(a) grazing on the common land could be regulated and rotational grazing established with the consent of the majority of those possessing grazing rights and by means of authority conferred on a group of villagers, for instance on a panchayat or co-operative society; (b) in some instances, a definite area of the common land could be separated off for a village co-operative cattle improvement society; (c) in hilly districts, where the grazing facilities are better than they are elsewhere, an attempt should be made to demarcate areas to be assigned at nominal rates to groups of occupiers of village lands on the following conditions:: (i) the area shall be grazed in rotation; (ii) cattle not owned by the group shall be excluded ; (iii) part of the area shall be reserved for cutting grass for use in the hot season. Where use cannot be made of natural grazing grounds owing to lack of water, the possibility of obtaining a supply should be investigated. In some parts of India, there may be considerable tracts of grass land which are not being fully utilised owing to lack of water. As a supplement to, or a substitute for, natural grazing, the cutting and storage of dry grass is important. The possibilities of silage are also great, though the practice is attended by difficulties and has not been adopted by cultivators. Much propaganda is necessary. In many other directions, the fodder position can be improved. The use of the chaffcutter, the addition of cheap meal and condiments to make straw more palatable, harvesting at the right time so as to get full value from the straw, the encouragement of the growth of fodder crops are some of the lines for further trial and investigation. The cultivation of Egyptian clover (berseem) seems to hold out great possibilities if the seed can be cheaply grown in quantity in India. Every encouragement should be given to the cultivation of leguminous crops by the remission of charges for water from government sources of irrigation or by the grant of concession rates. With regard to the improvement of cattle by careful breeding, the aim should be to establish pure and improved types of the best cattle now available and this should not be endangered by an attempt to produce a "dual purpose" animal suitable both for draught and for milking and ghi production. As a general rule to be followed in the breeding of draught cattle, we are of opinion that milking qualities should be encouraged only in so far as these are entirely consistent with the maintenance of the essential qualities which good draught cattle must possess. Although government departments have now made a serious beginning with cattle improvement, very little progress has yet been made by government cattle farms towards meeting the total requirements for young bulls. As a general principle regulating such distribution, we commend for adoption elsewhere the policy pursued in the United Provinces of limiting the issue of breeding bulls to selected districts with a regular inspection both of the cows and their progeny and of the bulls placed out. We, therefore, endorse the recommendation of the Bombay Cattle Committee of 1923 that intensive breeding operations should be conducted in selected areas. We consider the selection of areas and inspection of stock to be absolutely essential to securing any marked improvement from the issue of selected bulls from government farms. The production of milk for urban consumers presents problems of great complexity. The cultivator, of course, uses milk and its products but for these he relies to a great extent on the buffalo. He is principally concerned with the cow as the mother of his bullock and attaches only secondary importance to its milking capacity. The essentials for a successful scheme of urban milk supply are a tract of country in which fodder is plentiful or can be easily grown, adequate arrangements for transport and a suitable type of cow. A cow for dairy purposes should average 5000 lbs. of milk during a lactation period and the aim should be to get an animal with an average of 8000 lbs. Improvement of indigenous breeds by selection is a safer policy for agricultural departments to pursue than cross-breeding and this process should also be applied to buffaloes. The supply of milk to urban consumers is at present most unsatisfactory. Municipal corporations of the larger cities, in addition to organising co-operative societies for the supply of milk should promote the establishment of large dairy farms and devise means by which capital and business ability may be attracted to large scale milk production. As a rule, the control of livestock improvement should be entrusted to the agricultural departments but we do not recommend any change in the present arrangements in the Punjab where the Hissar farm has been in charge of successive veterinary officers with exceptional qualifications as stock breeders. When veterinary officers show a special aptitude for work on livestock improvement, they should be posted to livestock farms. Each major province should have a whole-time livestock expert. At present, there is an Imperial Institute of Animal Husbandry and Dairying at Bangalore. This is divided into two sections, an animal nutrition section under a physiological chemist and a dairying and cattle breeding section under the Imperial Dairy Expert. The latter section, in addition to the farm at Bangalore, has attached to it farms at Wellington and Karnal, and a creamery at Anand in Gujarat. We consider that the staff of the animal nutrition section. should be enlarged and that a scheme for a research institute for the investigation of animal nutrition problems should be prepared. There should be close touch between the staff of this institute and workers on the problems of human nutrition. In view of the fact that agriculture is now a provincial subject, we do not recommend the permanent retention of the dairying section of the institute nor of its cattle breeding stations with the exception of the station at Karnal which is well suited to become a centre for any cattle breeding experiments which may be required in connection with central research. Each province now has or will shortly have its own livestock expert. Cattle breeding problems are in the main local and it seems natural and proper that the (a) grazing on the common land could be regulated and rotational grazing established with the consent of the majority of those possessing grazing rights and by means of authority conferred on a group of villagers, for instance on a panchayat or co-operative society; (b) in some instances, a definite area of the common land could be separated off for a village co-operative cattle improvement society; (c) in hilly districts, where the grazing facilities are better than they are elsewhere, an attempt should be made to demarcate areas to be assigned at nominal rates to groups