THE
CHEMAWA
AM ERICAN
29
2,1111 " lareS' 469 ra " ‘S’ 518 s,,ecp - 670 borscs 11,ld 67 m ules
11ns increase of Indian-ow ned stock already lias decreased the areas
ot grazing ranges for le a se - T h is fact, in conjunction w ith the high
prices ot heef. m utton and wool and the great dem and for horses and
m ules, has m aterially increased th e num ber of bidders for Indian Reser-
leges" an<l ' S tHC eXpla" ation of th e advanced prices for g razin g privi-
Surveys have been made by the stock e x e r t s of the Indian Office of
the average value ot horses, m ules, cattle and sheep ........ Indian reser
vations
1913 and 19,3. T hese figures, contrasted with the estim at-
average value of high grade “ farm sto c k ,’’ follow:
A verage value of Indian reservations in 1913: H orses, $22.50- cattle-
$24:95; sheep, $1.87; m ules, $40.
Average value of Indian reservations in 1915:
H orses, $31.20; cat
ties, $40.30; sheep. $1.90; m ules, $58.
A verage value ot farm stock at present prices:
Horses. $140; cattle.
$60; sheep, $4; m ules, $145.
Since th e liberal purchases of hig h -g rad e bulls, heifers, stallions ami
ram s began some two and one-half years ago, th e average of the Indian
anim al has advanced rem arkably.
“ It is a b eg in n in g tow ard rem edying an econom ic crim e ” said Com
nnssioner Sells the other day. “ F or years thousands of acres of prim e
Indian lands have served m erely to graze tens of thousands of unsalable
native pom es, scru b cattle, goats and burros. It costs as much to feed
a w orthless anim al as it does a good one.
Such a condition involves
not only waste tor the In d ian s but loss to the nation. A cu re is p rac
ticable, even easy, w hich prom ises not only double retu rn s to the In
dians but several tunes more than a double co n trib u tio n by th e Indian
to th e n a tio n ’s food supply. T h e Indian g razin g lands together with
agricultural lands in Indian ow nership will safely carry several times
the num ber of livestock now on th e m .’’
Of course each reservation presented a separate problem . R oughly
how ever, th e invoice made by Mr. Sells and above referred to justified
two conclusions:
h irst, th at much of the very best grazing land in A m erica, if used bv
Indians at all, was devoted to “ sc ru b ” th at gave little or no profit.
Second, th at the lands, when not used by the In d ian s, have eith er not
been used at all or have been over-used at ridiculouslv low rental bv
w hite lessees.
Radical action has been taken to cure the latter condition also.