28 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



February 1908, and it is anticipated that interesting and 

 valuable information will be obtained. Already there i.s 

 a decided change in the character of the herbage in some 

 of the manured plots. 



9. Breeding. — The Montgomery herd of cows con- 

 tinues to do well. The high milking qualities of this breed 

 are year by year becoming more appreciated, and dealers 

 from distant parts of India now carry off large numbers 

 from the half-yearly fairs at Amritsar. Out of the Pusa 

 herd of 39 cows, 16 have given over 4,000tb each of milk in 

 their last lactation period (under a year in each case), and 

 of these five have given over 5,000fb each, one has given 

 6,300fb and another just under 6,0001d. When it is re- 

 membered that the average yield of milk in some of the best 

 dairying districts in England, is said to be under 5,000ib; 

 and with a considerably lower percentage of butter fat 

 than is found in the milk of the Montgomery breed, it is 

 possible to realise what a valuable asset India has in the 

 latter. At Pusa there is now the nucleus of what promises 

 to be a very fine herd, and the work of raising its milking 

 power by selection based on the milk records, is probably 

 the most important at present in hand in this section. 



The local herd of cattle is still maintained on behalf 

 of the Bengal Government. How far it is likely to prove 

 useful is still uncertain. This year there was considerable 

 difficulty in disposing of all the young bulls even at com- 

 paratively low prices. This may have been due to the 

 scarcity of fodder in the district. There can be little 

 doubt, however, that if the herd is to be fully successful, it 

 must be transferred to the Bengal Agricultural Depart- 

 ment whose officers alone are in close touch with the dis- 

 tricts which the herd is intended to benefit. 



During last cold weather 80 Bikanir ewes were pur- 

 chased. These are a white-fleeced breed with a high re- 

 putation for yield and quality of wool. The change from 

 the arid conditions of the Bikanir desert to the moist 

 climate and new food of Behar, induced a severe attack of 



