The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-17
AGRICULTURE IN ALASKA
GOVERNMENT EXPLORING ExPEDI-
TIoN SENT OUT TO GATHER DATA.
Visitors to the KIondike Carry Their
try Has Not Been Developed.
Washington Correspondence Boston Tran

Washington Correspondence Boston Tran
| script
Much interest attaches to the newest ex-
ploring expedition sent out by Uncle Sam.
1t is TO start in a few days, and its object
win be to visit Alaska and gather prelimi-
nary data with reference to the contem-
! plated establishment of one or more agri-
| cultural experiment station in that Arctic
province Congress has appropriated $1,000
| to pay for the investigation, and under ex-
! listing law an institution of this sort would
| be entitled to a subsidy of $4,000 per annum
! from the government. OF late the popu-
! lation of the territory has been increased
! enormously upward of thirty thousand per-
! sons entering it last year, most of them in
! pursuit of gold. The rush TO the mines
| along the Yukon continues, $40 day being
! the price of ordinary labor in the Klondil1e
! region, where at the present time a spade
| or shovel is worth $25 cash. AS rule, how
! ever. no man can get work unless he brings
a years provisions with him, because the
claim owner cannot afford to give up any
of the food which is all that stands be-
| tween himself and starvation.
Here is a country, then, which does not
offer support to increasing population.
Yet it is exceedingly rich, and in parts very
should not sustain millions of people In
fact most of the important food plants of
the temperate zone grow there very well,
and the enterprising farmer may choose
whether he will produce vegetables or sow
! grain. Thanks to the warm current that
| flows along the shores of southern Alaska,
| corresponding to the gulf stream of the
| Atlantic ocean, the climate of the coast belt
and outlying islands is very mild, the tenn
| perature in winter rarely dropping more
! than fifteen degrees below the freezing
| point. Unfortunately, knowledge respecting
| the agricultural possibilities OF the territory
is slight, and it is just this deficiency of
| information that is to be supplied by the
| contemplated expedition.
Botanist Allen, of the Department OF Ag-
| ricuture and DR.. Killen, of the oregon Ag-
rcultural College, with one or two others,
| will compose the party. They Will make
| tour through the Sitkan region and also
| will visit number of islands of the Aleu-
| tan chain, looking for the establishment
| of an experiment station. They Will pay
| particular attention to the great island or
| Kadiak which is of such SIZE ninety miles
| long by sixty broad, that alone 1t might be
| a granary for the whole of Alaska TWO
thirds of it is treeless, and the fertI11ty Oh
| luxuriance of the grasses with Which its
hills are covered. This wealth or wild
grasses is equal to anything that can be
seen on the prairies of Iowa and Minnesota
AN EXPERIMENT STATION.
The expedition will choose a location for
at least one experiment station. When once
it is started the work of the establishment
will be of a very elaborate and comprehen-
sive description. 1t will be scientific farm
! ing conducted with a view to finding out
| how the conditions of the region may be
utilized to best advantage for the produce
| ton of every possible field and garden crop.
| But this is not all, for it is desired to learn
what domestic animals may be reared to
| advantage At the present time there are
practically no domestic animals IN the Ter,
| ritory though the country is we'll adapted
| for sheep, pigs and goats, ana IN the oit-
| kan region, as we'll as IN the ISLANDS or the
| Aleutian chain, cattle viii keep fat all the
| year around without much care, subslstlng
| on the nutritious grasses. Further to the
north it would be necessary to give them
shelter during two or three months OF the
| seVerest winter weather Poultry can be
raised to great advantage in Alaska.
| riculturaI possibiiities The coastal belt and
| the lowlands of the Yukon region are COW
cred, as soon as spring arrives, with a lux
uriant growth of grass and flowers. Among
! the most valuable grasses is the familiar
| Kentucky blue grass, which grows as tar
north as Kotzebue sound ana e amot In. AZ, Is
| feet in height. These make most excellent
! forage Barley has been tried at Port Yu-
kon in small patches and has matured.
| though the straw was short. Rye and bar
| ley ought to succeed, inasmuch as these
grains are grown in very high latltudes IN
| same lIttude, with temperature and rainfall
| about equal as a part of Scotland which
| produces much barley and rye. oats are
| hardy and will grow very far north.
! The growth of plants in that far northern
region is astonishingly rapid. The snow
| has hardly disappeared before mass OF
| herbage has sprung up and spots which a
| few days before presented nothing but a
white sheet are teemlng WIN Xegetatioini,
! succession. Indeed, during the short ana
| hot summer the vegetation attalns an al
| most tropical luXur1ance. Every plant is
| rushed as fast as possible to a ripening, in
| order that it's seeds may be produced pc
fore the early frosts of autumn mp II.
j Plants of course, are accustomed IN tenn
| perature ATTITUDES to sleep at night, ana II
| is interesting to observe that the Vegeta-
| ion of arctic Alaska pursueS a similar hab-
| If for SO many hours in each twenty-four,
even though the sun is in the heavens Ior
months together without SINKING peloW the
| horizon the somnolence being marked py
| the dropping leaves.
CROPS ON ICE.
| A singular phenomenon is observed on
| the shores of Escholtz bay, in Kotzebue
| sound. where bluffs of solid ice thirty to
sixty feet in height are covered with
| LAYER Of soil in which, to use the words of
the famous botanist, DR.. Seeman, herbs
and shrubs are fourishing with luxuri-
ence only equaled in more favored climes."
1t is an odd sort of country, anyway. Or.
Dali of the Smithsonian Institution, says
| that he mas seen the luSILlOIAcNCl ob NUN
in the shade at Fort Yukon standing al
| 112 degrees Fahrenheit He was told of
several spirit thermometers, graduated up
! to 100 degrees which had burst under the
| sCorchinig sun of the arctic midsummer.
| One question to be investigated by the
| Alaskan experiment station will relate to
! the notifications of the rules of ordinary
| agriculture which must be made to suit
| the latitude. Such notifications are adopt
ed in Finland which is so wet that the
grass has to be transformed into hay by
| Latino tho wind blow through it
| There are practically no tree fruits suita-
| BILE for food in Alaska, though a wild crab
| apple is found in the Sitkan region, but
| small fruits grow spontaneously in greater
| profusion than in any other part of the
! world There are wild Strawberries of
| exceptional size; also red and black cur
rants gooseberries, cranberries, raspber-
ries blueberries, bearberries, dew berries,
! mossberries and roseberries. The last are
| the fruit of a species of rose called rosa
! cinuamomea wild roses quite generally
| produce fruits, which in some cases are
! edible but the cultivated varieties are
! doubled to such an extent as to petals
/ that the flowers are rarely fortified. From
| MANY of these berries the Russians prepare
/ most piduant and delicious preserves. AL
ready the Alaskan cranberries are being
| brought in large quantities to the san
/ Francisco market, being purchased by
traders from the natives who pick them.
These cranberries are bright scarlet in
| color and about the size of pea. They are
| highly priced by the Alaskan Indians, who
| deDend to a considerable extent on these
! and other berries for food. The shrubs
fr