Levine: The Water Buffalo 63 
or ponds, places which are not always 
clean, for this purpose. To overcome 
this objection, tanks might be con- 
structed in which clean water could be 
kept for their bath, or they may be 
washed by pouring clean water over 
them with buckets, or with a hose 
where water pressure can be secured. 
However, animals kept for dairy pur- 
poses only, seem to do just as well on 
very infrequent bathing, or no bath- 
ing at all. 
FUTURE OF THE WATER BUFFALO IN 
DAIRYING 
In India the water buffalo is the 
chief source of milk, although it is com- 
peting not only with good native breeds 
of the “humped” variety, but also with 
all the modern breeds of European 
dairy cattle. 
It is the opinion of the writer that 
the water buffalo must become the lead- 
ing dairy animal in the southern half 
of China, and an important source of 
milk for the four hundred million 
people of that land. Unlike the In- 
dians, the Chinese in the past have not 
been users of milk, but are rapidly tak- 
ing up the use of this beverage through 
the example set by Europeans in China. 
With a few generations of intelligent 
selection and breeding among the water 
buffalos of China, there will be de- 
veloped a dairy breed of high produc- 
ing ability, especially in butter fat. 
The possibility of this is shown in the 
work at the Canton Christian College 
by the fact that with no breeding or 
selection whatever, cows from an or- 
dinary village herd, whose ancestors 
had never been milked, gave more than 
2,000 pounds of mill containing as 
much as 270 pounds of fat in less than 
a year. The Indian dairy breeds will 
also be imported into China 
The history of both the dairy and 
beef breeds of European cattle in most 
parts of the Philippine Islands has been 
but little more than keen disappoint- 
ment and failure. The climate and 
diseases of the islands are such that 
European cattle quickly succumb to 
diseases or degenerate from generation 
to generation. The last legislature of 
the Philippine Islands appropriated a 
large sum of money for the improve- 
ment of live-stock in the islands. Not 
any of this money is being used for the 
importation of breeding stock of Euro- 
pean breeds of cattle. On the other 
hand the sum of 200,000 pesos ($100,- 
000 U. S. currency) is being used for 
the importation of the Delhi dairy buf- 
falo from India. 
It is difficult:to prophesy as to the 
future of the water buffalo in the 
United States—if it is to have a future 
in this country. There is no doubt that 
the buffalo will thrive in most parts of 
the South, as far north as the southern 
part of Oklahoma. Most regions 
farther north will probably prove to be 
too cold. The swamps and marshes of 
Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana 
should be especially adapted to water 
buffalo production. 
The fact that buffalo is free from 
tuberculosis, as well as an excellent pro- 
ducer of milk and butter fat, may 
result in an attempt at its introduction 
in the southern part of the United 
States. The development of dairy buf- 
falo production in this country will help 
meet the increasing shortage of milk 
and butter fat supply from animals 
absolutely free from tuberculosis. Also, 
large areas of swampy land which can- 
not be drained but which supply 
abundant grasses on which the water 
buffalo will no doubt thrive, will be 
rendered productive. However, ex- 
treme care will be necessary to prevent 
introducing with the animals the 
diseases which have not yet found a 
footing in this country. Further care- 
ful study of the water buffalo should 
be made in its native land in order that 
we may become more acquainted with 
this class of bovine before the attempt 
is made to raise buffalo in America. 
REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Levine and Cadbury: “A Study of Milk 
Produced in Kwangtung,” Canton Christian 
College, Bul. No. 18, 1917. 
Levine: “Notes on Farm Animals and 
Animal Industries of China,” Canton Chris- 
tian College Bul. No. 23, 1919, pp. 35-53, 
