4
In order to suppress this disease, an organised Veterinary staff is very badly
needed, as in some districts, Simla for instance, where the disease is very prevalent, no
Veterinary Assistants are employed. During the year the services of an Imperial Veteri-
nary Assistant have been lent to the Simla District.
Preventive inoculations against this disease (the success of which has now
been well established) on an extensive scale is likely to result in checking the ravages
of this disease to a very great extent.
With reference to these remarks it may be noted that the scheme for
the organisation of the subordinate Veterinary Staff employed by District
Boards has been submitted to the Government of India. As regards inocu-
lations, Veterinary-Major Haggar, the Assistant to the Inspector-General, Civil
Veterinary Department, with the consent of the Punjab Government, instead of
continuing the cattle survey, which, owing to the famine, had to be postponed,
carried on experiments in inoculations for rinderpest. He has recently in-
formed me that this method of treatment has passed the experimental stage, and
Deputy Commissioners have been asked to report direct to him the occurrence
of an outbreak of rinderpest so that measures may be taken at once to prevent
it spreading.
Anthrax has been prevalent in Amritsar, Hoshiárpur, Gurdáspur,
Lahore, Gujránwála and Hazára. Foot and mouth disease has been much less
general than last year. The Superintendent, South Punjab Circle, was able to
give his attention to the suppression of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease
on the Simla-Kálka road. Isolation and hospital posts were formed, each
under a Veterinary Assistant, with most favourable results. He also attended
the Amritsar (Dewáli and Baisákhi), Rewári and Sirsa cattle fairs and
instituted a system of isolation and treatment of diseased cattle in temporary
hospitals.
In regard to the work done by the Veterinary Assistants employed by
District Boards, Veterinary-Lieutenant Trydell of the North Punjab Circle
reports as follows :—
Treatment has been carried out by District Board Salutrís who, in many instances,
have done what they could, particularly in the Siálkot District.
and Veterinary-Lieutenant Smith reports—
Treatment was carried out by itinerant Veterinary Assistants and Salutrís and in
Veterinary dispensaries in charge of Veterinary Assistants, of which there are seven in
the South Punjab. Much useful work was done by these men, but as I remarked last
year their usefulness would be increased if they were under proper supervision.
IV.—CATTLE BREEDING, INCLUDING CATTLE FAIRS AND SHOWS.
8. The Superintendent, North Punjab, reports—
I was unable to devote any attention to this industry as my time was so fully occu-
pied in dealing with horse and mule-breeding.
The Superintendent, South Punjab, visited the cattle shows held at
Rewári, Sirsa and Amritsar. In a year when the cattle were dying by thousands
for want of food, but little attention could be paid to the subject of breeding,
and fairs were chiefly attended by the zamídárs to dispose of cattle which they
could not afford to keep.
Veterinary-Captain Gunn submitted a report on the cattle of the districts
of Jhelum, Ráwalpindi and Hazára. He is also paying special attention to the
selection of sires from the Hissár Farm suitable to the cattle of the district to
which they are sent. During the year District Boards purchased 5 bulls from
Hissár.
V.—VETERINARY INSTRUCTION.
Veterinary dispensaries.
9. The number of Veterinary dispensaries is 10, the same as last
year. No new dispensary has been started this year.
The following table shows the number of patients treated at the several
dispensaries, except Gujránwála and Dera Ismail Khan, for which figures have
not been received :—