OCR Text |
Show farm machinery will be absolutely essential, seed must be provided, and such man labor as can not be gotten from the Indians will need be employed in some way. In my judgement we need first to plan to secure the greatest amount of labor from tho Indians we can, not only aa an economic measure in,the undertaking, but for his own uplifting, which must • -A '• ' i. •;'-.. not be lost sight of in the task to be accomplished. But as the abla-dodied men include perhaps only about one half the adult males; and as these for the most part have 80 acres each, it is plain to see that wo can not nope to secure from these men more than what will reclaim their own individual lands. much of the 10,000 to 11,000 acres now under cultivation are under lease to white men. These leases should b1. made for such further acreage as men can be found who will undertake them, but no groat acreage can thus be reclaimed. And where leases can be matte it usually means the best lands only, and such a3 require the minimum of expense to redeem. It is plain to be seen the great majority of the 80,000 acres now to be reclaimed will need be done through some outside i source. I am of the opinion this can best be done by letting the clearing, Dreaking, fencing, construction of ditvhes, etc.,to con-tract in 40 to 80 acre tracts. Probably the seeding might best be done in the same way, if the work can be accomplished at proper season. With this developement work accomplished, it would then 3> <_3: be possible to lease large amounts, and with water assured the lands would douDtlesa meet all expenses and mostly return a rev-enue. Inherited lands would sell well, and the problem from then on would be somewhat as at other places. |