39 



Kartarpur, Rurki, Saharanpur and Hardwar. If his profits as a 

 middleman are placed as low as 4 per cent., his yearly income from 

 this source alone far exceeds the salaries paid to the majority 

 of Government servants. An instance of the bania's transactions 

 with their zamindar clients may be quoted. A zamindar of the 

 Karnal District was provided by his bania with a buffalo of average 

 quality which might have been bought for Rs. 60. The bania 

 however debited him with Hs. 75 and interest was to be charged at 

 12^ per cent, per annum. The animal calved in October, and by 

 the following August the zamindar had paid in to the bania 73 

 seers of ghi and was able to keep some for home consumption. 

 The value of the ghi credited against the cost of the buffalo was 

 Rs. 59. This account, an actual entry in a trader's books, shows 

 both the profits to be made from buffalo-rearing, and the loss to 

 the zamindar who is forced to obtain his animal in this manner. 

 Without damaging the profits of the wholesale trader there appears 

 to be a wider field for co-operation in the production and sale of 

 ghi. 



The price of ghi has risen very largely of late years. The 

 Deputy Commissioner of Montgomery writes : " Ghi formerly used 

 to. sell from 24 to 32 chittanks the rupee. But in villages it is now 

 selling from 18 to 20 chittanks, and in towns and cities about 16 

 chittanks." In Lahore and other cities the price is nearer 13 chit- 

 tanks. On the whole a fair estimate of prices would be, 18 to 20 

 cbittanks a rupee for the zamindar's sales to the wholesale trader, 16 

 to 18 chittanks from the wholesaler to the retailer, and 14 to 12 

 chittanks to the city consumer. 



Ghi like milk is much adulterated, and a regular trade in com- 

 positions of ghi, fat and other ingredients is carried on from cer- 

 tain stations in the neighbourhood of Delhi, chiefly to Bengal. 



XVI. PRICES AND PROFITS OF STOCK-BREEDING. 



The general conclusion to be drawn from district reports is 

 that the price of bullocks has doubled within the last 10 or 15 years. 

 Whereas the good average working bullock 4 years of age could be 

 bought, say in 1894, for Rs, 50 or Rs. 60, the price is now not less 

 than Rs. 100 or Rs. 120, and it is not rare to find the best Hariana 

 or Dhani bullocks sold for Rs. 200 or even more. Of course 

 bullocks of a sort can still be bought for Rs. 40 or Rs. 50, but 

 these are either old or of inferior stock, such as the Bagri cattle of 

 the Bikanir border. The fact alone is sufficient to account for 

 the increasing popularity of the male buffalo which can be bought 

 in good working condition for prices ranging between Rs. 25 

 and Rs. 50, though even this price is nearly twice as much as 



