578 
Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  A^ricuUuristT 
[I'm;  1,  1896. 
si^L/iuco,  aiul  none  should  be  offered  unless  labour  is 
prptracted.  The  owner  should,  however,  satisfy 
himself  early  that  the  presentation  of  the  calf  is 
I'ight.  Assi.'itance  is  sometimes  necessary,  es- 
pecially with  heifers  having  their  lirst  calf.  ' Wlien 
given,  the  hands  and  arm  of  the  operator  should 
be  clean  and  well  rubbed  with  carbolic  liniment. 
Assistance  is  most  effective  when  the  cow  lies  on 
her  side  and  the  calf’s  legs  pulled  slightly  down- 
wards towards  the  hocks  of  the  cmv.  The 
operator  should  only  assist  each  labour  pain  and 
should  not  pull  at  any  other  time.  The  after- 
birth should  coma  away  at  once  or  in  the  course 
of  a few  hours. 
If  labour  is  protracted  owing  to  a false  presenta- 
tion or  from  any  other  cause,  or  if  the  afterbirth 
is  retained,  then  if  the  stock  owner  has  no 
technical  knowledge  as  to  treatment,  the  assistance 
of  the  nearest  qualified  veterinary  officer  should  be 
obtained  without  any  delay. 
The  milk  of  a cow  or  a buffalo  immediately 
after  calving  is  of  a peculiar  nature.  It  is  called 
‘‘  beastings,”  and  its  function  appears  to  be  to  clear 
the, intestines  of  any  accumulated  matter  which  of 
course  should  at  once  be  excreted.  There  is  no 
risk  of  costiveuess,  provided  the  calf  is  allowed  to 
drink  a fair  quantity  of  the  first  milk.  Ordinarily 
in  India  the  calf  is  starved.  It  is  allowed  to 
suckle  until  the  cow  lets  the  milk  down.  The 
moment  milk  fills  the  teats  the  calf  is  tied  uj) 
near  the  head  of  the  mother  and  all  the  milk 
which  the  gavli  (milkman)  can  extract  is  taken. 
The  calf  is  then  untied  and  sucks  all  it  can  after- 
wards. It  is  impos.sible  that  it  can  got  more  than 
2 lbs.  per  day.  It,  however,  gets  the  richest  part 
of  the  milk.  All  that  it  usually  gets  is  barely 
sufficient  to  support  existence.  The  difference  in 
butter  fat  between  the  first  ami  last  milk  drasvn 
from  a buffalo  is  shown  by  the  following  figures, 
the  actual  results  of  a test  at  the  I’oona  (iovern- 
ment  Farm : — 
I’erceniago  of  butter  fat  ill  the  first  .ser  drawn  f'O 
,,  ,,  last  ,,  10' 1 
Average  percentage  of  butter  fat  in  the  whole 
milk  of  the  buffalo  t)’98. 
♦ 
IIORSK-BRFEDING. 
The  possibility  of  breeding  serviceable  horses  in 
(leylon  has  been  treated  of  in  the  column, s of  the 
Magazine  before  now.  Tlie  imiiortance  of  the 
subiect  is  brought  before  us  daily  by  tlie  large 
number  of  horses  that  are  imported  here  annually 
from  Austi'alia  and  India.  During  the  last  twelve 
months,  in  the  absence  of  reliable  statistics,  we 
may  roughly  estimate  the  number  of  Australian 
ponies  and  horses  imported  to  the  Island  at  300, 
and  Indians,  Forsians,  and  Arabs  at  200,  valuing 
an  Australian  hor.se  on  an  average  at  R-IOO.  the 
cost  of  Australian  horses  imported  to  the  Island 
comes  to  about  R 120,000,  considerably  over  a lac 
of  rupees.  The  two  hundred  Indians  &c.  may 
be  valued  at  R-50,000,  so  it  is  seen  that  we 
annually  imiiort  horses  to  the  value  of  about 
Itl70,odo.  Now  the  demand  for  horseflesh  can 
at  least  jiartly  be  supplied  locally,  it  we  start 
the  horse-breeding  industry  in  the  Island.  There 
are  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  North-Central 
and  the  Southern  Frovince  under  natural  pasture, 
and  really  good  horse-runs  can  be  established  in 
any  of  these  places.  In  .Australia  the  breeding  of 
horses  lioe.s  not  involve  many  troublesome  details. 
