546 
THP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[February i, 1892. 
In Bond. — According to the B Bill of Entry , Ihe 
quantity of tea remaining in the Customa and Exoiae 
warehouses of the United Kingdom on Nov. 30 was 
100,685,15.5 lb., against 91,042,845 lb- a year ago, and 
105,894,018 lb, at end of November, 1889 ; the stock 
of coffee being 104,217 cwt., against 163,850 and 
291,715 cwt.; of cocon, 1 1,025,889 U>., against 10,146,099 
nod 10,923,709 lb. — 11. and C. Mail, Dro. 11th, 
CATTLE EEEI'ING AND DAIRYING 
IN INDIA. 
“ Oow-keeping in India "* is truthfully described 
on the title-page as a simple and practical book. 
The author of the work is Isa Tweed, who having 
undertaken tho management of miloh cows for 
no less than eighteen years, and the medical treat 
meut of cattle for a considerable period, embodies the 
results of tho experience thus obtaioed in a 
volume which is a valuable contribution to agri- 
ouUural literature of the East, 
In a preface to the book the author states that 
personal care and supervisiou, and the striotest 
attention to details are absolutely essential in the 
sueoessful management of eattle ; and it oannot 
be denied that whatever the exeellenoies of the 
natives of Ceylon they can as little be trusted to 
faithfully carrying out the details of a system 
based ou sound sanitary and coonomio principles 
as their brethren on tb.o neighbouring continent. 
The following are the \headinga of the chapters 
into which Book 1 is divided: — Advantages of 
Keeping Cows; Breeds of Cattle; Buying Cows; Points 
in a Good Cow ; Food ; Honse and Utensils ; Atten- 
dants ;WsBhiog, Grooming, and Exercise; Breeding; 
Bulls ; Bullocks ; Dry Cows ; Management of Co»s 
when Calving ; Calves, their Value, Management 
and House; Points in a Good Calf; Castrating Calves; 
Taking the Bull ; Barren Cows ; Ago of Cattle ; 
Price of Cattle ; Milk ; Cream ; Butter ; Ghee ; 
Curd and Tyor ; Liee, Ticks, Flies * 0 , ; tho Sea- 
sons of the Year ; Cattle-dung ; and Grass lands. 
Cow-keeping is called “ a profitable pastime,” the 
profits arising from tho sale not only of milk, 
butter and ghee, but also of oalves and dung. At 
the outset wo are advised to select good speci- 
mens from good breeds, as being more eatisfaotory 
and more profitable to keep. The breeds given 
as the five principal ones in India are the Hansi 
or Uissar, Nagouri, Nollore, Guzerati and Googaira, 
but other less distinct and important families are 
also referred to. Though English cattle do fairly 
well in cool climates in the Bast, they are as a 
whole put down as ” troublesome and oostly 
business.” It is roaommended that for milk 
thoroughbred Hissar, Nellore, Guzerati or Goozaira 
cows should be kept, or else good crossbreds of 
the second oroBsing between tho cows of the oonntry 
and the bulls of pure blood. 
On tho Bubjeot of improving tho breed of cattle 
of a district the author thinks that tho Govern- 
ment should take up the matter, and import good 
Hissar bulla into every diatriot. Every village or 
group of villages should ho induced to purchase 
and keep a bull, and the people should be 
encouraged to improve their cattle by the offer of 
prizes for the best speoimens, bred by them and 
by the holding of cattle shows. It is also suggested 
that tho villagers should be made to pay soma- 
tbing towards the purohaso and keep of the bull, 
as they will then take a greater interest in 
the animal, and will take oare of it. 
The hull should be put in the care of the 
headman of the village, and Ub should be 
* Published by Messrs. Thacker Spink & Co, 
Calcutta. 
responsible to the magistrate for its proper 
treatment. "If this plan be adop'.el throughout 
Bengal,” says tho writer, " in five years there would 
be vary marked improvement in tho cat'.le.” This 
is a eoheme which with very lew alterations might 
well be adopted in Ceylon ; and to ju lge from tho 
steps taken by the School of Agriculture, and tho 
utterances of His Exaellenoy the Governor in 
November last, it is not improbable that tho Gov 
ernment contemplates taking aetivo measures for 
the improvement of our native brerd of cattle. 
Our author oiaseos milk under three headings — 
(1) Yellow creamy milk uhioh contains a largo 
proportion of fatty eubetanoe necessary for butter ; 
(2) Thiuk heavy white milk which oontnina a great 
deal of ease in snitable for cheese, junkets, curds, 
&e.; (3) Thin bluish milk which is sweet and nioo 
but does not produce much butter, cream or curd. 
The last, which is the most oummon kind of milk 
produced by Indian cows, is said to bo the 
best for children and invalids. The lactometer is 
justly condemned as unreliable since it does 
not furnish any absolute standard of purity. Tho 
sollda of milk are heavier than water, but the fat 
(butter) is lighter, and very rich milk may rank 
lower, as shown by the lactometer teat, than milk; 
that is really poor in quality. If sugar is added to 
watered milk the lactometer will show it as pure milk; 
and again the pure thin bluish milk will by tho 
same test rank as watered milk. It will be well 
for housewives and stewards of hospitals, asylums 
and such institutions to ponder over this explana- 
tion, as milkmen even in Ceylon are up to the 
trick of doctoring milk for the Uotomuter test. 
In Colombo bultalo milk, ccconut ” milk," sugar 
and water aro all used to bring up milk (supplied 
to Government inatitutions forsooth) t) the required 
etaiidard. For keeping milk good the be-t kind of 
vessels ate said to be well tinned copper pans and 
vessels made of zino, bell metal, or wood, China 
crockery is objeoted to as retaining heat, and 
silver or metal vessels and spoons arc also tu bo 
avoided. Vanilla is said to have a wonderful effect 
in keeping milk sweet; a drop of its eseonoe being 
of groat help in keeping it good. 
With regard to foods wo are told that kullai, 
gram, barley and wheat are tho only grains that 
should be given to miloh cows — rice not being 
particularly nutritious and Indian corn tending to 
fatten but not to increase the milk yield ; green 
grass is very essential and gives colour and riob- 
noBS to the milk and butter; oolten seed pruduoes 
rich milk but should be given in moderation ; oil 
oake (gingelly, linseed and oocount) helps to pro- 
duce milk and butter ; bran helps digestion 
and produoes milk. Different mixtures of these 
ingredients are given as guides to feeding 
and ta each mixture is added a small quantity 
of salt and sulphur, which are said to he puriliore, 
peeping the bowels in proper oonditiou and acting 
as preventatives against many diseases. It will 
be remembered that the cattle commission np- 
pointed soma years ago also reaommonded salt and 
sulphur as preventatives. 
With regard to tho amount of land needed for 
cattle the author comes to tho conclusion that 
good cows oannot thrive on less than ono aero. 
Of this extent four-sevenths should bo left in 
grass, and kullai, gram, or wheat, grown on tho 
remaining three-sevenths. It is insisted that every 
five years this grass land should bo thoroughly 
ploughed up and oleaned, while manuring should 
he done at short intervals. The subjects of bous- 
ing and utensils are carefully explained by tho 
aid of diagrams, and the plana tor cattle sheds 
might well be adopted by those who go in for 
dairying in Ceylon, Ihe greatest oleaniiness is oV 
