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Show 6 BEPORT OF THE OOMMISEIObTEB OF INDIA= AF-6. The reclamation work at Roosevelt and Yuma, Ark., continues to furnish employment for Pimas, Papagoes, Mohaves, Yumas, and Apache. URGING THE SIOUX TO FARM. The results in inducing the Sioux to cultivate their lands are aa great as could be expected among a class of Indiam who have never engaged in regular labor. Under the plans of the commercial agent 355 Indians started in to raise crops. Of these, 226 were guaranteed a market at good prices for whatever they raised. The rest were excluded from the guarantee provision on account of being self-supporting otherwise. One hundred and four of the 226, through lack of energy in the care of their crops, produced practically nothing. The area put in cultivation by the 226 Indians was about 1,920 acres, including gardens. Excluding the gardens, the land was cultivated as follows: Corn, 1,533 acres; oats, 139 acres; potatoes, 84 acres; flax, 40 acres; wheat, 58 acres. Most of these crops were not cultivated as energetically as they would have been by white men and the products were correspond-ingly less. Nevertheless, there were produced 26,384 bushels of corn, 2,196 bushels of oats, 3,119 bushels of potatoes, 225 bushels of flax, 647 bushels of wheat, of a total value of $17,482.94. Through the need of having animals capable of being used for plow-ing in the spring, some of the Indians were induced to feed teams through the winter, an innovation for them, the custom being to turn out the live stock in the fall and allow them to shift for them-selves until they are needed the next season. The result in the efficiency of the teams last spring will undoubtedly encourage many other Indians to do likewise. This experiment in the Sioux country has proved sufficiently successful to justify its extension t6 other reservations. It may be said in connection with this project that during the past year, on account of the uniformly high prices obtained by the Indian farmers, in no instance was it necessary, as a result of guaranteeing the sale of the farm products at fair prices, to expend any part of the fund hypothecated for the use of the commercial agent, Mr. Phillips. WORK OF FARMERS AND FIELD MATRONS. The duties of the Indian farmer are manifold. Primarily, his . work is to show the Indians how to improve their allotments and to utilize the soil to the best advantage. To this end he must spend much of his time with them on their land. He instructs the Indiana as to the care of their stock, assists in marketing their surplus crops, supervises the investment of the proceeds or of any funds to their credit, oversees the construction of their houses, settles their disputes, |