It would require a soil and water survey to prove this but such a survey would not be justified at the present moment since there are clearly sufficient natural resources to allow a considerable expansion of the small area now being cultivated and there are other more urgent problems to be dealt with to make this possible. Proposals for Action 15. Three possible subjects for development stand out because the basis already exists though in a somewhat primitive form. The first to be considered is development of cattle husbandry to supply the local demand for meat and ghee and encourage cattle owners from the hills to bring their animals to the plain. The first essential is fodder. Alfalfa (lucerne) grows well in the dry season but is said to go off seriously during the monsoon and to cause bloat when eaten by the small local cattle. However it is a valuable fodder when properly grown and fed and will certainly find a place in any develop ment of agriculture on the plain. Simple experiments might be started on the small experimental farm which has been established to test the effect of fertilizers on the local varieties and the effect of watering at different intervals - say 5 day, 8 day and 12 day. Observation also needs to be made for pests and diseases, especially to find the cause of deterioration during the monsoon period. Anything that reduces the vigour of the crop tends to let in weeds which then choke out the alfalfa, and it is important to find the cause of the reduction in vigour that starts the process and to see if something can be done to prevent it. Contact might perhaps be made between the Agricultural Officer and the plant protection adviser in the Agricul tural Department of the Trucial States Council at Digdaga, who has some experience of this crop under the different conditions (cooler and moister winters, hotter and drier summers) of that area, with a view to making at least a preliminary assessment of this problem. Experiments in feeding alfalfa to the local cattle seem to be needed in view of the reported occurrence of bloat. Bloat is apt to result when animals get too much succulent green fodder and it may be necessary to restrict the amount of green feed to force them to eat some coarse roughage as well. (This is said to induce the beasts to belch and thus avoid blowing up.) 6
