14 CATTLE SURVEY OF THE AMRITSAR DISTRICT. 



herds. Cow buffaloes breed usually at four years old and produce up to 

 about 10 calves. The " Gujars" of Amritsar City have some good buf- 

 faloes and the tendency is to keep more, good cows being difficult to 

 obtain. Milk for drinking purposes being in great demand in large cities, 

 ghi is not made to the extent it is in villages. 



25. Comparatively few camels are kept in the Amritsar District and 



the number tends to decrease every vear. Camels 

 Camels. . . . 



in irrigated tracts where there are good communi- 

 cations are obviously bound to disappear unless artificially encouraged, 

 The few camels kept in the Amritsar District by a few men who let them 

 on hire for carrying baggage present no special features. They are on 

 the whole very inferior specimens. 



26. Amritsar is a selected district under the Army Remount Depart- 



ment and efforts are made to induce the people to 

 Horses. , 



breed remounts. 



It is doubtful if much success is obtained as the people are not very 

 keen and there are comparatively few good mares in the district. The 

 horses in the Tarn Taran Tahsil are superior to those in the other parts 

 of the district. The census figures show an increase in the number of 

 horses and ponies kept which is probably attributable to increased pros- 

 perity. The district is apt to suffer considerably from "surra", however, 

 and but for the losses in 1908, which were rather severe, the total 

 number of horses would probably have been more at the last census. 



27. The number of mules has increased considerably during the 



last five years due to a great extent to increased 

 recognition of the usefulness and market value of 



these animals. Many of the mares in the district are more suitable to 

 mule breeding than horse breeding and the former industry is more pro- 

 fitable in consequence. 



28. Donkeys have decreased in number according to the last quin- 



quennial census. The low-caste people who keep 



them find it increasingly difficult to provide food 



for them as they do not calculate to purchase fodder to any extent and 



