Vol. XIII Xo. 308. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 



63 



LIVE STOCK NOTES. 



CATTLE BREEDING AND DISEASES IN 

 EAST AFRICA. 



An important article on cattle breeding in German East 

 Africa appeared in Der Tropenflanzer last year. This 

 has recently been abstracted in the Monthly Bulletin of 

 Agricultural Intelligence and Plant Diseases, from which 

 source the following interesting notes have been extracted. 



Nearly all the cattle in German East Africa are Zebus. 

 They belong mostly to Bos zehu Africatiis, but some are 

 B. z. indicus. Among the African zebus, distinction has to 

 be drawn between those which have large horns and small 

 humps (VVatussi), and those possessing small horns and large 

 humps (Masai). The latter breed comprises animals which 

 characteristically mature late; cows are not bred from, in 

 fact, until they reach the age of two and a half years. The 

 bulls' and cows are full-grown between three and a half and 

 four and a half years, but still may go on developing until 

 they are six years old. The Masai zebu is a thrifty animal 

 and very resistent to weather and disease. The Masai cows 

 calve regularly every year and the milk production is 

 normally below 70 gallons per lactation period. The beef 

 production of a three-year-old steer is easily over 220 tt>.; 

 steers of five years of age give up to 440 B). of beef, and 

 those of seven years up to 770 lb. The weight of the hump 

 can attain 24 ft). The meat contains coarse fibres and is less 

 marbled than that of European breeds. The fat accumulates 

 chiefly below the skin and round the viscera. These zebus 

 are satisfactory draft animals. 



The Watussi zebus are bred only by the tribe possessing 

 that name, and are a little smaller than the previously 

 mentioned animals, with the head and horns longer. A 

 characteristic ecanomic feature is their large milking 

 capacity, the yield from this breed being twice as great as in 

 the case of the Masai type. On the other hand, meat produc- 

 tion is poorer, and the animals are less resistent to epidemics 

 and other forms of disease than the Masai zebus. The 

 Watussi cattle are also less fertile and develop later than 

 the Masai animals. 



As regards cattle keeping and breeding by the natives, 

 an improvement in the methods employed is generally 

 necessary. The account from which this information is taken 

 contains several interesting facts regarding native methods; for 

 instance, in some districts where water is scarce, the animals 

 are fed during the dry season on succulent banana stems. 

 One stem daily is considered sufficient for an animal in the 

 cow house. 



Turning to cattle keeping and breeding by Europeans, 

 it is thought that it would be best for European graziers to 

 begin by improving the native breeds before trying to intro- 

 duce European blood. It has been found that European 

 cattle and their crosses have little power of resisting the 

 climate and the diseases peculiar to the country. 



A few figures are given concerning the value of cattle. 

 The price of a steer, for example, yielding 440 R. of beef 

 varies from 25s. to 90s. according to locality. Cows make 

 a quarter or a half as much again. At Daressalam a gallon 

 of milk costs 2s.; at other places its price is from 2A(f. to \0d. 



In conclusion it is advised that in the endeavour to 

 improve the native cattle, crossing between them and the 

 European animals should be practised only for the purpose 

 of improving the milk production. Even in this case the 

 crossing should be practised only by European farmers. The 



great thing which needs attention at present is a general 

 improvement in the management of the animals. 



Having given some account of the classes of the animals 

 that are to be found in German East Africa, it may be 

 interesting to add in continuation a few notes on the 

 veterinary conditions obtaining in E=ist Africa. Such infor- 

 mation is contained in a recent report on the Department of 

 Agriculture of the Uganda Protectorate for the year ending 

 March 31, 1913. The most serious diseases in the Protec- 

 torate are Rinderpest and East Coast fever. In the case of the 

 former, immunization by the 'mixed" method has had satis- 

 factory results, and an outbreak in eastern Busoga was 

 entirely stamped out by means of it. As regards Trypano- 

 somiases, the most serious parasite is T. Pecorimt. It is 

 a curious fact that the Eastern Province districts are free 

 from these diseases, although the cattle of this district are 

 just as susceptible as those of Buganda. It is not believed 

 that there is anything in the distribution of the various 

 species of biting flies in either Province which would in any 

 way account for the absence of this infection in the Eastern 

 Province herd. One possible explanation is that in the 

 uninfected district there is no big game, whereas, on the 

 other hand, big game, and particularly buffalo, are very 

 numerous and very widely distributed in Buganda. 



As regards the diseases of animals other than cattle, mange 

 in goats is responsible for a number of deaths in many parts. 

 Mortality among sheep and goats is also occasioned by 

 parasitic gastritis. Amongst mules, and to some extent 

 amongst horses, lymphangitis is widely prevalent. If treat- 

 ed in the earliest stage, the progress of this disease can often 

 be arrested. British East African jackals have been reported 

 to have died from rabies, and the necessary restrictions on the 

 importation of dogs have been imposed. Piroplasmosis 

 amongst dogs has been successfully treated by the injection of 

 Trypan blue. 



In conclusion it may be stated that the principal work 

 of a routine nature that is being carried on ,in British 

 East Africa is the inoculation of cattle and suppression of 

 rinderpest. It is interesting to add that in the report under 

 consideration no reference is made to tuberculosis; and since 

 in German Eist Africa we learn that the number of cattle 

 attacked by tuberculosis is under one per thousand, it may be 

 concluded, with a fair degree of certainty, that tuberculosis is 

 not such a serious disea.se amongst domestic animals in East 

 Africa generally as it is amongst those in temperate countries 

 or even in the more established parts of the Tropics, like 

 the British West Indies. 



Banana Meal for Pigs. -An interesting note appears 

 in the Experiment Station Rnord (Vol. XXIX, No. 6) on the 

 nutritive value of banana meal for fattening swine and the 

 influence on the quality of the dressed carcase. These experi- 

 ments have shown that the food under consideration is 

 highly digestible, especially when prepared from ripe banana. 

 It seems to have a special influence on the muscle fibres, 

 rendering the flesh and the fat of a softer consistency than 

 where the hogs are fed on potatoes. Banana meal as will ))e 

 found by reference to an article dealing with the banana on 

 another page of this issue, is rich in starch and carbohydrates 

 generally, but low in fibre and fat, and as the protein content 

 is not large, it should be fed in conjunction with protein-rich 

 feed, for instance cotton seed meal. It would be interesting 

 if feeding experiments could be conducted with a ration 

 containing banana meal as the dominant ingredient with-a 

 view to the accurate and practical determination of the value 

 as a food stufl:" of this produce, which on banana plantation.? 

 is available for being dealt with as a by-product. 



