OCR Text |
Show INDIAN AFFAIRS. H7 ons fine streams flowing through it from north to south, the water from which, if ntPized, would reclaim over half of the very rich land by irrigation. . , s'irco my last annual report there have been no depredations committed by tho Tndi'ins Thev have lived peaeeablv among themselves and havo bad no trouble with the surrounding settlements. Ibavenotiecdquiteachangein the, general disposition of these Indiana to desist from wroug and violent acts, also to comply more willing y with such instructions as are from time to time given them. This I think is greatly ,luo fo the free, ami by me, unrestrained mingling with the better element of whito settlers principally farmers surrounding the reservation. If tho Indians arc to bo civilized they must have a chance to see almost daily how the white man lives, and I giro them all required opportunity. .. • 'Dunn"- the month of November, lcoo, tho honorable Commissioner ot Indian At-fairs Mr?J. D. C. Atkins, visited this agency and had a consultation with these Indians. His visit and the talk he gavo t hem seemed to havo a most sain tury effect. Being the first time that tho head of the Indiau department had ever visited this tribe, it gave rhern to believe that they were being more fully rccoguizod by the Great Father at Washington, aud since all of the promises ruado by tho Commissioner to them have been fulfilled they express a willingness to act. in accordance with the many valuable suggestions made to them. FARMING. Last winter being very open, we had an early spring, which enabled the Indians already farming to get their crops in early, also to break up some new land and do some fencing. The crops on these farms, fourteen in all, consisting of about 250 acres, look fiourishing and an early harvest is expected, with a good yield of cereals aud TC"etables. On account of tho judicious and liberal assistance given tho Indians by tho Department for tho purpose of inducing them to go to farming, I was enabled to construct in miles of irrigating ditches in the valley of Pino river. Along tho lino of this ditch the Indians cleared oil about MOO acres of rich sasrebnsh land, making 20 farms of about 20 acres each. Their horses being poor aud unused to work in harness they could not break tho grouud. I had tho ground broken for them by contract work aud furnished tho seed for planting, after which tho Indians havo taken charge of their ern:>.s and are doing tho best they can with their limited knowledge of agriculture/ On acconut of the drought of this summer, continuing over threo months, tho crops of th-se new farms could only be kept growing by continuous irrigation, which in new gronud is not of a very successful result, the ground getting baked too hard. The faru ' thei as large as it was hopt courage them to continue fanning in tho future. I havo an efficient farmer, but ho is overworked on account of the number of farms to luok after, and being scattered over such a large area of country, can not give that instruction actually necessary to tho untutored Indian farmers; and to tho best iuter-e<- of the sorvico I* havo to recommend that an assistant farmer bo permanently em-p. oved. With the experience of last year and this year, I am satisfied that now, extensive additional irrigating ditches Will be required to satisfy the wants of those who will d-.-siro to go to farming. Without water for tho land nothing can be raised in this cimiate. •round is not of a very successim result, «ao grounu getting oaiieu too uaru. iuu anncrs bad almost despaired of ripening their crops, but recent rains havo revived "heir hopes, aud I am of the opinion that they will gather a good crop. While not is Iar«o as it was hoped it would be, yet I believe they will raise sufficient to en- STOCK. The stock cattle, which by order of the Department were to bo delivered to deserv- Lg Indians, are still running in pasture on tho reservation and are in good condition. Xo distribution of them among the Indians has yet been made, because most of tho Indians to whom the cattle were to 1>o given are busy at farming. As soon as the crops are gathered the distribution will bo made. SCHOOLS. D;iriug the last year th«.ro has been a day school eonductedat theagoncy forabout '-•Aivvu nTouths. It has nor been as prosperous as desired. The teacher employed was -ioi-.tir uml zcalomj in her work. Assistance was given by myself, as well as all the ::;.••.>••< of the agency, to induce tho Iudian.i to send their children to school; but, '•1 sc.c^-i in my former report, a strenuous opposition comes from the squaws. I havo Tiisu^gH-G that tho only'plan by which tho maintaining of a school at this agency INT S7 V 2 7 |