362 
Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturist.'''' [Nov. 1, 1906, 
important to stock owners, offering to give three 
Bhilliiigs in advance of the market rates for hides 
not branded on the prime parts, the parts re- 
commended being the th.igh, iijiper arm, neck 
and cheek.* If cruelty is to be avoided and at 
the same time the commercial vali'e of the hides is 
not to be depreciated, I consider the thigh and the 
upper arm the most suitable places, but I cnnnot 
give my support to branding on the cheek or 
neck. I have already given it as my opinion that the 
thigh and croop are tiie best places for l)randing nnd 
as a compromise with those who are anxious for the 
Talue of the hide I am so far prepared to modify 
my recommendation nnd join issues with them, as 
to consent to substitute the upper arm for the 
croop. Let these two places then — the thigh nnd 
the upper arm — be fixed upon as the most suitable 
on all grounds for branding for identification. 
The branding might commence at the upper arm, 
and if the space available is not sufficient it might 
be continued on to the thigh, and provided even 
these two places do not suffice, the croop might 
be included as a dernier ressort. 
I have yet another suggestion to make, and that 
is that owners of stock should possess a branding 
instrument in which the initials of the owner, or 
any other selected letters or marks, should be 
designed in iron, so that the letters &c. might be 
of uniform size and conveniently imj)ressed on 
the body by means of a handle to which the con- 
nected letters should be attached. That native 
blacksmiths are quite able to work out any design 
or initials in iron is evidenced by the fact that 
the Government Dairy branding iron representing 
the royal crown, and other irons representing 
initials, have been made by ordinaiy blacksmiths 
with no special qualification for the work. Such 
irons as I have referred to should not cost on an 
average more than El. If owners of cattle are com- 
pelled to produce their branding irons, the design 
of which should be registered with an appointed 
village au.thority, who should perform the duties of 
aninspector of brands(an office which exists in some 
countries) it would be a great deterrent to cattle 
stealing, 
III. Branding for Artistic Effect. 
Branding with this object in view is cruelty 
pure and simple, without any shread of common- 
sense or humanity to recommend it. The man 
■whose eye is pleased by artistic brandmarks must 
be put down as the product by a low state of 
civilization. The representations for artistic effect 
Tary in design and magnificence. They are some- 
times geometrical, sometimes floral, and sometimes 
representative of mythological deities, or symbolize 
supernatural iiifluei!ces. There should hs no half 
measures in dealing with this inhuman form of 
the decorative art, and summary punishment 
should be meted out to those who practise it. 
IV. Branding fob Concealmii.nt of Theft. 
It is by no means uncommon to hear of the brand- 
marks on stolen cattle being altered with the 
object of defying detection of the theft. These 
[I am informed by a local authority that 
the loss on (Jeylon hides due to depreciation 
on account of branding may be put down at two 
^pence pfT- jiound.J 
alterations are generally done under the plea of 
therajieutic or arristic branding, and in some 
instances are very skillfully canied out. Let us, 
for purposes of illustration, suppose that a parti- 
cular bull bears three branded letters which are 
disposed of a.« follows : § for Mullegama on the 
thigh, 2Si for Kalu on the abdomi^n, S) for Banda 
on the shoulder, and that the owner Mullegama 
Kalu Banda loses the animal. AVhen the bull is 
found in the posse-sion of the cattle lifter (by 
name Kiri Banda) the letter ^ standing for Mulle- 
gama is entirely disguised by a highly ornamenta- 
tive mythological design, and the necessarj' 
addition is made above the letter as to alter it 
into zS, so that the initial of Kalu Banda be- 
comes tliat of Kiri Banda. It requires expert 
knowledge to trace the difference between an old 
and rtcent brandmark, and very often it is quite im- 
pcissiiile to make the distinction for there are ways 
and means of making new marks apijiear old. But 
if my recommendation that the. possession of a 
branding iron with a specific design of letters or 
figures or marks be made com|)ulsory, and the addi- 
tional precaution enforced of having these brand- 
marks registered, two oiijects will be served, for 
both the j)ain of branding and the possibility of 
cattle thieving will be minimised. When the un- 
lettered villager starts practising writing his initials 
with a hot iron, like a school boy at his first copy- 
book, one can imagimetlie slow torture that many 
of our dumb friends are put to. Now this torture 
would be practically absent and at the same time 
there will be no latitude for increasing the dimen- 
sions in leugtii, biei.dth, height and thickness, or 
the artistic effect of the lettering. 
In view of the fact that both therapeutic (so- 
called) branding and branding for artistic effect 
are used as a blind for the concealment of theft, 
there is all the more necessity for prohibiting 
cruelty to animals practised on these excuses. 
OCCASIONAL XOTES. 
The following are the references to agricultural 
matters in the Governor's speech at the opening 
of the new Session of the Legislative Council on 
the 18th October : — The Commission which I 
appointed in January, 1899, under the presidency 
of Mr. Justice Lawrie, to inquire into and report 
on the advisability of establishing a Department 
of Agriculture, reported on .31st October, 1899. 
A majority of the Commission recommended the 
appointment of a Director of Agriculture to be 
assisted by an advisory board, and that there should 
be attached to the Department of the Director of 
the Royal Botanic Gardens, a Mj cologist, Agri- 
cultural Chemist, Entomologist, and Veterinary 
iSurgeon. A majority also recommended that the 
Irrigation Department should be combined with 
the new Department. After careful consideration 
in Executive Council of this report, and also 
of the views expressed by Messrs. Willis and 
Ferguson and others, I decided that the time had 
not yet come when the appointment of a Director 
of Agriculture would be justified, but that the 
formation of an unpaid Central Board on the 
same lines as the Central Irrigation Board, and of 
Prpyijicial Board? under the Governmeut Agents 
I 
