OCR Text |
Show COMMISSIONER INDIAN AFFAIRS. 29 Various kinds of melons, of which the Indians are very fond. were successfully grown. Among them were a number of new nielons, including a winter-pie melon, which is suitable for cooking, and Soboba cantaloupe, which can be kept all winter. New varieties of pumpkins, squash, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, onions. and other vegetables were tried out with varied success. With a view of getting the Indians interested in growing timber for shade and other purposes in this harrencountry mhere there is no timber except a few cottonwoods along the river and cedar pinions and pines on the mountains, many varieties of tree seeds were planted. The elm, yellow locust, white ash, sugar maple, soft maple, boxwood, Osage orange, Carolina poplar, willow poplar, several varieties of willow, box elder, tanlarack, cypress, arbor vita, and a few varieties of pines and fir are making good growth and proving successful. One of the most important branches of experimental worlr and one fro& which large results are expected is the testing and demon-stration work in connection with the production of Egyptian cotton at Sacaton, Arb., under the Pima jurisdiction. This work is con-ducted under a cooperative agreement between the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. During the planting season of 1913 15 acres of Egyptian cotton were grown, from which 8,730 pounds of lint were produced at a value of $1,875. The seed cotton was sold at an average price of 214 cents per pound. The Indians in this section of the country, by reason of the success obtained' with this crop at the farm, are planting cotton seed obtained from the demonstration farm on their own lands. About 200 acres were planted by them during the year, and they were so well pleased with the result of the crop that an increased area was planted this spring. Egyptian cotton is being largely raised by the settlers in the Gila Valley and to a certain extent in the Salt Kiver Valley. The raising of Egyptian cotton by the whites is of great importance to the In-dians, because it creates for the Papagoes and Pimas a market for their labor during the cotton-picking season. This is of especial importance to the Papago Indians, who are usually poor, and for whom the wages received from this industry will be of great im-portance in raising them to a higher plane of living. The use of Indian labor in connection with Egyptian cotton is supervised by representatives of the Interior Department and the Department of Agriculture, and care is taken to see that the Indians are protected from liquor and improper influences during the cotton-picking season. Experiments were also made with what is known as Mexican June corn, which produced very good yields. Large quantities of Bermuda onion sets were furnished to the Indians. A very good grade of this type of onion can be produced by the Indians, and there is a ready sale therefor. |