MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1925
11
quality, bearing the mark of the laboratory, to contain these products. These bottles
were amber coloured, " Apollinaris-pint" bottles, fitted with " Crown " caps, and were
brought into regular use for the issue of all sera, instead of the improvised containers
hitherto employed, by the close of the year. The Auditors, Local Fund Accounts,
in their scrutiny of the accounts of the laboratory, had raised objections to the system
in force for the recovery of the cost of packing material. According to this system pur-
chasers of laboratory products were not debited with the cost of packing in their bills for
sera, but were to return empties to the laboratory or credit the laboratory with the price
of sold empties at the local treasuries. This system led to much confusion in accounts
and loss to the laboratory through the non-return in intact condition of a very large per-
centage of containers. In order to obviate audit objections the Government of India
was approached with a view to having all customers debited with the costs of packing
material on issue to them of sera. Local Governments agreed upon consultation to the
institution of this charge, and the detailed orders of the Government of India, which
were published after the close of the financial year, sanctioned the debiting of purchasers
with the packing costs, to be refunded to them on return of the receptacles intact. Cal-
culations show that the cost of the new standard glassware (with caps) bears a ratio to
the cost of the contained product of 3 per cent. and of the locally made wooden cases of
1.2 per cent. in the case of anti-rinderpest serum, and 3.7 and 1.5 per cent. respectively,
in the case of hæmorrhagic septicæmia serum. These ratios are undoubtedly most favour-
able when compared with those estimated for prophylactic or therapeutic remedies sold
by commercial firms. It has now been further decided to utilize the standard bottles
without any indelible laboratory mark upon them so that they can be sold by purchasers
of serum at a good rate locally if they find it more economical to do so than return them
to the laboratory. It will be understood thus that with the systems now to be adopted
the expenditure dwelt upon in this section is to a large extent recoverable.
(g) Farm Cultivation and Dairy. The policy of developing cultivation at Muktesar
was carried out according to the instructions of the Imperial Agriculturist in 1922. At
the main seat of extension, at Latoli village, 44½ acres of jungle land were cleared, so
that an estate comprising 142½ acres of good cultivated land had been formed at this
spot at the close of the year, with the object mainly of producing green fodder for the
dairy cattle and other animals of the station. The amounts of food stuffs procured from
this estate and the small area of five acres around the Dairy during the year were 6,256
maunds of coarse fodder and 158 maunds of grain. A system of rotation, for clover,
maize, and oats, was drawn up for the area in consultation with the Imperial Agricul-
turist.
Elsewhere in the Station 35 acres were brought under cultivation, excluding 20 acres
placed under permanent pasture. This area provided 6,622 maunds of coarse fodder and
204 maunds of barley, together with 437 maunds of vegetables for small animals and the
residents from Ritani Garden.
The Dairy was maintained on the same basis as mentioned in the preceding Report
One portion of the herd was maintained on a self-supporting basis for the supply of milk
to the residents ; another portion, known as the Experimental Herd, was maintained
primarily to supply suitable animals for research purposes, notably on rinderpest and
contagious abortion. The quantity of milk sold to the residents was 30,613½ lbs., at 2
annas per lb., and 124½ lbs. were consumed by experimental animals.
It is stated elsewhere in this Report that the land at Izatnagar was let on lease, on
the batai system, during the year, and 564 maunds of barley and a similar quantity of
gram were obtained by these means. It was realized that this method of utilizing the 700
(about) acres of land at the branch laboratory was a very unprofitable one, particularly
in view of the demands for fodder from the large number of buffaloes to be maintained
there throughout the year after the adoption of the new policy of serum manufacture.
Steps were therefore taken for the land to be taken over for direct cultivation by the
laboratory staff after the close of the year, and it is hoped that the estate will be capable
of contributing in large measure to the needs in food stuffs of the animals maintainea
there for serum production.
(h) Laboratory Engineering Department. The staff employed under Mr. Watson
was hard pressed to meet the demands in electric power at Muktesar. The number of
units generated was 30,152, an increase of 54.2 per cent over the number of the preced-
ing year. The overall cost of production was 13.76 annas per unit, which is 5.11 anna
less than the cost per unit in 1923-24. The engine was worked for 2,750 hours, which