LIVE-STOCK 107 



per day. The best ones may yield as much as 15 to 20 lb. in 

 24 hours. The Mysore cattle are quick of pace and very 

 spirited and are specially suited for road work. The cows are 

 poor milkers. Between these two extremes are all the 

 remaining several breeds, in which the working and milking 

 capabilities are combined and are of a medium standard. 

 Indian heifers, as a rule, do not come in heat until they 

 are from 3| to 4 years old, but some take the bull as soon 

 as they have cut the first pair of teeth, that is, when they are 

 21 years old, and instances are known in which heifers have 

 produced their first calves before cutting the first pair of 

 teeth. It is quite safe to breed from heifers which have 

 cut the first pair, and it is desirable from the point of 

 view of saving in the matter of keep, that they should be 

 so bred from. Early maturity can be secured by proper 

 feeding and care. Indian cattle tend to go dry for a long 

 time. They are not fed when they are dry and it does 

 not pay the owner to do so. There is no reason why cows 

 when they are dry, should not be used as draught animals 

 until they are within a month and a half or two of calving, 

 and fed and looked after well. This practice obtain in 

 some parts of Coimbatore and Salem districts, and deserves 

 further extension. A cow comes in season, as a rule, every 

 three weeks, but this varies very much with different animals. 

 A good cow should average a calf a year ; this means she 

 should take the bull two to four months after calving. A cow 

 after calving should not be given the bull, even if she comes in 

 heat, until two months have elapsed since calving. Some cows 

 may go on milking during the whole period of pregnancy, 

 hi such cases they should be dried when they are within a 

 couple of months of calving, so that the mammary glands 

 may have rest and the process of the secretion of new milk 

 may go on undisturbed. Heifers should not be allowed to 

 get too fat, as oestrum is liable to be delayed, and they 

 may even go barren. The breeding bull should be parti- 

 cularly selected as his influence on the progeny is extensive, 

 and as he becomes the sire of many animals. A bull 

 should not be used for breeding before he has at least cut 

 he first pair, that is about 2i year old. He is in his vigour 

 from the third to the eighth year, after which he should 

 be discarded. He must be fed well, and light and regular 

 work will keep him in good condition, health and spirit. 

 The average period of gestation in cows is 9£ months or 285 

 days. It is said that they go longer with a bull calf than 

 with a heifer, which is, however, not confirmed by observation.. 

 The signs of pregnancy in a cow are these. She does not 



