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Vol. XXXI No. 3, May 16-31, 2021

John Shortt and his works on Indian cattle – II

by Ramya Raman, Chitra Narayanasamy, and Anantanarayanan Raman

(Continued from last fortnight)

A memorial for the Brahman bull in Mareeba (Queensland, 1996) celebrating the success of this breed in Australia in revolutionizing beef production (Note: The first consignment of Brahmin cattle arrived in Northern Queensland in 1933 from America.

A memorial for the Brahman bull in Mareeba (Queensland, 1996) celebrating the success of this breed in Australia in revolutionizing beef production (Note: The first consignment of Brahmin cattle arrived in Northern Queensland in 1933 from America.

The Nellore cows are prized for the milk they yield: 18 quarts/every 24 hours (1 imperial quart = 1.14 L). A well-grown animal would measure 15–17 hands (150–170 cm) in height and will bear ‘noble but heavy look’. The powers of bulls to endure drought are profound; according to Shortt they can pull 1500–000 lb (680–900 kg) load on a ‘fair’ (flat?) road. Horns are stumpy, hardly 3–6 inches in length and bear blunt tips. The Nellore breed occurs as far north as Vizagapatnam (Visakapatnam). Shortt remarks that an inferior Nellore breed [12 hands (120 cm) in height] occurs in Ganjam (now Orissa). The price of Nellore cows is Rs. 10–35 and a pair of working bulls is Rs. 25–40. Residents of Cuddapah and Bellary import cattle for ploughing in cotton fields from Nellore, whereas animals for trotting and carting were imported from Mysore. Shortt particularly mentions Pamdurti (Pamudurthi) and Pennakonda (Penukonda, Anantapur) as the townships, which produced the best quality cattle, which were selling at Rs. 40–70 for a pair of working bullocks.

The North Arcot breed is 12-14 hands (120-140 cm) tall, much similar to the Mysore breed in general appearance with relatively long horns. They exist in white, black, and brown, and are used in agricultural enterprises, such as plough pulling and transporting produce. These bullocks are good trotters, costing Rs 35-70 a pair, while the prices of cows range from Rs. 20 to 40. Shortt particularly refers to Poonganoor Zamindary (today Punganur, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh) for breeding efforts. The South Arcot breeds traditionally raised in Kookiyoor, Maumanthoor (Mamandur), Seroopaukum (Serupakkam), and Sunkera­pooram (Sankarapuram) are identified as similar to the North-Arcot smaller breed.

The Tanjore breed of cattle too includes animals that are diminutive, but more sturdy and capable of pulling carts and ploughs. A small osseous protuberance instead of a well-defined horn characterises these animals. The Trichinolpoly breeds are raised in Valee­coonda­pooram (Valikanda­puram), Rungenkedy (Ranjankudi), and Thouyoor, and these cattle bear distinct horns (10-15”). The Salem breed of cattle is an active lot and used in pulling carts and these resemble the Mysore breed. Chiefly they are bred in Atoor, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Triupattur and Vaniambadi. Usually the animals are white and bear 15-18” long horns. Working bulls cost Rs. 3570; trotting bulls Rs. 120. Salem breed cows yield 34 imperial quarts (45 L) of milk/24 h. Brief references to Alambadi and Tiruchengode breeds are also available.

The Coimbatore breed includes sturdy and strong animals, but more tame than other local breeds. Cows are small-made. The Coimbatore breed confined to hilly tracts are of a different kind, which are graceful in disposition bearing considerable resemblance to the Mysore breed with long horns and pendant dewlap. The South Coimbatore or the Kangeyam breeds are the sturdiest among the Coimbatore breeds, and according to Shortt, the Kange­yam bulls can pull the English plough with ease and turn up to 9” (20 cm) of soil. As single-cart pullers, they can pull a load up to half-a-ton or casks of 108 gallons (approximately 500 L) of water. Shortt refers briefly to Hisar, Nagpur, Bengal (Brahminy), Surat, and Gujarat cattle, and how these germplasm have influenced the southern Indian breeds.

