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Show COMMISSIONER OF IXDIAN AFFAIRS. 27 ject with the Indiana and urge them to increase planting to meet the demand along this line. It is Drobable that corn can be successfully mwn for thie purpose in a climate where it-will not mature for the ordinary uses.. push this suggedio;. 1 The figures given in the telegraphic replies to my messsge of April 21 were no doubt largely e&imatea, hut you Bhould now be in position to report with reasonahle accuraey the acreage of the different cmpsplanted or to be planted thia year. In this connection there is attached a blank form on which to ahow the acreage devoted to the different .crops on the agency and school farms, by the Indians, by lesaees, and the increased acreage over hat year. Each column should be carefully filled in with as accurste information as it is pomible to obtain. The showing thus far made by the Indians must be still further augmented. On many of the reservations large numbera of Indim will not bring under cultivation nearly all the available land on their own allotments, and by that I mean their home allotments, lands which ought not to be leased hut which the Indian could cultivate if he had the will to work and the means to provide himself with the necessary equip-ment. Here is where your most urgent task lies, and where the mcet lasting results may be obtained. Thinking men believe the results of the present and projected agricultural activities should be far-reaching; that they will extend beyond the present emergency, and especially is this true in the Indian Service. The immediate aim is of supreme importance but the ultimate result may be and should be very effective in sotvine the Indian problem of self-su- ~- vort. Soare no effort to -E et the Indians fully amused to the great need for continued and increased activity aa a striat tic dutv. The present csm.D ai-m has been wonderfully well launched, but with the experience gained much greater things may be reasonably expected for the next year or crop seaaon. There is attached hereto a form upon which to show the land which will remain uncultivated this year. You should supplement the statistics1 table with a written report, taking up the figures, item by item, and carefully analyzing them, showing the character of the land; to what crops it is adapted; whether tribal or allotted; whether irri-a tion is necesasr.v.. and if so whether the land is now under ditch with water available; if irrigation is necessary and the land is not now under ditch, the fessihilitv... cost., and time reauired to ~rovideimeationfa cilities: whether the svicul-tural land lies in one large body, if tribal, or inhifferent tra& (show the ac<age of each); whether tractors can be used to advantage, and if so whether it would be practicable to develop the land on a large scale by leasing. In short, I want such a description of the land still unused as wiU enable me to make definite answer to inquiries from individuals, corporation^, or governmental sources, as to the location and possibilities of land suitable for their various purposes. Of course, in ail the etatistics and information herein requested I realize that no actual memmeaaurements can he taken; that the ability of the superintendent to estimate accurately the acreage and soil possibilities will determine the real value of this report; and for these resaona I ssk that YOU give sufficient time and attention to the subject to insure that the report will represent your very beat judgment. However, to be of most value, the information should be in my hands not later than June 15. When completed bath reports should be returned to me with the other information requested above. It will be seen that a tremendous amount of work was involved along two distinct but related lines; (1) Awakening employees and Indians to a full realization of the emergency with the consequent determination to do their part to meet it, and (2) providing the physical equipment, seed, etc., necessary to handle the largely in-creased cultivated acreage to follow. The first was accomplished |