424 SCIENCE IN AFRICA 



account of present activities in the British West African colonies. 



In Nigeria the cross between the West African shorthorn and the 

 Zebu, practised by some native cattle-owners, produces an animal 

 which closely resembles the Sanga and is intermediate between its 

 parent stocks in size and resistance and probably in milk yield 

 also. This breed could probably be improved, but it is an open 

 question whether it would be possible to evolve a breed with suf- 

 ficient resistance to trypanosomiasis to be valuable except in very 

 restricted areas. Accordingly, improvement of each of the pure 

 breeds appears the more promising line of work. On the stock 

 farm of the agricultural department at Shika, near Zaria, in 

 charge of Mr. Brown, experiments have been in progress for a 

 number of years with three of the five most distinct types of native 

 Zebu: namely the White Fulani, the Godali and the Shuwa. In 

 addition a small herd of a fourth type, Adar, has been maintained 

 at the agricultural station at Samaru nearby. The aim of these 

 experiments is to produce races with heavy milking cows and good 

 working bullocks, intended primarily to be used for mixed farm- 

 ing. The present policy in breeding is to keep the White Fulani 

 and Godali pure, since on the whole they are the best dual purpose 

 animals, the former being a little superior for work and the latter 

 for milking (Nigeria, Agriculture, 1935, D.R., p. 32). The Shuwas 

 are considered to be too small for work, and so it has been decided 

 to grade half the herd to White Fulani and the other half to Godali. 

 The Adar herd similarly are to be graded to Godali. Nutritional 

 problems likewise receive attention, and marked increase in growth, 

 breeding frequency, and milk production results at once from im- 

 proved food supply. 



The dwarf races of West African Shorthorn, which show such 

 high resistance to trypanosomiasis in the southern areas, have not 

 yet been the subject of intensive study in Nigeria, though several 

 experts, notably Stockdale (1936) have stressed their possibilities. 

 A herd of the resistant small races of the Gold Coast was, however, 

 introduced to Nigeria in 1 934 and is proving its worth in spite of 

 serious losses in transit. These animals, although small, can plough 

 satisfactorily, so that it is not worth while to try to increase their 

 size by grading up with the larger beasts of Nigeria. A proposal is 

 under consideration to establish in Southern Nigeria a government 



