Gazetteer Ludhiana District 1888

· 1888 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1Ludhiana District. |

2CHAP. IV.—PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION. 151k

3crop is grown for fodder; and a failure of the autumn rains means

4that the cattle will get no grass or green charri in the autumn,

5and no dry charzt in the months of the cold weather; while they

6are at the same time deprived of their usual rest of two or three

7months, and have constant work at the wells. It is not possible

8that cattle should go all the year round on dry straw and grain. The

9first effect of drought is to reduce the condition of the cattle, and

10to render them very liable to the ordinary ailments if they do not

11actually die of overwork and starvation. There was a considerable

12loss in this way in 1861 and 1868, but not in any other year since the

13Chapter IV, B..

14Livestock.

15Loss of cattle by

16disease: Insufficient

17food : Drought.

18Regular Settlement. Besides being sadly overworked and often in- -

19sufficiently fed, the cattle in the eastern villages are very badly housed.

20They are taken home inside the village, and penned up in houses a

21few feet square, while their masters are enjoying the fresh air on the

22roof of the house. In the western parts they have much better

23accommodation, and get plenty of fresh air.

24Sirak and bawa are terms used to denote any form of Diseases prevalent,

25epidemic, disease ; also marri. Only two true epidemic diseases

26amongst cattle can be identified, of which the first appears to be either

27anthrax fever or malignant sorethroat. It is called gal gotu, and

28is very deadly in its effects, and also most infectious, attacking

29buffaloes and bullocks alike. The affected beast gives up its food,

30and a swelling forms in the throat. This appears to burst internally,

31and the majority of animals affected die the day after the appearance

32of the first symptoms. No attempt is made at a cure ; but it is said

33that, if purging sets in the scond day, the animal will recover, unless

34it dies of exhaustion in ten or fifteen days. The disease is always

35present somewhere in the district, and when a village becomes infect-

36ed, it will lose fifty to a hundred cattle ina few days. Recoveries are

37rare. No attemptis ever made to prevent the spread of the disease

38by isolation, burying carcases, &c. It is said to be carried from

39one villageto another by carrion-eating birds, storks in particular.

40Foot and mouth disease is called monkhkar or morkhur (also

41vora and ckdépla), and is common. It is never very deadly

42but the cattle affected are useless fora long time. It appears tobe

43very infectious, and crops up here and there almost every year. The

44first object to which attention should be directed is obviously the

45prevention of the spread of these epidemics from village to village

46and inside of villages ; and it will, of course, be very difficult to induce

47the people to do any thing for themselves in the matter.

48Of the ordinary ailments, ogu appears to be epilepsy, or

49paralysis, the beast affected generally falling down and dying in a

50short time. 7i%lla and hallu are the effect of cold, and attack

51buffaloes only, the symptom being difficulty of respiration. Alokh

52is purging in any disease. Rinderpest does not appear to be,

53amongst the diseases which attack the cattle of the district. Cattle

54are often lost by overfeeding with methe or other green fodder

55after having had poor food forsome months. When there is a break

56in the rains, and the charrtis stunted (called sokha), cattle getting

57into the field and grazing fall down and die. This is called patha

58lag aaua, and is apparently choking.

59Foot and mouth

60disease,

61Ordinary ailments

62of cattle,

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