INSTITUTE AND COLLEGE, PUSA, FOR 1907-09. 5 



The more important crops under trial at Pusa include 

 wheat, barley, oats, maize, rice, various pulses, oil- seeds, 

 sugarcane, jute, tlax, and tobacco. Efforts are being made 

 to obtain and acclimatise the best indigenous and foreign 

 varieties of these crops. Cotton varieties have been given 

 up, as nearly all are unsuitable to Behar. 



Perhaps the most important line of work in the Agri- 

 cutural Section at Pusa, refers to the breeding and rearing 

 of farm live stock. A very select herd of Montgomery 

 cattle, the premier milk breed of India, is maintained. A 

 record of the milk yield of each cow is kept. It is hoped 

 Lo raise the milking standard (which is now very high) 

 by selection on the basis of these records, and to breed 

 these cattle of one colour and of one type. I draw atten- 

 tion to an interesting illustrated note which will appear 

 in the October number of the Agricultural Journal of India 

 for 1909. It refers to a large and remunerative export 

 trade in Indian cattle which has recently arisen. Probably 

 no Indian breed will meet the requirements of this foreign 

 demand better than Montgomery cattle. They are useful 

 for milk, for work and for beef, and in South Africa, 

 in the Southern States of America and in the Straits Settle- 

 ments they must prove useful, because pure and half-bred 

 Indian cattle have been found to thrive well in these parts 

 and are not affected bv flies and ticks in the same disastrous 

 way as local cattle. 



Last cold weather 80 Bikanir ewes were purchased. 

 These are a white-fleeced breed with a high reputation for 

 yield and quality of wool. They are being crossed by 

 dumha rams to give them hardiness and obtain improve- 

 ment in the crosses as mutton and wool sheep. 



Poultry breeding is now conducted on a fairly large 

 scale. During the last year 19 breeding pens of fowls re- 

 presenting 10 pure breeds and 3 crosses, have been main- 

 tained including turkeys, geese and ducks. The experience 

 so far gained indicates that the breed of fowl fully 

 suited to India will have to be developed by crossing. 



