New-York tribune., 1897-08-10
AGRICULTURE IN ALASKA.
p GOVERNMENT EXPEDITION TO GATHER
DATA.

expedition sent out by Uncle sam /, is to start In
and gather preliminary data with reference to the
contemplated establishment OF one or more agri-
!nce; Congress has approprlaied 500 to pay for
the invesgaton and under existing law an ns,i-
Of if SSoU per annum from The Government OF ia,s
enormously', upward Of thirty thousand persons
sn!e sn!!erng las, year most Of :hem in pursuit of
,innes $40 a day beng the price Of ordinary labor
In the C'ondyke region where at the present time
however. no man caa get work unless he brings a
SwneS provisions Win him. because ,he claim lain
which is all that stands between himself and
Here is a country. them which does not offer
sHpPGrt to rr an increasing reputation Yet it is sx
there is no reason why it should not sustain mill.
Ions Of people In fact. most of the important fool
and the enterprisng farmer may choose wheihe.
he ne VII viii produce vegetables or sow grain: Thanks
shores Of Southern Alaska corresponding 10 The
the coast belt and outlying islands is very mild,
the temperature in winter rarely droppins more
1 S &c the n n @
this deficiency Of information thai is to be supplied
! by the contemplated expedition.
Botanist Allen. OF the Department OF Agriculture,
and Dr. Killen Of the Oregon Agricultural COLLEGE.
With one or two others will compose the party.
and also will Visit number Of Islands Of the Aleu-
tian chain. looking for the establishment of an ex-
on the sra island of pwhSS Of such
1 might be s1 srana Snx FOR say fa
Two,hrds Of II is treeess and The fertility Of the
! Of the grasses with which its hills are covered
! This wealth of wild grasses is equal to anything
that can be seen on the praries OF Iowa or Mihhe-
| sofa.
AN EXPERIMENT STATION
| The expedition will choose a location for at least
one experiment station When once 1t Is started:
slaboras and COMPREHENSIVE description ~ e WI
] he of
utilized to best advantage for the production OF
M or sa is o What R
animals may be reared 10 advantage N Alaska.
ms the a,e S
IS well adapted for sheep. pigs and goats and IN IN
Aleuiian chain cattle win keep fat all the year
around without much care. subslslng on ne nn, u
necessary 10 give Them shelter during two or three
to fsaf'%d S's5 TsoPs can DC
In shSr Aaska s i county & Of great s1 G asrIa oN
lands of the Yukon region are covered soon
spring arrives with luxuriant growth of grass
the familiar Kentucky blue grass. which grows
as far north Kotzebue sound and ano her Is the
These make most excellent forage. Barley has been
tured tho%sh the % straw ; was short Rye c and bar
ley ought to sqGcGed as those Erains are
of Kadiak is In the same latitude. with temper
auTe s,l ana rainfall about equal as part q Scot,
hardy and will grow "V Very y' M norih a rye
Te Of rp@ t IF na T has TssGn sa
peared before mass Of herbage has sprung up.
wR wRs few 4s 4Sf9Fe M nG
producing leaves, flowers and fruit in quick sue
the Sege,afion attans an almost " ,ropiCal % i"s"r
ance. Every plant Is rushed as. fast as possible to
before the early frosts Of autumn mi np it. Plants
and n to h
the vegetation of Arctic Alaska pursues a similar
habit for so many hours in each twenty-four. even
though the is In the heavens for months
geiher without sinking below the horizon: the SOM
CROPS ON ICE
of Eschotz Bay. in Kotzebue Sound. where bluffs
of solid ice thirty to sixty feet in height are
Of the famous botanst, Dr. seeman' herbs and
shrubs are fourishlng, with a uxuriance only
ef country aSyway Dr. Da of the smSsonan Gaa 5G1
non % h sayf s5dd & Il s ar nas ysnn the
Fahrenheit He was told Of several spirit ther-
% !Gofans sun mp Of to hs % Arss ah Ss
One question to be investigaed by the Alaskan ex:
eo he rules of, OF ordinary M agricuture which must be
has 10 be tranHformed into hay by letting the wind
There are practically no tree fruits suitable for
00d IN the In AasR kah h9ngh 2 wild cra6appe is found
taneou:ly in greater profusion than in any other
part Ct the world. There are wild strawberries Of
goosSberres. sra1berries raspIerriss, blneberres
pearberries. dewberries. mossberres and rose
called ca Rosa einnamOmea Wild roses quite genera
but tRe ns wbfh IN eases are sdibs
an extent as TO petals that the flowers are rarely
prepare most pquani and delicious preserVes @ sS'Is A
Teady ro the Aaskan cranberies are being brought
Dting purchased by traders from the natives who
These cranberries are bright scarlet in color and
about the size Of pea. They are highly priced by
/
shrubs that bear blueberries form a large part OF
the fruit is collected great quantities by natIves Se
who preserve the berries. crushing and drying
bush is likewise much esteemed I, has the shap
crush f it in Wooden a' bow s an nnd hen en- long the Indians
This Is one OF the oldest gastronomic practices of
compartment Of pretty nearly eyerythnr eh,o nc
They, even eat strawberries with seal oil as we
would put sugar on them
SMALL FRUITS PLENTIFUL
Where small fruits grow will In such surprising
might be cultivated successfully. This is one Of
may be placed in charge Of the Who
They will try to find out how the fruits and vee@-
The production of eggs. butter and cheese viii de-.
mand attention at their hands Nothing could be
who pouring into Alaska are obliged to !ring
,heT G f9od SS with them because the country will no
to fetch what they need to eat from San Francisco
co Of fe coGny are m he p"
says that within century from the presen; time
Alaska viii be exporting great quantities OF ship
timber, butter. cheese wool. mutton and beef
Very likely her berries yil find wide demand,
Turnps and radshes flourish In Southern Alaska
Potatoes do well, though the tubers do not attain
great size Cabbases do not head" Lettuce Is
! successfully grown. though II does not rpen seed
/ The turnps above referred to reach weight of
/ five six pounds. and have an excellent flavor
/ the Russians preserve the tops in vinegar for win
/ ter use. Wild peas grow In abundance the
/ Alcutian Islands. Along the coast OF the mainland
7 10 The northwest Of Ska. and Of the
islands off shore al OF The cereals except corn can
! be grown to perfection. KaGiak Afognak and
other Islands possess Il most fertile soil. with a
Western states. Wd timothy grows luxurianly
! In Southeast ALASKA. There are large areas OF ex-
i ccllcnt grazing land notably on the great islands
! Of the Kadiak and Aeutian archipelagoes. There
Is no reason why Alaska should not rival Montana