ABSTRACT
Coimbatore is the capital of a district of the same name, and is situated beneath the southern escarpment of the Nilgiris, in the Palghat Gap. The Agricultural Department began to press for sanction to establish a Government cattle farm in the Ongole district, but various prejudices stood in the way, and the Treasury Department blocked the scheme. The Madras Agricultural College aimed both at research and demonstration, and received two classes of students, young men in training for posts in the department, and sons of landholders who desired to improve the methods of cultivation on the family holdings. Each student had his own plot to cultivate, and kept whatever profits he made. Cattle breeding were an important part of the work done at Coimbatore, the aim being to produce from native breeds the best possible "double-utility" animal, double utility meaning excellence for milk yield from the cows, and for working power in the oxen.
