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Show COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 25 I ani.convineed that.there isa large fleld for improvement in the handling of . &me farms, and I want every fleld ofacer who has charge of such a farm to see that its management is Of s W a riatnre a# will insure its development to the highest degree of productiveness, practical nsefuln~s, and as an object leawon. The constantly increasing demands on the various appropriations for the Indian Service make it necessary not only to exercise the most careful economy consistent with the end sought and at the same time to see that every resource in connection with Indian education and industry is developed to the highest obtainable degree. i See that employees in charge of your farms are men capable of rendering proper and efficient service; carefully determine the suitable crops for the par-ticular soil of the tillable land of your farm, givingthe best attention to the raising and use of these crops. Our farms shonld grow corn. oats, wheat, and raise alfalfa, clover, timothy, etc.. You should iaise all the potatoes and other vegetables consumed. We shopldnot be sstisE* with Wing feed for the school live stock, but we shonld raise everything the farm, garden, and orchard will produce. I want you to raise live stock to the fullest of your capacity; raise colts from the school mares; let your calves grow into beef for your school. Grow a.good herd of hogs to follow the cattle that you feed and use the waste from the table at the school. Make your dairy amply large and of such kind that there Will be plenty of milk, cream, and butter. Feed the skim milk to the hogs and grow your pork meat Where practicable a r e your own bacon and ham, make your own sausage, and dry and corn your own beef. Give careful consideration to chicken ralslw Yon shonld establish chicken houses and place girls i? charge of the chickens. This would furnish poy1t.w and eggs for yonr needs and at the same time train your girls in an industry which will be of value'to them in their future homes. Undkr some conditions it may be practicable to have a few swarms of be=. Start an apiary and teach bee culture, while at the same time obtaining a . supply of honey for. table use. . We shonld have orchards and vines to grow fruit at our schools which are best adapted to the locations and climates. The care of these orchards and the raising of small fruits will give important trainlng to the boys and girls. Each school should have a truck garden to produce the green stuff necessary for its own table. Under proper climatic conditions enough potatoes, corn, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, beans, etc., should be grown not only to supply the school with fresh vegetables but to furnish a good supply for winter use. The canning of vegetables and fruits is highly important. I full7 an~redateth e fact that a t some of our schools. because of dimattc I - conditions, diversitled farming is lmpr8cticable, but there are very Pew Indian sehools which do not have farms pecnliarly adapted to certain iines of aCricui-tun1 rind horticultural development. Where divefsiaed farming is impracticable the natural resources of the farm should be folly developed. If YOU can ralse nothing but wheat, see to it that every acre of available land is used for wheat. Grow the beat wheat and produce the maximum yield per acre for your locality. If your school is located in a stoek-raising section of the country and you have a large acreage of grazing land, you should raise beef not only for your own use but to supply other schools. A school in a lncalib. where vegetables and fruits are easily raised should can or preserve a wrplus of these products for sale to schools not so fortunately lncoted. |