| OCR Text |
Show 28 COMMISSIONER INDIBN AFFAIRS. year, taking into consideration the amount of feed during &he grazing season, the water available for the stock, and whether there are winter ranges or whether it is necessary to put up hay for the stock. As tribal herds are put on the various reservations and the number of cattle belonging to outsiders reduced or removed entirely reports will be called for showing the conditions on each reservation in order that proper action may be taken to stock the ranges to capacity and to care for the Indian cattle during all seasons of the year. On reservations where there are tribal herds, the superintendents have been instructed to see that the Indians put up sufficient hay to care for the stock during the winter season. TESTINQ AND DEMONSTRATION WORK. Experimental work designed to test the possibilities of the soil and climate in various sections of the country in the cultivation of trees, grains, fruits, and vegetables was carried on at a numher of Indian schools, principally at Colville, Blackfeet, Pala, Shoshone, Shivwits, Havasupai, Leupp, San Juan, Pima, Lower Brule, Sun Xavier, Malki, and Tomah. The most important work of this character, h~w-ever, was done at the San Juan and Pima Reservations. At San Juan several years ago the superintendent obtained from the superintendents in charge of the various reservations samples of seed corn grown by the Indians. Corn from over 40 different places was received and planted. Some of this seed matured nicely and did well; where the seed was a failure it was discarded. The most promising seed was saved from year to year until now the experiments are confined to three distinct varieties of the new corn, consisting of a soft Calico corn received from the Rosebud Reservation, a soft white corn from the Eastern Cherokee Rescrva-tion, and the other soft corn from the Havasupai Reservation, which varieties are doing exceptionally well. Shallu produced a fair crop and succeeded better than kaffir corn. This belongs to a group of grain sorghums, and stands more wet or dry weather than other maize or cane tried in this section. Vicia Villosa grew well. Dry land alfalfa, planted for the first time, is showing evidence of improvement over other varieties. Pencilaria made enormous yields and is perhaps the greatest and best yielder of any grain forage plant tried. Drought-rksisting red clover was planted and apparently will he a success and second to alfalfa as a general hay crop. Tobacco was raised with good success. The plants were strong and vigorous, grew rapidly, and matured early in the fall. Beans were planted quite extensively, because this vegetable forms a large part of the bill of fare of the Indians of this jurisdiction. |
