330 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



depth of body. The Porto Rico Experiment Station has already 

 obtained 300 head of progeny in these crossing experiments 

 and has had opportunity to observe the habits and char- 

 acters of the hybrid animals. In all cases the zebu appears to 

 add constitutional vigor, active movement, strong bone, straight 

 legs, and hard hoofs. The hybrids have been found to be 

 almost completely immune to tick infestation and show a 

 remarkable natural adaptation to tropical heat and short 

 pasturage. 



BUFFALO (Bos Bubalus) 



The buffalo of India and the Oriental Tropics is now^ an 

 important domesticated animal in Spain, Italy, southeastern 

 Europe, Africa, India, Burma, the Philippine Islands, China, 

 Formosa, Hawaii, and various Pacific Islands. The buffalo 

 is a large powerful animal, weighing up to 2,000 pounds or 

 more and standing about six feet high at the withers. The 

 spread of the horns is often as much as six feet. The horns 

 are flattened and curve upward and backward. The body is 

 nearly hairless and of a bluish-black color. The buffalo, or 

 carabao as they are called in the Philippines, are strong, slow, 

 lazy, and willful. They do not endure cold weather or dry 

 climate and must be maintained in the neighborhood of streams 

 or standing water in which they may wallow. The buffalo is 

 intimately associated with the rice industry. Horses and 

 mules do not endure working in the mud as well as do the 

 buffalo. In fact, the buffalo not only endures this sort of 

 work, but appears to prefer working in the water and mud 

 rather than on dry land. The buffalo serves as a powerful 

 work animal up to the age of 20 to 30 years. 



Outside of the Buddhist and Brahmin communities, the buf- 

 falo meat is eaten, and while the meat of all buffalo oxen is 

 reasonably tough, the flavor is not particularly unpleasant. 

 The milk yield of the buffalo is larger than that of the zebu 

 or other cattle under tropical conditions. The fat content 