It  fact,  the  animals  are  to  a gieat  extent  left  to 
themselves,  and  in  many  instances  the  first  atten- 
tion paid  to  a colt  is  when  it  is  al)out  to  be 
sold.  In  India,  there  are  many  breeding  farms 
conducted  on  approved  in-inciides,  but  most  of  the 
horses  are  kept  by  small  laudowner.s,  somewhat 
in  tlio  same  way  cattle  are  kept  here.  The 
horse.s  thus  bred  are  not  a very  superior  lot,  but 
they  fetch  fairly  remunerative  price.?. 
Before  this  industry  can  be  popularized  among 
our  own  small  landowners,  it  will  be  necessary 
for  Government  to  start  one  or  two  breeding 
farms  to  prove  that  horse  breeding  could  be  suc- 
ce.ssfully  carried  on  here.  Fifty  mares  and  two  or 
three  stallions  would  on  an  average  yield  forty 
colts  annually.  The  initial  cost  of  the  purchase 
of  the  mares  ahd  stallions  should  not  exceed 
1120,000  ; and  after  three  jears  the  annual  produce 
of  the  farm  may  be  put  dowuiat  forty  colts,  w'hich 
will  fetch  an  average  price  of  R200,  or  a total  of 
R8,000.  The  expenses  of  the  attendants,  pasture, 
A'c.,  will  easily  be  recouped  if  the  animals  are 
kept  in  connection  with  a farm  where  they  can  be 
employed  for  agricultural  work.  Tiie  subject 
deserves  careful  attention  at  the  hands  of  those 
interested  in  new  industries. 
W.  A.  D.  S. 
SOME  RECENT  UTTERANCES  ON 
“ AGRIC  U LT  UR  A L E DUO  AT  1 ON.  ” 
The  winter  session  of  the  Agricultural  Dej)art- 
ment  of  the  Glasgow  and  West  of  Scotland 
Technical  College  was  inaugurated  on  IVednesday 
last,  by  the  delivery  of  Frofessor  Campbell's 
lecture.  Frofessor  Wright  pre.?ided  at  the  lecture, 
and  in  introducing  f’rofessor  Campbell,  said  ; In 
beginning  our  course  of  classes  for  winter,  1 may 
be  permitted  to  say  a few  words  on  a subject 
recently  much  discussed,  viz.,  agricultural  educa- 
tion. Many  sensible  things  have  been  said  and 
written,  many  also  that  cannot  be  so  characterised. 
In  particular,  I think  that  some  injustice  has  been 
done  to  farmers  in  one  or  two  respects.  Some 
speakers  have  assumed  that  farmers  were  a most 
ignorant  class  who  knew  nothing,  and  who  wanted 
to  know  nothing.  Now,  my  ojiinion  is  quite 
otherwise.  1 think  there  are  few  men  outside  the 
bounds  of  t he  bairm'il  jirofessiou.?  who  have  such  a 
wide,  minute,  and  extensive  knowledge  as  farmers. 
Only  those  who  are  at  nil  acquainted  with 
agriculture  can  kno\v  how  extremely  great  is  the 
range  of  knowledge  required  if  a man  is  to  be 
thoroughly  acquaintedwith  all  branches  of  practi- 
cal farming.  I know  of  no  business  in  which  tlie 
recjuirements  of  knowledge  are  so  great  as  in 
farming,  and  there  is  no  class  of  the.  business 
community  whose  knowledge  is  so  extensive  ns 
that  of  farmers,  and  1 know  of  none  in  which  the 
exercise  of  that  knowledge  is  worse  paid.  It  may 
be  admitted  that  in  regard  to  what  is  especially 
knowm  as  agricultural  science,  farmers  generally 
are  not  .so  well  informed  as  in  regard  to  other 
branches  of  their  business.  But  who  is  to  blame 
for  that  y Not  farmers.  1 am  amazed,  when  1 
consider  the  poor  opportunities  they  have  had, 
and  thg  difficulties  (hey  have  had  to  contend  wdth, 
to  meet  with  so  many  farmer,?  who  have  succeeded 
ill  acipiiring  a remarkable  acquaintance  withl'all 
branches  of  agricultural  science  and  practice.  Who 
