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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFALRS. .XCV essary laber and care connected with farming are irksome to them, and their half-hearted and often injudiciously directed efforts, bringing little return, are soon relaxed or altogether abandoned. The act of March 3,1875 (18 Stats. 449), requires that all able.bodied Indians between the ages of eighteen and forty-five must labor for the benefit of themselves or of the tribe, in order to be entitled to rations. But it is obvious from experience, that the limits of twenty and forty 1 years include all that can be expected to succeed in learning to farm for the first time, and this leaves hut a limited number of the entire , Indian population available. I t must also be borne in mind that great portions of some of the reaervations (actually mucb the greater part of several of the largest reserves) are, owing to various causes, totally unfit foragricultural pnr. poses. Whatever science or irrigation may accomplish irk the future, this condition of tho land at the present time makes it necessary to scatter theIndians singly or in small comm~initieso n the fertile spots of their reservations, wherever found; owing to this fact many of these small farming settlements are 60,65, and some even 100 miles from the agency headquarters. Under these circumstances it is impossible for the agent to give the Indians the attention they require, or for the farmers em-ployed to properly instruct and assist them, to be with them as much as they should be, or to give sufficient time to any one point. Another drawback has been the holding of landsin common, learing the Indian uncertain whether or not a piece of land which he had im-proved was actually his own property. This difficulty, however, is being removed by the allotment of lands in sereralty. Knowing the difficulties to be snrtzoontecl, I have instructed agents to require from every farmer employed by the Government a monthly statement as to his mork. For this purpose blanks have been prepared which contain, among others,the followiug points upon which the farmer must report : Number of days ocoopied io the field during the month. Number of days at headquarters. Nnmber of Indians assisted snrl instructed. Number of Indians who have been induced to begin farming. Number of acres plowed. Number of acres planted. The condition of stook. The condition of agricultural implements. He is also.directeic.to state the most pressing needs of the Indians under his charge for such articles as lumber, seeds, agricultural imple ments, and stock. These reports indorsed by the agents have been prepared by many of the farmers and, as a general thing, indicate that they are qualifiee for the work intrusted to them. From these reports, some of them covering only nine months, from October, 1889, to Jnne, 1890, it is ascertaiued that during that t.ime |
