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objections of Hindus, if the measure of slaughter be once carried out among
their cattle, all difficulties, obstructions, and obstacles in the way of concealing
the existence of plagues would be most persistently adopted, and thus the
wishes of Government would be very practically thwarted.
14. As I have above noted, the Act itself—save that clause—is one which
may be carried out with satisfactory results, provided the Civil Veterinary
Department staff, as above laid down, be established. In order to bring the Act
into play, selected districts, where cattle plagues are generally rife, and where
the head district officers are really anxious to do all in their power to prevent
their ryots losing their plough oxen, should be the first to be manned with a
duly qualified veterinary staff of sufficient strength; and under the professional
supervision and direction of the head Civil Veterinary Officer, the practical
value of the Act will soon become known and appreciated by the natives.
15. I would here repeat the advisability of providing, as men are qualified,
such selected districts first, and having most carefully, judiciously, and prac-
tically the Act brought into play. Without a sufficient number of Veterinary
Assistants and the head professional direction, the district officers could not
expect to have the benefits of the Act realized. In order to carry out the
provisions of the Act with regard to isolation of the affected animals and the
placing in quarantine the villages in which plague exists, the District Board
officials and other reliable native gentlemen and land owners should be
empowered to bring the Act into force under the professional advice of the
Veterinary Officer. Only on occasions when the orders of such district officials
may not be obeyed by owners of affected cattle should the Police Department
be asked to intervene.
16. I would here acknowledge that at first difficulties and obstacles will be
raised by cattle owners in respect to enforcing isolation and quarantine; but
these difficulties will have to be surmounted, and by patient and judicious
measures satisfactory results will surely follow. In the Punjab measures
similar to those above advocated have been brought into operation in districts
where cattle plagues have existed, and suppression of the plague with a mini-
mum amount of loss of stock has been successfully attained. Therefore, I would
with all earnestness urge that similar satisfactory results can be arrived at in the
Madras districts when they are provided with duly qualified veterinary aid of
sufficient strength.
17. Referring to (d), it may be accepted that the services of the officers
of the Civil Veterinary Department will be of benefit in connection with the
improvement of the breeds of horned and pony stock. The advice of the
Horse Breeding Department on these subjects has not infrequently been sought
by breeders in Northern India with regard to the obtaining of suitable bulls
and pony stallions. Moreover, the providing of good rams for flocks has been
solicited.
The measures now being adopted with regard to pony-breeding in some of
the districts of the Presidency, i.e., providing of good pony stallions for mares
and the castrating of common pony colts, will doubtless lead to improvement in
pony stock. The three Arab pony stallions I saw at Hosur are of good stamp.
18. With regard to male-breeding, I am mindful of the fact that the
attempt made a few years ago to introduce this industry in the Madras Presi-
dency ended in failure; therefore I am not prepared to suggest that any
measures in this direction should be for the present again undertaken in the
districts, But in order to let owners of pony mares in the Presidency see that
mule-breeding will prove a paying industry, I hope to obtain the co-operation
of the Army Remount Department by having farm mares at the Hosur Depôt
mated with Italian donkeys.
Doubtless the Madras pony owner has religious objections to allowing his
mare to produce a hybrid. Moreover, he does not yet see how to make money
by breeding mules; but he, like his brother Hindu in Northern India, will
learn to believe in the good of mule-breeding when it is proved to him to be
remunerative.
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