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Show \ 92 REPORT OF THE COMMI@IONER. OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. man~~eofr a laughterisg or selling willhe considered when presented to this officeat the proper time. Whether it will be better to issue bulls to reliable Indians scattered over theres-ervation, or hold them subject to the immediate care of your farmers and other em-ploy68, is a question which must he left to your own judgment. Yon will also report to this office, from time to time, the condition of these issued cattle; how they are being owed for, how they look, and whether they are as a whale increasing or decreasing. . . I am strongly impressed with the belief that cattle-raising, if properly managed, mill eventually be of very great beneflt to the Indians, and that by many who are located upon unsuitable lands for agriculture it musibe finally looked to as their main support. IRRIGATION. The Indian Appropriation Act for the current fiscal year contains an appropriation of $40,000 for '6 construction, purchase, and use of irrigat-ini machinery and appliances, on Indian reservations, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior,,and suibject to his control." This amount, with the unexpended balance of the appropriation of last year for similar purposes on reservations in Arizona, Nevada, and Montana, will make some $58,000 available for irrigation during the present fiscal year. Agents have been instructed to report the irrigation needs of their respective reservations, and while it is not likely that any exten-sive system can be undertaken on any reservation, I shall endeavor from such information as I can obtain to recommend the expenditure of the sum available according to the needs of the reservations so as to secure the best results possible. I am still of opinion that the money could be expended to better ad-vantage, if the appointment of a competent engineer to superintend the work mere authorized by law. I also believe that the appropriation of a much larger sum would be a measure of economy in the end, since it would then be practicable to construct extensive systems which would bring large rareas of land under irrigation, thereby greatly enchancing their value. During the year a plant has been erected on the Fort ~ k j a vSec hool Reservation at a cost of some $6,000, which the snperintendent reports to be entirely satisfactory. A like amount has also been expended for the purchase of pumps for use on the Colorado River Reservation. Be-tween $7,000 and $8,000 have been expended in repairs to dams, ditches, and machinery on various reservations in Arizona, Nev-&a, and Montana. A system of irrigation on the Crow reservation, Montana, is now in course of construction under the charge of Superintendent Graves. A fnnd of $200,000 was provided for this purpose in the agreement with the Crow Indians, concluded December 12, 1890. Last season was occupied in making surveys, and doing other preliminary work. |