CATTLE AND FODDER. 1 87 



were successfully bred they would die of starvation, and 

 would be no more useful, even if they lived, than the cattle 

 of the country." 



In some districts, of course, there are good 

 herds, and sufficient, but I cannot believe that, 

 taking India as a whole, there is not room for 

 improvement in the gaunt, mongrel, and very 

 " lean kine " who drag the ryots' wooden plough, 

 and meander down the dusty white roads alongside 

 the shaft of his bandy. A little " breeding" would 

 seem to be usually as satisfactory in cattle as in 

 higher ranks of animal life. 



For the accommodation of estate herds sheds 

 are requisite. Two great essentials should be 

 observed in the construction of these. Firstly, 

 the securing of the animals' health by cleanliness, 

 warmth, and ventilation ; and, secondly, the saving 

 of the litter and droppings, which are removed 

 not less often than once in twenty-four hours. 



As a rule bullocks in India are housed without 

 litter, although in some villages it is the practice 

 to litter them in the cold weather with grass or 

 refuse straw, which collects liquid as well as all 

 their solid excrements. The native objection to 

 the practice in the rains is that, even where litter 

 is available, it brings in snakes and insects, and is, 

 on account of the fermentation and heat induced 

 by the climate, injurious to the feet as well as to 

 the general health of cattle. But the greatest 

 objection of all is the absence of available straw 