Referring to the Aden cattle, Shortt provides an interesting explanation, which is not substantiated elsewhere. He suggests that the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (today, P&O, London) steamers, which berthed in Madras Port in the 1860s included the Aden breed cows, meant to supply fresh milk and other dairy products to passengers. These animals attracted some of the cattle-loving people of Madras, who imported more of them in later years, which, over time, were gradually lost in the cattle crowd of southern India. Referring to the Aden cattle, Shortt says: “In 1857 the Collector of Cuddalore, Mr. Wood, had some good animals of this breed.”

* * *

The Indian subcontinent includes a staggering range of native-cattle breeds. These varieties reinforce a wide-genetic base. Indian-cattle breeds have evolved from Bos indicus (zebu), whose ancestry relates back to B. primigenius namadicus (the aurochs). The zebu cattle are said to have been domesticated in the Indus Valley, as evidenced by the fossil remains in Mehrgarh (Proto-Indus culture site, Southwestern Pakistan) around 8000 BCE. The genetic diversification of B. indicus was the greatest in the Indus Valley, among the three possible domestication centres, the Indus valley, Gangetic Plains, and Southern India. Reconstructed details suggest that around 4500 BC, the early Indus-Valley settlers would have moved their stock towards the Gangetic Plains and subsequently to peninsular India. Terracotta figurines and skeletal remains of zebu cattle excavated from modern Karnataka sites support this. In the 18-19th centuries, a majority of the southern Indian breeds were genetically improved, keeping performance — either as draught cattle or those meant for road transport — more in focus than milk quality and quantity.

Réklã races held in Madras until the 1970s, used to involve light, 2-wheel carts (‘karts’) pulled by either bullocks or horses. The kart was like a ‘sulky’ used in harness races in the West. The réklã bullocks were small-made (34’ [11.3 m] tall), of light frame, but with slim and tough legs, unlike the large bodied Kangeyam bulls used in Madurai réklã races.

Since the 19th Century, extensive movements of cattle — from India and to India — have occurred. For instance, the Brahmans, bred in North America, used the ‘Gujarat x Kankarej x Ongole x Gir’ germplasm, introduced there in 1898. From there, this breed was introduced into Australia in 1933, which has proved a thumping success as an economically useful breed in the Australian beef industry.

In recent decades, the focus of ‘productive’ breeds has occurred at the loss of native genetic materials. Native cattle germplasms are in fact ‘success stories’ of xtraordinary adoption to climate and other abiotic factors over several millennia. The loss of native cattle breeds has eroded away the genetic resource base which is, and will be, hard to replace in future (FAO, 2011). The remark by Felius et al. will need to be viewed with due consideration by cattle breeders of the present India:

“Although many developing countries still put their trust in technological progress, African and Indian scholars now advocate avoiding or at least being careful with the introduction of high productive breeds into their local, well-adapted breeds.”

Conclusion

The purpose of this article is to chronicle the life and work of John Shortt, keeping his observations on the diversity of southern Indian cattle of the late 19th century in focus. The remarks made by Shortt nearly 125 years ago would be of value to present-day cattle geneticists and molecular biologists of India in tracking morphometric details of cattle in the 19th century. Shortt also talks of sheep and goats lengthily in this volume, besides providing a short chapter on the water buffalo. For reasons of length, those details have not been referred to in this article. Our efforts to secure biographical details of Shortt were unsuccessful. Someone in future may fill this gap, we hope.

(Concluded)

During one of my discussions with Mr. Muthiah, he was wondering whether I could determine the site where Shortt had been interred in Yercaud.

Recently one of my best friends, Professor E.T. Haridass, who currently lives in Yercaud and I had a chance to communicate.

I expressed a desire to Haridass, whether he could help us get the details of Shortt’s grave in Yercaud.

Haridass managed spotting Shortt’s grave and sent me a few photos, which I am forwarding to you.

My hearty thanks go to my dear friend Haridass for the effort he made in making these pictures.

Haridass messaged me the details of the cemetery, which I provide below:

CSI Anglican Church Cemetery near Ornamental Lake and behind St Charles CBSC School, Yercaud 636 601.

— A. Raman

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