
(2) EQUINE (UNDER LOCAL BODIES).
(i) Horse and pony stallions.
See table X.
38. At the commencement of the year there were 63 horse and pony
stallions at stud belonging to this department.
39. Five stallions were purchased during the year. Two were castrated
and sold as they were unfit for further stud work and one died of snake bite, thus
leaving a balance of 65 on the list at the end of the year.
See table XI.
40. Fifty-three sires were at stud work during the year, and the number of
mares covered by them amounted to 3,331 or 385 in excess of last year
which is very satisfactory, despite the fact that on account of the demand for
horses as the result of the war and the increase in the mounted police, many mares
have been disposed of in certain districts.
41. Regarding the young stock the progeny of these provincial stallions it
is satisfactory to note the decided improvement and promise shown by them in
many places particularly in the districts of Saharanpur, Budaun, Moradabad and
Shahjahanpur.
Some exceptionally good young stock was noticed at the
Saharanpur, Budaun and Tigri fairs. The Arabs " Copenhagen," " Achilles,"
" Akbar," " Bantun II," " Nelson," " Hermit " and " Paragon,'' all of which are
very popular with the breeders, have maintained their high standard and reputation
as foal getters.
42. The functions of this department, in so far as horse breeding is
concerned, are confined to the improvement of the indigenous horse and pony for
general utility purposes in those tracts other than the four selected districts of
Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Bulandshahr and Meerut, and it is noticeable that these
tracts which were primarily considered unsuitable for horse breeding are now
proving themselves capable of producing a type of animal, which may be
confidently expected to still further improve.
As year by year we have been gradually replacing the old stallions (some of
which were somewhat small) by young strong sires of 14-1 hands and over, there
has now arisen a noticeable increase in the demand for them ; at the same time I
regret that in some localities, although the breeders have represented the necessity
for more facilities for horse breeding, district boards have been unable to meet their
wishes from want of funds to defray the cost of maintenance.
On account of the great demand for equine stock, as the result of the present
war, it is highly probable that there will be some scarcity of horses, ponies and
mules for some time to come, and it is obvious that all young stock will fetch
greatly enhanced prices. I would again like to point out then the necessity for
all district boards, local bodies, Court of Wards, etc, to endeavour to provide for the
location of stallions within their areas, and give encouragement to horse breeding
generally.
(ii) Donkey stallions.
See tables X
and XI.
43. At the beginning of the year there were 20 provincial donkeys on the
register and three were since purchased. Three have died and one destroyed
leaving a balance of 19. Of these, 16 were at stud and the number of mares
covered by them amounted to 820, which shows an increase of 34 on last year's
figures. There appears to be still an increasing demand for the services of
donkey stallions for mule breeding, but as was mentioned last year, the limited
number available renders it difficult to meet the demand. One Hissar bred jack.
however, has been purchased this year and two American donkey stallions have
been obtained from the Army Remount Department.
Sheep-breeding.
44. The problem of improving the wool-growing industry in India viewed
from the economic aspect, is still engaging the attention of the department. A
preliminary note on the subject giving the details and results of the experiments
which already have been carried out was submitted last year and a proposal was
drawn up for the establishment of a sheep-breeding demonstration farm. Owing
to lack of funds, however, this scheme was dropped. During the year under report
continued experiments in the grading up of the country sheep have been made
with satisfactory results.