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Show 58 C O ~ ~ S S I O N EOBF INDIAN AFLFPAIES. i The totpl.:acreageln .~ops,fprmed:byth e Southern ;Utes this yenr runs wen toward 2,000 acres, and the nlfnlfn, whent, outs, beans, nnd pothtoes growing thereon look well, indeed, considering the hnphnznrd system thnt hns ruled previously. In addition to increasing the ncrenge farmed, 32 more Indinns hnve gone on their nllotments who never before ns much ns mnde n pretense nt farming anywhere. An elabornte irrigntion system hng just been completed nt n cost of mnny thousnuds of dollars, nnd now nenrly nll the Indinn land on I'ine River h under ditch. UP the valley, north of Ignacio, on n fertile mesa that never before had a plow put on it, a fnir idea may be mined of wvbut is being done. New fences line on each,side of the road nnd growing crops hnve taken the place of rank snge-brush, which wns nll there wns on the. ground but n few weeks ngo. The same trnnsformntions hnve been mnde In all parts of the vnlley4n the Durango rond west of town, south townrd Ln Boen,.on elther side of the river, and enst on Spring Creek the trnnsformntion nnd the work thnt hns been done in such n short time after so mnny years of lethnrgy is remnrknble. Annuity payments that heretofore were spent mostly for trumpery, brlght-colored blnnkets, gewgaws, at gambling or for flre water, nre now plneed on deposit nnd can be 'drawn only with n check signed by'the Indian himself nnd the superintendent. Under this system the money paid by the Government is Spent only for the things thnt will do the Indian me most good. Stnndard mnkes of wngons, hnrneas, machinery, nnd implements nre sold to the Indian fnrmers nt prices lower thnn local denlers can buy nt wvholesnle. NcCormick mowlng mncillnes are sold them ht $45, binders $100, 5-inch Stude. bnker wvngons at $65, gnlvnnlzed barbed Fire at $2.50 per hundredweight. nnd other things in proportion at netunl cost to the Government. On nccount of a reduced freight rnte this cost is much lower than the average person would suppose. Forty-eight hend of horses hnve been bought this year for the Indians at prices rnuglng from $75 to $100, nnd 24 sets of hnrness have bbee sold nlso. The policy of Supt West is to establish all .the Indians on lnnd as uenr the agency as possible, where they will be more directly under the supervision of the snperlntendent nnd the fnrmers who nre employed especially to direct their work. To this end nine renl estate trnnsfers hnve been mnde since last full, lnnd at n distnnce being sold to whlte men and trncts hougllt for the Indians nenrer the agency. In time this entire division of the Southern Utes-now numbering 360-wuill be brought to fnms in the immedinte viclnity of Ignnclo. If the present policy of denling with the Ute is continued, in n few yenrs this vnlley will be hard to recognize ns the snme country. As we snid before, they hnve the best land; and with the advantages they hnve over the white farmer, if properly instructed nnd encournged, there is no rensou they should not hnve the best farms. We cup now look forwnrd to the time when we will point with pride to the mnny wvell-kept farms of our Ute neighbors and when we will he able to consider these people as citizens and nssets to our community from nny standpoint. INDIAN EXHIBITS AT PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPOSITION. To demonstrate the advancement of' the Americnn Indian an exhibit was mnde at the Pannma-Pacific Exposition which awakened much 'interest. The progress of the race wns fnithfullp depicted in those' lines of endeavor on which the educational forces of the field |
