Sept. 2, 1901.] THE TEOPICAL AGEICULTUKIST. 
195 
THE VETERINARY SURGEON'S 
REPORT FOR 1900. 
It cannot be said of many Administration 
Reports that the bulk of them provide read- 
ing- matter of universal interest ; but an ex- 
ception to this general rule must be found 
in the Veterinarv Report of Mr. Sturgess, 
M.R.C.V.S., presented by itself this year for 
the first time and which came into our hands 
yesterday. Considering that the writer was 
engaged in special work in connection with 
conveyance of the C.M.I, horses to South 
Africa and an examination of the treatment 
and conditions of rinderpest there— the 
Ceylon Government thus killing two birds 
(but no horses !) with one missile— we con- 
gratulate him the more on the full and 
clear statement he has given for 1900. 
As the records available have hitherto been 
more than meagre, it is satisfactory to find 
that Mr. Sturges&'s systematic efforts to 
render these annually more complete have 
met with a fair measure of success during 
the year under review. And now that the 
importance of his work is coming to be 
officially recognised, no obstacle should be 
placed in the way of his thorough supervi- 
sion of the scientific duties of his staff in the 
shape of necessitated personal attention to a 
quantity of clerical work which might be un- 
dertaken by less skilled hands. A mere perusal 
of the Government circular (given elsewhere 
with extracts we quote from the . Report) 
will indicate the proportions to which this 
labour has attained. 
Rinderpest and inoculation are, of course, the 
two principal topics of which Mr. Sturgess 
treats, the usual visits to Delft and Irana- 
tivu having nothing of exceptional interest, 
except the curing of Iranati vu ponies of internal 
trouble during the October visit. Rinderpest, 
we learn, has been worst in the three thick- 
liest populated provinces — Western, Centi'al 
and Sabaragamuwa. The cause of its spread- 
ing, when an outbreak occurs, is generally 
found to be the fact that the animal (the 
disease usually occurring in a town or some 
way from home) is hurried back to the estate 
and this infects a perfectly free place. In 
introducing reforms among a people where 
so personal a property as cattle is reared and 
kept under the shadow of many supersti- 
tions and popular prejudices, a trained 
western officer will not find his route one 
that facilitates unimpeded marching. So 
original a people as the Sinhalese will not 
be driven into doing what the white doctor 
tells him and ancient custom has to be won 
by persuasion, by the persuasive force of 
success in treatment and in their neighbours' 
adherence to new rules— not conquered by 
the overriding weight of official order or 
decree. In following Mr. Sturgess's 
remarks on native methods, we are 
pleased to read between the lines 
how appreciatively he grasps the native 
ways and mind and recognises what perhaps 
Tennyson meant when he said : — 
Science moves but slowly, slowly, 
Creeping on from point to point. 
On the subject of inoculation Mr. Sturgess 
has much of interest to say and for experts 
85 
his remarks on the various methods of in- 
oculation are of high interest. For practical 
purposes, however, we quote details of only 
the Cape Colony method, which is to be 
followed in Ceylon. Passing over the sub- 
jects of the staff, returns of stock imported, 
foot-and-mouth diseases, and classes at the 
School of Agriculture, we come to the Gov- 
ernment Dairy and the Improvement of 
Isative Cattle. 
Mr. Sturgess thinks that the want of gdod 
cattle and absence of native effort to im- 
prove their stock is partly due to the fact 
that Ceylon does not possess a meat-eating 
population and partly because the native 
cannot (or will not, in some cases ?) afford 
to feed his cattle better, the better the cattle 
the more being the food required. The plan 
pursued at present, of sending the best bull- 
calves from the Government Dairy, through- 
out the island, wherever applied for by the 
Government Agent of a province, is likely 
to prove a first step towards extending a 
desire among the natives to devote more 
attention to their cattle. In due time, per- 
haps, they will come to exercise greater care 
over their herds, alter the breeding methods 
(or want of method !) in vogue and generally 
raise the quality of the stock, to the 
increased welfare and prosperity, agricul- 
tural and otherwise, of the population gene- 
rally. Next to the promotion of staple 
agricultural industries— in cereals, palms, 
vegetables, &c.— there is nothing so important 
in respect of native interests, as the main- 
tenance of healthy herds of live stock and 
the improvement of the same. The best 
guarantee that such a course is being opened 
out with all judicious rapidity is to be 
found in the fact that it is under the im- 
mediate charge of a gentleman of Mr. 
Sturgess's experience and keenness in his 
work, admirable sympathy with deep-rooted 
custom and recognition that the pace cannot 
be forced where the immemorial witys of an 
ancient people are concerned. On the one 
side of the District and Provincial Revenue 
Officers, Mr, Sturgess has as notable work 
to do as have Dr. Willis and his Scientific 
Staff on the other. 
♦ 
VETERINARY WORK IN CEYLON. 
( Extracts from the Report of the Govern- 
ment Veterinary Surgeon for 1900. ) 
I have the honour to present my report for the 
year 1900. Early in January my services were 
placed at the disposal of the Commandant, Ceylon 
Volunteers, in connection with the despatch of 
the Ceylon Contingent of Mounted Infantry 
TO SOUTH AFRICA. 
I left for South Africa on 24th February with 
seventy-five horses, reaching Capetown on the 
evening of 16th March. The horses were all 
safely landed on the 18th in good condition. I 
•was on duty with the horses until 9th April, 
when I returned to Capetown and commenced the 
investigation of the methods employed in South 
Africa in dealing with rinderpest, as directed by 
His Excellency the Governor before my departure 
from Ceylon. After presenting niy letters to the 
Govermnent of Capo Colony, I was referred to 
