Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-07-20
Dairying In India.

Dairying In India.
[Oxford County dairymen may be in
terested in the milk and butter industry
of India. Following are excerpts from
an article by Rev. r. 8. Rose Baisi, oi
India, on the subject, published In
Hoard's Dairyman.-ED
Dairying as q skilled profession has
been extremely backward in India, and
the great bulk Of the people carry on
their business after the primitive methods
of centuries ago. With the establish
ment by government, however, of exper-
mental dairy farms and agricultural
colleges knowledge is spreading and
conditions are improving. An Indian
Commission of the Dairy Education
Association has also been formed, and
the National Diploma in Dairying IN. D.
d. has been inaugurated.
The three main sources of milk supply
are the buffalo, the cow, and the goat.
Though the least important, goats are In
great demand among the poor people;
they can be bought for 90 up and as they
feed mostly on grass and other road
side vegetation the cost of maintenance
is trifling. Their yield Is about one
pound day of milk, and the butterfat
Is Q parcent. There are two periods of
lactation in year Of about five months
each.
The cow is the Dos indicus, which is
simply the bumped zebu with the very
prominent dewlap, pictured In our old
biographies. As the cow In India is q
sacred animal its flesh may not be eaten
by caste Hindus, and its "seven products"
are considered holy and figure In many
religious rites. 1t Is a very privileged
animal, and you can see COWS constantly
about the streets helping themselves to
grass from the bundles on sale, and even
poking their heads into the open shops
and taking what they will. Pious Hin
dus passing such strolliDg COW will
touch Its back, clasp the hands, and
mutter prayer.
The species is, as rule, small; the
cost is from S. upwards and the average
yield from three to twelve pounds per
day. The bullock of this species is the
common drsught animal practically
throughout India. Ninety percent of
Indians live in villages and ninety percent
of village industries depend upon the
bullock. The Hindus recognize his
usefulness by having yearly festival In
bis honor, when they color bis horns
with red powder and decorate him with
embroidered clothes, wreaths of flowers,
strings of beads and peckb bands of bells,
while they play weird music for his
edif1cation.
| But by far the most important milk
producer is the buffalo. There are sew
eral species In India but an average de-
| scription would be: body stout and
heavy, skin gray or black with little
bristly hair, horns very strong and either
attain length of over five feet and
weigh 100 pounds.
The buffalo's period Of CESSATION is
ten months, but we'll trained animal
will give q calf each year and be off milk
only about month.
Bnffaloes are usually driven out every
day to Craze, and occasionally are taken
to bathe in a river or pool. They sim
ply delight to wsllow in the mud and
cool their huge bodies. You can often
see an entire herd in the water with
nothing visible but their heads and the
ridges of their backs. Little naked ur-
chins OF five or six, with impunity drive
large herd of these ponderous animals
by means of weird yells, gesticulationa,
heavy smacks on the back with q stick,
and the twisting OF the tail. They often
ride in state on the rump. The other
day saw lad of eight take hold of the
end of the tail OF q matronly buffalo.
She stalked on unoonsciously while the
kid, with shouts of glee, enjoyed his
lovely slide over the grassy field.
The common method of milking would
give jolt In an exhibition of farming
efficiency. II the buffalo is obstreperous
one person will be commandeered to
hold the tail and another to look after
the head with its huge horns. The
gaoli himself squats down at the left of
the animal. With bis left hand he holds
a narrownecked brass vessel close to the
udder and proceeds to milk into 1t one
teat at time. He takes care not to
milk the animal dry, as the calf gets it's
turn and incidentally the richest of the |
milk, last. If q buffalo refuses absolute
ly to give milk because her calf is dead |
or otherwise unavailable, Indians some |
times construct dummy calf of wood
and straw to place before her. Often |
calves accompany their mothers on the |
daily constitutional to the grazing ground |
or bathing pool and to prevent their |
helping themselves to natures supply, al
piece of cloth studded with thorns Is
fastened over the nose.
As buffalo milk Is 80 rich In butterfat |
over percent-butter making is an |
easy job. The milk is skinned, the
cream stands "a hours, a little salt is
thrown In; stir with spoon and presto
in 10 minutes appear your lovely Jumps
of butter. Buffalo butter Is distinguish
ed by its absolute snowy whiteness |
from cream colored butter made from |
cows milk.
1t is surprising how little Indians use
milk In its natural state. Many q child |
grows up without tasting 1t and begins |
to eat the coarse, fat bszari cakes of un-
leavened bread long before 1t is weaned.
Butter also is not In great demand
among the Indians but they clarity II by
boiling until nothing remains but pure
fat or ghee. This oools In a semi solid |
substance which is most excellent short
ening. Dahee, or curds obtained from
sour milk by adding lime juice or some
other agency, is favorite dish among
all classes.
As to flesh eating there are great
differences among the castles Of India.
Many castles are entirely vegetarian;
others eat fish and eggs, and few eat
meat. Beef, as coming from the sacred
cow, is No: eaten by pious caste HIndus
and the idea is as revolving to them az
that Of eating pork is to the Moham-
medan or Jew. "Non.killing'' also is q
tenet of the orthodox Hindu and slaugh-
terIng is in the hands of the Moham-
medans. Pious people believe they can
store mp merit with the gods by protect
ing animal life, especially that of COWS.
Consequently they have founded what
might be called "bovine almshouses"
where decrepit animals which from the
western standpoint IL would be much
kinder to kill of, are supported till they
die of uncomfortable old age.
No Horses on Largest Farm.
A 200, 0,000-scre farm, the largest In the
world, is the direct result of the gov.