FODDEK 113 



Another serious problem arises as regards fodder. 

 In some localities fodder is habitually short, and every 

 hot season the cattle are reduced to a pitiable con- 

 dition. They are small in size and breed at very 

 irregular intervals. These qualities are most unde- 

 sirable from the point of view of economic farming, 

 but under existing circumstances they have a great 

 survival value for the animal, and it is futile to at- 

 tempt any improvement in breeding until the fodder 

 supply has been improved. In other tracts there 

 is a fair supply of fodder in normal years, and it is 

 only in years of scarcity that the pinch is felt. 

 Such years, however, occur with distressing frequency. 

 When the failure of rain is local it is possible to 

 deal with the situation by importing fodder into 

 the affected tracts, though the transport of fodder 

 is a costly matter, whether the cost be defrayed by 

 the people or by Government ; but when the failure 

 of rain is widespread the loss of cattle is great. The 

 famines of 1897 and 1918 each caused a loss of 

 1,000,000 cattle to the Bombay Presidency, and the 

 famine of 1899-1900 caused a loss of 2,000,000 head ; 

 and it was only due to the elaborate measures taken 

 by Government to provide fodder for the affected 

 districts that the loss was not much heavier. 



As regards meat production the striking fact is that 



India is the only country in the world with an 



enormous supply of cattle from which no profit is 



obtained by slaughter. The Bombay Presidency 



contains 9,000,000 cattle, at least 20 per cent of 



8 