of occupiers of village lands on the following conditions: (i) the area shall be grazed in rotation; (ii) cattle not owned by the group shall be excluded; (iii) part of the area shall be reserved for cutting grass for use in the hot season. Where use cannot be made of natural grazing grounds owing to lack of water, the possibility of obtaining a supply should be investigated. In some parts of India, there may be considerable tracts of grass land which are not being fully utilised owing to lack of water. As a supplement to, or a substitute for, natural grazing, the cutting and storage of dry grass is important. The possibilities of silage are also great, though the practice is attended by difficulties and has not been adopted by cultivators. Much propaganda is necessary. In many other directions, the fodder position can be improved. The use of the chaffcutter, the addition of cheap meal and condiments to make straw mɔre palatable, harvesting at the right time so as to get full value from the straw, the encouragement of the growth of fodder crops are some of the lines for further trial and investigation. The cultivation of Egyptian clover (berseem) seems to hold out great possibilities if the seed can be cheaply grown in quantity in India. Every encouragement should be given to the cultivation of leguminous crops by the remission of charges for water from government sources of irrigation or by the grant of concession rates. With regard to the improvement of cattle by careful breeding, the aim should be to establish pure and improved types of the best cattle now available and this should not be endangered by an attempt to produce a "dual purpose" animal suitable both for draught and for milking and ghi production. As a general rule to be followed in the breeding of draught cattle, we are of opinion that milking qualities should be encouraged only in so far as these are entirely consistent with the maintenance of the essential qualities which good draught cattle must possess. Although government departments have now made a serious beginning with cattle improvement, very little progress has yet been made by government cattle farms towards meeting the total requirements for young bulls. As a general principle regulating such distribution, we commend for adoption elsewhere the policy pursued in the United Provinces of limiting the issue of breeding bulls to selected districts with a regular inspection both of the cows and their progeny and of the bulls placed out. We, therefore, endorse the recommendation of the Bombay Cattle Committee of 1923 that intensive breeding operations should be conducted in selected areas. We consider the selection of areas and inspection of stock to be absolutely essential to securing any marked improvement from the issue of selected bulls from government farms. The production of milk for urban consumers presents problems of great complexity. The cultivator, of course, uses milk and its products but for these he relies to a great extent on the buffalo. He is principally concerned with the cow as the mother of his bullock and attaches only secondary importance to its milking capacity. The essentials for a successful scheme of urban milk supply are a tract of country in which fodder is plentiful or can be easily grown, adequate arrangements for transport and a suitable type of cow. A cow for dairy purposes should average 5000 lbs. of milk during a lactation period and the aim should be to get an animal with an average of 8000 lbs. Improvement of indigenous breeds by selection is a safer policy for agricultural departments to pursue than cross-breeding and this process should also be applied to buffaloes. The supply cf milk to urban consumers is at present most unsatisfactory. Municipal corporations of the larger cities, in addition to organising co-operative societies for the supply of milk should promote the establishment of large dairy farms and devise means by which capital and business ability may be attracted to large scale milk production. As a rule, the control of livestock improvement should be entrusted to the agricultural departments but we do not recommend any change in the present arrangements in the Punjab where the Hissar farm has been in charge of successive veterinary officers with exceptional qualifications as stock breeders. When veterinary officers show a special aptitude for work on livestock improvement, they should be posted to livestock farms. Each major province should have a whole-time livestock expert. At present, there is an Imperial Institute of Animal Husbandry and Dairying at Bangalore. This is divided into two sections, an animal nutrition section under a physiological chemist and a dairying and cattle breeding section under the Imperial Dairy Expert. The latter section, in addition to the farm at Bangalore, has attached to it farms at Wellington and Karnal, and a creamery at Anand in Gujarat. We consider that the staff of the animal nutrition section should be enlarged and that a scheme for a research institute for the investigation of animal nutrition problems should be prepared. There should be close touch between the staff of this institute and workers on the problems of human nutrition. In view of the fact that agriculture is now a provincial subject, we do not recommend the permanent retention of the dairying section of the institute nor of its cattle breeding stations with the exception of the station at Karnal which is well suited to become a centre for any cattle breeding experiments which may be required in connection with central research. Each province now has or will shortly have its own livestock expert. Cattle breeding problems are in the main local and it seems natural and proper that the ordinary work of cattle breeding should be undertaken by the provinces themselves. Further we consider it the duty of the provincial colleges to provide instruction in dairying for their own students. Such research work of an all-India character as is necessary in connection with dairying could be conducted more advantageously at Pusa or some other scientific centre where chemical assistance is readily available, than at the Anand creamery. We do not recommend that these proposals should take effect till the present Imperial Dairy Expert retires. The three farms and the Anand Creamery should be retained until the enlarged nutrition institute has been established and the suggested changes at Pusa have been carried into effect. As has already been noted, one of the members of the Council of Agricultural Research will represent the interests of animal husbandry. He should be an authority either in livestock breeding, animal nutrition or veterinary medicine. As he cannot be expected to be equally competent in all these three branches, arrangements should be made for ad hoc committees of experts under his chairmanship to deal with special questions. |