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Show 1 OOMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 7' 1 in many of these tribes cultiv?tes at least a garden. Once establiihed intelligently on the soil and independent, the Indians may weU de-velop talents for purely mechanical arts and commerce-but that is a matter for the future. In the present the office is exerting every means at its command to encourage farming and kindred occupations. The extent to which Indians have received land in severalty is indicated later in this re port. At this point reference is made to the agencies the office em-ployed during the year toward its great industrial purpose, and to the signs of ultimate success that became evident. I Two supervisors of farming were appointed and the number of ex- pert farme-men with experience and scientific knowledge and especially able to give practical instruction-was increased to 48. There were employed in subordinate farming positions 210 men, some of them Indians who have set good examples of industry and efficiency and are able to influence and aid their fellows. On t , h reseryations where Indians have important stock interests, 22 super-intendents of live stock and stockmen were employed. Yet for the great task in hand even this force of employees must be augmented. Especially from Oklahoma northward into the Dakotas there was a partial failure of some crops and a complete failure in others, for the most part from drought. At Sisseton 50 young Indians had farmed for the first time and saw their crops wither and die. In parts of Oklahoma there was but 10 per cent of the usual crop of corn and one-third of the normal crop of cotton. Yet at Eickapoo, Kans., wh'ich was within the dry belt, the Indians planted 5,000 acres of corn and 1,000 acres each of wheat and oats; the value of these crops is estipated at $75,000, although there will be a yield of only one-third of a crop of corn. Even in the affected districts, however, some superintendents report that Indians who had seen their first crops fail show a willingnes$ to make second attempts next year. Generally, there was notable progress throughout the service. For instance, in the western part of the Yakima Reservation 56 Indians raised 23,000 bushels of grain, a decided improvement over last year, when 45 Indians harvested 19,000 bushels. Seventg In-dians successfully raised alfalfa, principally on the eastern part of - the reservation. On the Mission Reservations in southern California, 2,500 acres were sowed to hay and grain, an increase of nearly 1,000 acres; 724 acres were planted in garden, an increase of over 100 acres; and the orchards were enlarged. On the Hoopa Valley Reser-vation in California a plan was put into operation for the Indians to take an active part in the management of their affairs. The reser-vation was divided into four districts, each of which elects a repre-sentative, while the Indians of the entire reservation choose a fifth man as overseer; these five persons meet in council on the first Satur- |