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Show 16, COM~SSIONER INDIAN AFFAIRS. a natural increase in the 'price of meat, and unquestionably under modern conditions this' price will not diminish. I t would seem, therefore, that there is no more lucrative or important industrial opportunity open to the Indians having grazing lands than to do away with the old grazing-leasing and grazing-permit system, and in its place go into the business of stock raising themselves. The In-dian is by nature ,a herdsman, and, with but small teaching, should develop into an ideal stock raiser. With this end in view, I have instituted a plan of creating tribal herds upon those reservations hav- . ing large areas of tribal grazing lands. The original herds pur- , chased are comparatively small, but in a short time, by careful man: agement, should so increase as to properly graze every acre of Indian grazing land. During the year nearly one and one-half million dollars were ex-pended in the purchase of live stock for individuals and as tribal herds and also foi. male animals for improving the grade of cattle, ' ' horses, and sheep already belonging to the Indians. The principal purchases were: For Blackfeet Reservation, 44 stallions, at $23,131,' and 102 bulls, at $12,640. For Colville, 50 bulls, at $4,860, and 12 stallions, at $5,000. For Crow, 20 stallions, at $9,780; 7,021 heifers, at $306,338; 2,000 steers, at $79,470; and 251 bulls, at $20,075. For Cheyenne, 80 bulls, at $9,680; 682 heifers,'at $33,418; 46 cows with calves, at $3,197; and 46 mares, at $5,248. For Crow Creek, 64 cows with calves, at $3,776; 74 mares, at $7,410; and 10 bulls, at $1,350. For Fort Apache, 56 bulls, at $7,000. For Lower Brule, 12 stallions, at $6,687; 55 bulls, at $6,187; and 601 heifers, at $29,968. For Navajo, 175 rams, at $2,187, and 4 stallions, at $940; For Navajo Springs, 20 stallions, at $4,910; 25 bulls, at $2,325; and 12 mares, at $2,020. For Pine Ridge, 1,486 heifers, at $75,000; 150 cows, at $6,000; and 25 stallions, at $12,500. For Rosebud, 248 heifers, at $12,098; 2,016 ' cows, at $133,205; 1,216 mares, at $166,339; 19 stallions, at $9,505; and 90 bulls, at $10,930. For San Carlos, 40 stallions, at $8,000; SO hulls, at $7,440; and 1,000 heifers, at $37,000. For Shoshone, 101 bnlls. at $9,512. For Standing Rock, 128. heifers, at $5,117, and 2 stallions. at $1,180. For Tongue River, 1,046 heifers, at $49,622; 86 hulls, st $3,100; and 4 stallions, at $575; and for Tmxton Canyon, 510 cows at $21,300, and 20 bulls, at $2,300. The total purchases for these and other reservations amounted to 267 stallions, 1,048 bulls, 12,272 heifers, 2,510 steers, 3,738 oows,2,11.0 mares, G7O horses, 67 mules, 513 sheep, and 469 rams. This stock has been placed in the care of experienced stockmen, and will not only give the Indians an insight into the practical manage-ment of the live-stock industry and enable them to learn proper meth-ods in stock raising, but will furnish a nucleus from which the indi-vidual herds can be created by issue or purchase. It will be noticec]. |