OCR Text |
Show COMMISSIONER INDIAN ABBAIRB. 11 that it8 management is of such a nature as will insure its development to the highest degree of productiveness, practical usefulness, and object lesson. The cmstantls iucreaslug demands on the various appropriations for the Indian Service make it necessary not only to exercise the most careful economy consistent with the end sought, and at the same time to see that every resour& in connection with Indian education and industry is developed to the highest obtainable degree. See that employees in charge of your farms are men capable of rendering proper and e5cient service, carefully determine the suitable crops for the par-ticular soil of the tillable land of your farm, giving the best attention to the raising aud use of these crops. Our farms should grow corn, oats, wheat, and raise alfalfa, clover,'timothy, ctc. Ton should raise all the potatoes and other vegetables consumed, We nhould not be satisfied with raising feed for the school live stock, but we should raise everything the farm, garden, and orchard will produce. I want you to raise live stock to the fullest of your capacity; raise colts from the school mares; let your calves grow into beef for your school. Grow a good herd of hogs to follow the cattle that yon feed, and use the waste from the table at the school. Make your dairy amply large and 0: such kind that there will he plenty of milk, cream, and butter. Feed the skim milk to the hogs, and grow your pork meat. Where practicable, cure your own bacon and ham, make your own sausage, and dry and corn your own beef. Give careful consideration to chicken raising. You should establish chicken. houses, and place girls in charge of the chickens. This would furnish poultry and eggs for your needs and at the same time train your girls in an industry which will be of value to them in their future homes. Under some conditions it nlay be practicable to have a few swarms of beea Start an apiary and teach bee culture, while ?t the same time obtaining a eupply of honey for table use. We should have orchards and vines to grow fruit at our schools which are best adapted to the locations and climates. The care of these orchards and the raising of small fruits will give important training to the boys and girls. Each school should have a truck garden to produce the green stuff necessxrg for its own table. Under proper climatic conditions enough corn, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, beans, etc., should be grown not only to supply the school wlth fresh vegetables but to furnish a good supply for winter use. The can-ning of vegetables and fruits is highly important. I flllly appreciate the fact that at some of our scbools, because of climatic conditlons dirersifled farming is impracticable, but there are rery few Indian schools which do not have farms peculiarly adapted to certain lines of agrl-culture and horticultliral development. Where diversified farming is imprac tirable the natural resources of the farm should be fully dereloped. If you can rnise nothing but wheat. see to it that every acre of availnble land is used for wheat. Grow the best wheat and produce the maximum yield per acre for your locnlity. If your school is located in a stock-mislng section of the country and you have a large acreage of grazing land, yon should raise beef, not only for yoiir own usehut to suppb other schools. A school in a locality where vegetables and fruits are easily ralsed should cnn or preserve a surplus of these products for sale to schools not so fortunately located. I believe there is a s~lleudidc hance for increased emciencv of our school servlce by special effi,t.ts snd cooperation along the lines Lndicilted. I must inslst that you gire the dereicpment of the school farm your most careful attention to the end that the highest degree of efficiency and results be accomlrlished. There is 63556-1+2 |