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survey of the country made in regard to its suitability or otherwise for
cattle breeding. This survey of the breeding industry or survey of cattle
is the first step to be taken. Whenever the question is discussed amongst
those officials who are supposed to direct such work the chief thing that
strikes one is the appalling ignorance which exists on this subject of the
supply of and demand for agricultural cattle and of the breeding industry
generally. As a matter of fact until such knowledge is forthcoming it
is impossible to know what can be done. The Government of India have
fully realized the necessity for this survey and it is for local Governments
to take measures to get it carried out. Cattle breeding is one of the duties
which is supposed to be dealt with by this Department but we have no staff
and local Governments have so far taken no measures to provide any. Much
can be done to improve matters and the conferences which it is proposed to
hold on the subject in the United and Central Provinces will have a good
effect; the only drawback to them will probably be the lack of collected
information from each district which should form the basis of the deliberations.
There can be no doubt whatever that if Provincial Governments take up
this matter seriously much can be done to save the situation and to postpone
the unhappy day when more serious deterioration has taken place, good bulls
and cows have further decreased in numbers and when the supply will have
become too small for the requirements of the cultivator in plough bullocks
and when it will become imperative for breeding to be carried on with stall
fed cows. Under present conditions good cattle are becoming scarce
and the prices of such animals are increasing by leaps and bounds. All
cattle are rapidly rising in value and the quality generally is deteriorating.
What the price of good plough bullocks would be in the circumstances so
complacently looked forward to by those who talk of land coming back from
cultivation to grazing as a more profitable pursuit or of breeding from stall
fed cows for which fodder has to be grown, may be easily imagined. There
are of course tracts where cultivation yields so uncertain a profit that grazing
might do as well but the land must be practically useless also as grazing
land. This Department, excepting in so far as it is nominally responsible for
cattle breeding, has no complaint whatever against the rise in value of agri-
cultural stock because the scarcer and more expensive they become the greater
will be the demand for our services to prevent them being carried off by
plagues or to treat them for ordinary ailments. This appreciation of the
services rendered is already growing rapidly and is greater than seems to be
generally recognised. Conferences on the subject of cattle breeding cannot
fail to be of service in every province. District Committees of men qualified
to give valuable advice on the subject might well be formed and the question
carefully studied. Such Committees will be in a good position to advise the Pro-
vincial Officers as to what if anything can be done to improve cattle breeding.
Wealthy Zamindars should be encouraged to maintain herds of the best local
cattle. Courts of Wards, Jails, Agricultural Farms, Agricultural Colleges, etc.,
should all maintain good herds and act as distributing centres. Whilst
district farms in suitable areas should be inaugurated.
Stud bulls and
their produce.
162. Table VIII gives the number of stud bulls, the property of Government
and of local boards during the year. The information given under this head
is in some cases very meagre and there are probably many more such bulls
employed than are shown in the table. There is still a small but steady
increase in number but it is somewhat insignificant, i. e., 38 Government bulls
against 30 and 536 Local Board bulls, against 458, last year; of these no lessthan
437 are in the Punjab and 40 in the United Provinces, the numbers in the re-
mainder of the provinces being very small. The Punjab has a declared policy and
in pursuance of it 117 bulls were obtained during the year—a very satisfactory
increase. The grant for Veterinary improvements enabled districts to buy
more bulls than they would otherwise have been able to afford. Here again
the wisdom of making a fair distribution of this grant between Agriculture and
Veterinary is evidenced.
163. Major Walker remarks "District Boards were reminded that they are
"practically in entire charge of cattle breeding and that arrangements for