46 



the herdsmen receive Re. 1 per acre for herding sheep for some time 

 on plots to be sown with sugarcane and cotton. 



The number of sheep has increased throughout the Province 

 during the last five years, especially in the north-western, western, 

 and south-eastern districts and in Kangra, where the best sheep 

 are produced. They graze on the fallows and on such sparse 

 vegetation as can be found, and are rarely stall fed except for the 

 meat market in large cities and cantonments. In the Central 

 Punjab the number of sheep appears to have decreased. Culti- 

 vation is no doubt too intense in these districts to provide good 

 grazing, and the heavy canal irrigation makes the ground too wet for 

 them in the monsoon season. Sheep prefer the dryer tracts. The 

 valuable fat-tailed sheep is confined to the Kala-Chitta range of 

 the Attock district and the hill tracts of Shahpur and Jhelum. 

 In the plains di3tricts little distinction of breed is recognized. 

 But the best sheep come from Bikanir, Hissar, and the Narnnul 

 tracts of the Patiala State. These animals are said to be the 

 largest sheep bred in the Indian plains, and are imported into 

 Lyallpur and other districts ap country, where they are highly 

 prized for their wool. Of the Hiraalnya hill sheep those from 

 Kulu, Mandi, Suket and Sirmur are most esteemed. The sheep 

 of the Bar and Thai country are very numerous, but inferior in 

 quality owing to the scanty grazing available. 



Sheep are sheared twice a year, in April and October, the 

 latter shearing being generally the more productive. The average 

 yearly clip of a plains sheep, varies from one seer in the case of 

 the Thai and Bar flocks of the Western Punjab, to two seers 'pro- 

 duced by a Bikanir or Hissar sheep, 



A considerable amount of wool is used locally for clothing, 

 especially in the Western Punjab and in the hills, and some is 

 taken by the mills at Dhariwal and elsewhere. But a very 

 large quantity, including the best fleeces, is exported. The most 

 important markets and centres of export are Multan for the 

 western districts, Amritsar for the Central Punjab, Fazilka and 

 Abohar for Hissar, Bikanir and Ferozepur, Rawalpindi and Gujar 

 Khan for the Rawalpindi and Jhelum districts, and Basal in the 

 Attock district for the Kala-Chitta range and the Trans-Indus 

 hill tracts. The wool is usually put upon the markets in a very 

 dirty state. But some care is bestowed on this important matter 

 at Gujar Khan and Multan where much cleaner fleeces are brought 

 in. Prices vary considerably, the average being about Rs. 20 

 a maund uncleaned, but as much as Rs. 27 a maund hag been 

 obtained recently. These prices are double those of a few years 

 ago. Clean wool fetches about three times as much. Cleaning 



