Gazetteer Of The Shahpur District 1897

· 1897 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1Shahpur district* 3

2CHAPTER lY.-PRODaCTION AND DLSTEIBUTION, 1-81

3broad forehead, very long drooping ears, sometimes 18 or 14

4inches in length, eyes set back inside of face, tail short and

5small. The wool fine and of a fairly long staple, the ears, face

6and legs generally black, and often the wool is partly colored.

7Bumhds or fat-tailed sheep are found in the Salt range ; in some

8of them the size of the tail amounts to a deformity. Mr. Nunn

9saw one the tail of which measured over two feet across at the

10broadest part, and was so heavy that when lying down, the

11animal ccJuld not rise without assistance, and was told that from

12the tail of a similar sheep that had been killed, over 80 pounds

13of fat had been taken. The dumba if crossed with the Thai

14sheep loses all its characteristics in about the third generation.

15The male lambs are castrated at 6 months old, and are sold as

16yearling wethers to dealers v/ho come from all parts of

17country to buy them. Many are taken to Rawalpindi and other

18cantonments for commissariat purposes. Sheep are shorn

19twice a year at the beginning and end of the hot weather

20and give about three-eighths of a ser of wool each time in

21the Bar, and double that quantity in the Thai, The white

22wool of the Thai is famous for its fine quality and sells un-

23cleaned at about 4 sers per rupee or rather &t six fleeces {pothi)

24per rupee ; thus a Thai sheep produces about 5 annas worth of

25%vool every year. The head-quarters of the trade in Thai wool

26is Nfirpur whence a large quantity is annually exported towards

27Mooltan and Karachi, and where a good quality of blanket {lot)

28is made. The wool of the Bar is largely consumed at Bhera

29where it is made into felt (namda). A good sheep fetches Rs. 4

30or Rs. 5, but the average price maybe taken as Rs. 2. . Sheep

31often die in large numbers of epidemic disease, and are subject

32to that form of splenic apoplexy or anthrax {pharikM) which

33is commonly known as ^^braxy in Scotland. \ sheep^s skin

34fetches 4 annas.

35The number of goats also appears to be increasing. They

36are bred chiefly in the B^r, Thai and Salt range, where they

37are the poor man’s cow.” There are five differeut breeds —

38li — a very large goat, standing 36 inches high,

39with long hair and long narrow ears, one measured

40being 3 3 inches.

41ll—Hajiridn, which are much the same except that

42the ears are broader and the teats are very small ;

43this vSort of goat is the best milker,

44III, — Bojif a small goat with very small ears,

45IV. — which is very rare. This is not an in-

46digenous breed, but from time to time has been

47brought up from Sindh by boatmeo on their

48return from voyages to Bufckur and down the

49Indus; it is a very small species, not more than

5018 to 20 inches high, with small ears and horns,

51very slight-limbed and' black and tan in color,