The Monmouth inquirer., 1898-12-01
ARCTIC TERRITORY
ALASKA HAS MANY RESOURCES
WHICH ARE UNLIMITED.

Great Possibilities in the Line of Agria
culture A according to an Expert-A Very
Popn. mr. Food is Known as Thakiusli--
Good Vegetables Are Raised There.
The most interesting traveller wlo
has lately returned from our Arctic pos
sessions is DR.. Walter Evans, sometime
ago commissioned under special act of
Congress to- survey the climate, soils
and economic plants of Alaska A
great part OF time his sole companion
was Special Agent Ball, sent this year
to establish Weather Bureau stations in
the territory. The greater part of the
Doctors camping was done at Kussilof.
considerably north of Cooks Inlet.
DR.. Evans believes that muca of the
agricultural activity Of Norway,
Sweden, Finland Scotland, Iceland and
the Orkney Islands may be successfully
reproduced in portions of Alaska The
climates, soils and topography OF all
the regions named are similar. The
southwestern portion will offer good
facilities for stock raising. The only
drawback will be the providing of win
ter forage In summer thera are v asst
areas here of grass nearly as higa as
mans head In the interior the winters
are colder and the summers hotter. In
the lower Yukon region numerous gar
dens have already been established,
especially by missionaries.
The commercial companies nave rails
ed good vegetables along the Yukon
further east than Circle City and near
he Canadian boundary. Two years ago
three thousand pounds of turnips were
raised by woodman near Circle City.
A large vegetable garden has been
established opposite Dawson in the
Klondike region.
The white Alaskans now live mostly
on potatoes, turnips, cabbages, lettuce.
peas, radishes and rutabagas, as far as
vegetables are concerned. The natives
raise little else than potatoes, rutaba-
gas, turnips and sometimes onions.
They gather salmon berries, huckleber-
ries, cranberries, currants and rasp-
berries and preserve them in seal oil.
The Thlinkets cultivate a plant waich
f lucy Cdt1 AVOs III itS uhuSA StO OuA0
bulbs and grind them into powder for
making a sort of cake. They also eat
the roots of the wild parsnip weed. and
drink sort of tea made from the
leaves of another wild plant. They also
relish skunk cabbage among other
weeds, as pot herb. The leaf stocks
of the plant Heracleum Lanatum are
Il
walls, taking the place of QUO peanuts
or foods eaten more for pleasure than
nutrition. Unless this luxury is we'll
peeled the mouth becomes very sore
from the hairs whicn the doctor says,
cover the entire stem.
A very popular food OF the natives is
known as "thlakusk" 1t is made from
marine alga which grows on
kelp. After storms or very high tides
large quantities are collected and pre-
served. 1t is highly esteemed for
stomach disorders and is similar to tne
'sloke," ''slokan,'' or "laver" Used in
the North of Ireland The root of
skunk cabbage also has high reputa-
ton as a domestic medicine, AS well as
the buckbean. Dr. Evans believes that
the use of native plants by the Alaskans
mas greatly diminished since the advent
of the whites. The flour, sugar and
other prepared food materials Of the
latter now mostly supplement the
native diet of fish, seal oil aud meat
The natural timber of Alaska, The
doctor says, is sufficient 10 supply tee
territory for all time to come, if
properly managed The native grasses
are especially valuable.
The Alaskans now pursue the same
methods of agriculture through the
whole territory. The gardens every
where appear neglected. Those of the
whites are often no better than those
of the natives. A crop once planted
with great pains is allowed to care for
itself. The result is ns1atiy large
and luxuriant crop OF weeds.
Upon the small islands about Kadlak
and Prince Williams Sound there is
springing up promising animal in
dustry. Blue foxes are oeing taken
there and bred for their furs. German
carps will probably be Introduced in
the fresh water lakes OF this region to
furnish food for the foxes. The other
native animals are fast decreasing.
These are the white-tailed deer, moose,
mountain sheep and bears. About the
lakes behind the coast are the breeding
grounds of vast fiocks Of rueks and
geese.