Transcription

of the opinion that about half of the land cultivated at the Bosque is productive with proper management and irrigation; the other half I consider unproductive in consequence of containing a large amount of alkaline matter. 

      The most serious objection to the Bosque Redondo Reservation is the scarcity of timber and fuel. Timber for building purposes is hauled a distance of about 100 miles from Fort Sumner, and wood for the use of the garrison is hauled from 25 to 35 miles. Mesquite roots is [sic] the principal wood used by the Indians, which they dig and carry on their backs from 6 to 12 miles and is not very abundant at that distance. There was much suffering among the Indians last winter for want of fuel.
      For nearly two years, the Navajos have been very much dissatisfied with their reservation at the Bosque Redondo, and they state that their discontent is in consequence of frequent raids being made upon them by Comanche and other Indians, the scarcity of fuel, unproductiveness of the soil, bad water, and unhealthiness. During the past year