Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-08-17
Highest of all in Ieavening PowerLaest U Govt Report RH!A!:'!.I! H!!:'!.! RskI;'g BsSdsg'!
 AnSOlUTElY PURE

in this locality. Many of the Indians | find it difficult to procure wheat and | barley seed, and more of them will be | unable to obtain any at all; it is, there l fore, indispensable that the Papago | allottees be provided with about 3,00C pounds of wheat seed and with the necessary farming implements as re- quested in my list of August 26th. l | always have done my best to induce the | Indians to early planting but in order to | be successful in my efforts l must have l the seeds and tools in tine. If We do | not get the blows at once the Indians will have to use again the old sty le wooden blows which are in reality only a forked strick of mesquite wood" For the above stated reasons the h. dians have not planted as large an area as in the previous year; but, in as much as the average of the crops was better, they harvested about the same quanti- ty as they did last year. The quality of the wheat, however turned out to be inferior by reason of it's being infested with smut to very great extent. Their wheat has been infested with smut for ever SO many years, and as they have never been supplied with clean seed wheat, and had no means to procure it, or to buy bluestone in order to destroy this parasitic fungus, they have been obliged to use their own infected grain as seed time and again, SO that their wheat Is totally unfit to he used as seed. It IS matter of urgent necessity that the government furnish to these Indians about 10, 900 pounds of good clean wheat for seed. Inssmuch ss there is enough wheat on hand at the agency from the earnings of the Touring mill. would suggest that these Indlans here be appor.ioned the necessary seed from there, as this can be done without any great expense to the government.
 The satisfactory results of last years cutting barley for hay has induced many more Indians to cut and bale their barley crop as hay. If we had the mower just received and hay press 1 asked for last year better profit could be obtained. The expense involved here for bsling hay amounts to 3250 to B per ton.
 Our so-cailed second crop, consisting of bears, squash, etc., Is in good condi tion and promises to be a full average crop, although the locusts have again put in an appearance. Fortunately these insects are not nearly so numerous as they were last year when they des- troyed everything as reported.
 During the last year the Indians have been engaged in cutting wood and haul ing the same to the city of Tucson to a greater extent than in any previous year; in fact they have supplied the market with this article far above the ordinary demand, so that the price of the wood has fallen from its former valuation of S4 to 5 per cord to about S2.75 to s. Besides the allottees them selves who possess timber land, there are great many non-allottees who have no timber or wood of their own. These, according to my census, have inoreassd on this reservation from 72 to 134 since last year. As they have no wagons of their own they hire these vehicles on shares from MexicaDs living near the reservation and engage in the business of selling wood, which, in the city, is always a cash article. The more wood business they can engage in the less at tention they will give to farming. As the dry wood or "waste" wood is be- coming scarce the IndIsus have begun
 
 discriminate fashion; the atmosphere here is very dry and the cut timber therefore becomes very soon market able wood. l have done my best to stop these proceedings, but as long as there is no law to arrest and punish by imprisonment such offenders, they will persist in their nefarious conduct and will undoubtedly destroy all the timber hAf kA l. issued for their land.
 I consider this very serious matter and would urgently recommend that something be done in the premises with out delay.
 The Papago allottees nave Lot yet clglmed any of their rights as citizens, but at the same time they have done their duty as citizens in this respect that they have worked on the public roads under the supervision of the county road overseer from the village of San Xavier to Tucson, one-hundred and twenty five allottees havIng each given one day's work for that purpose. This was done to comply with the territorial law exacting this duty from every msle citizen between the age of 21 and 50 years, or in default of said labor a pay ment of g.
 Besides doing this work we have open ed a new road CD the reservation aBd built two bridges, for the construction of which I furnished the lumber from my private means, as my request for said lumber had been disregarded
 Five arrests have been made during the past year: One for wife beating, the c1Iprit being sentenced to sixty days Imprisonment, and four for bringing liquor into the reservation. These four liquor cases are still pending in the U. s, District Court at Tucson. There is also case pending against a Chinamaa for selling liquor to these Indians where the accused IS held under bonds of S5OO.- % All these cases will probably be dis posed of at the term of Court which meets in September next at Tucson. Notwithstanding the fact that it is very difficult tS obtain an Indians testimony in liauor case have been successful in obtaining sufficient evidersP,-iSS. con vict the above mentioned defendants: but in as much as Judge Bollnger of the U. s. Court at Portland, Oregon, has de- cided Tn late case that selling hauor to an Allottee ls DO offence against the law, for the season that the Indians talk ing land in severalty makes them citi- zens in the eyes of the law, I am afraid that above mentioned parties may not be convicted. Should this be the case then the selling of liquor to Indians will be prscticed to such an extent that it will become very difficult to keep this reservation where there are so many Allottees in an orderly manner.
 In regard to the liquor traffic and the cutting of timber I shall address you in a separate writing begging for your in struotions in these matters.
 These Indians have never received deserved attention from the departmers which, as rule, has been libe.al in it's -nninkanna kO hHnAAnn-