18

The reduction has been made by attention to the stringent orders issued
during the year with reference to excessive charges made under the heading of
Contingencies, and in carrying out this reduction I must state that Veterinary
Lieutenant Loughlin, the Superintendent, North-Western Provinces and Oudh,
has most assiduously striven to give effect to all orders issued with a view of
reducing expenditure. A saving has also been effected by selling all Farm
produce at current market rates.

Branded
mares. Number
present—

43. The number of branded or certificated mares at the commencement of
the year was, as shown in Table XII, page xlvi:—

                      20,584 for horse breeding.
                      6,215 for pony breeding.

During the year under review, 4,101 were added to the registers for the
former, and 266 for the latter, whilst 2,451 were removed from the horse breed-
ing, and 835 from the pony breeding registers. The balance remaining on
31st March 1895, was :—

                     22,234 for horse breeding.
                     5,646 for pony breeding.

The increase of 1,650 mares for horse breeding is most satisfactory and is
mainly due to the zeal shown by the Superintendents, North-Western Provin-
ces and Oudh, North Punjab, South Punjab, and Baluchistan. These officers
have travelled their districts incessantly during the cold weather, leaving no
portions unvisited, and I think that I am right in saying that this is the first
year during which every stand has been visited by the Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, North-Western Provinces and Oudh, and owing to the
energy shown by this officer, 715 mares were branded against 423 in 1893-94
and 220 the previous year.

44. On this subject, Veterinary Lieutenant Loughlin states :—

" Of the 715 branded, 160 were pedigreed mares whilst, a large majority of the remainder
were undoubtedly the produce of Government stallions. A great number of those branded were
fillies under 4 years of age, and all of them promised to grow into useful brood mares."

The number branded by this officer is very creditable to him, as in some
districts the mares exist in small numbers.

On this point, he further adds:—

" In the districts of Moradabad, Budaon, Bijnour, Bareilly, and Shahjehanpur, I only branded
51 mares in a month's tour."

During the year under review, 602 mares were branded by the Superinten-
dent, Civil Veterinary Department, North Punjab, and remarking on the
quality of those branded, the Superintendent states :—

" Of the mares branded by me I can only say that for the most part they were by Imperial
stallions, in many cases two or three generations and, as a whole, were a very useful level lot,
particularly the young mares of from 1½ to three years old, thus showing that the generations now
coming on are still improving.

" This fact is particularly to be noticed in the colour. The variegated colours of the old
country-bred are gradually disappearing in the whole coloured bays, browns, chestnuts, and greys
now met with, and the popularity of branding in certain districts is plainly evinced by the anxiety
of breeders and owners to get their young stock branded, and their disappointment when an
inferior underbred mare is rejected."

In the South Punjab Division, 879 mares were branded against 744 last
year, being an increase of 135.

In Bombay, including Sindh, 433 mares only were branded against 868
last year. Of these branded, only 226 were for horse breeding, The Superin-
tendent, Civil Veterinary Department, attributes this great decrease to the fact
that he visited new districts where branding is unknown, but still, in the in-
terests of horse breeding, the number added to the registers is most unsatisfac-
tory.

Number of
mares covered
by Government
horse stallions.

45. The number of mares covered by Government horse stallions during
the past 2 years is as follows :—