The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-19
BLOWING wrrH cAMELs ~ NonrnERN INDIA

are also dairy farms in the United
Provinces. and little creameries, where
milk is cheap. All dairy machinery Is
admitted free, and of late separators,
churns and butter workers have been
largely imported. Much of the cream
goes by rail TO the cities, and is
there made into butter, which is sold
fresh or put UP in tins and shipped
over India The native butter or CHI,
Is also made in large quantities. as
Well as some condensed milk Much of
our butter goes to Ceylon, while the
CHI is exported to other countries for
the Indian emisrants. Some of these
dairies have been established on the
military environment farms. They are
under military control and they give
our troops pure milk and butter"
Sacred Cows Poor Butter Makers. :.
Are the sacred cows of India good
n1iIkers?'
Not as a rule" was the reply. our
cattle are raised chiefly for work, and
the milk used by the natives comes
largely from buffaloes. Some of our
finest cattle are from the North, and
especially from Rajputana. Mysore
mas some fine breeds, but the cows are
poor mixers. There are also good cat
tie In Madras. and in Central India
One of the best milk breeds comes
from the Cir hills and others are
from the Sind, where they are owned
by Mohammedans, who drive them in
herds from one jungle pasture to an
other. The Punjab has good dairy
cows, but those of Bengal are poor
We are having trouble in Improving
stock of this kind. The Hindoos look
upon the cows as sacred, and keep them
"nen they are manned, old and worth
less and give no return for the food
they consume. This reduces the graz
ing for the younger animals. We have
tried to improve the stock by distri-
butins fine bulls to the district boards,
but so far no valuable results have
been reached. We find that the half
breed cattle are more subject to dis
eases. and we now have veterinary
departments In each province We have
also government breeding farms stock
ew with COWS and bulls OF the pure ma
tive breeds. Upon one of these 1000
COWS of one breed are maintained. In
Mysore the best breed of cattle has
long been kept up by the state"
Have you many fine horses"
'Our horse breeding is chiefly for
the army. We have government farms,
and several hundred stations which
are distributed to the districts where
horses are bred. We find that the Arabs
and thoroughbreds form the most desir-
able sires. We have also thousands OF
registered mares. Horse breeding is
encouraged by prizes offered at fairs,
and by the purchase Of good stock by
the government. We have altogether a
million or SO of horses and ponies In
India. We are also breeding mules
for military purposes and have some
thing like 500 donkey stations. many
of which have been Imported from
Cyprus and ITALY. We get them also
from Spain. Persia and America. We
have about $4,000 pony mares and a
large number OF donkey mares. as
we'll"
Our conversation here turned to the
efforts OF China to abolish the use of
opium. and / asked Mr.. Miller whether
this would not seriously affect poppy
| farming In India.
Mort assuredly 1t WILL was the
reply. IF China stops using the drug
the greatest part OF our opium farms
VIII be- wiped out and we shall lose a
| largo revenue. We have agreed to cut
down our production and to restrict
our importatIons to China IL the Chinese
government can show that 1t Is real
| ly In earnest In aboishlng the opium
| evil.
AS 1t Is now we are getting re-
venue OF something like s240oo,ooo
per annum out OF opium. The
!osa OF that sum will mean much to
the government. 1t Will also mean
the cutting down OF the government
service, AK We have number Of em-
| r1'oysn who control the crop and manu-
fhettirS II for shipment abroad.
How II tho opium handled?"
In Britloh India 1T is q. government
tnohopol1. and II Is also raised In the
native states. Az to the product OF
the Latter ,he government does not
antnrfarc hut 1t allows no opium to
come INTO or paas through the British
t@rritorics without payment OF duty,
| THE amount OF land under such
Icnltsyation 10 comparatively small. In
tho Hrit,sh territorien 1t Is not more
i khAn 1000 HlnAro InIlaa or about .Ahual