The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-13

D
! government started experiment
ions al SiIka and Kenai-tbe La
small settlement on Cooks Inrz- ".
sisting chiefly Of Russians and T7+.--.-
which, on the. maps. is USUALLY --,,s
| Fort Kenai, for the reason thar T-Tt.g1
States troops were stationed thor
a few years after the purchase of Az
ka from Russia. Practically C-a 49,
work has been done at these SEES
1 the business assigned 10 then, ,1T,.-SS'
/ ing chiefly OF experimental V-f-b
I cry useful kind of plant that v-oT-s -
likely 10 grow well in that part NJ -
world VIC
IN taking up the work. the 5-r,~.
/ ment of agriculture got together 49,
Of nearly everything in the Wav ,f gs-
/ den and field crops that mighr ha -
/ pected TO grow in Alaska Soma a
I the seeds were obtained from E5~v---
/ Sweden and other parts of The vo-;3
/ where climatic conditions are nor
J like those Of the territory. Others ~
! got from northern eXperimenr. S-s7i,--
in Minnesota. Wyoming. Mon-ans-I-
/ pectally the seeds Of hardy varieties ~
: grains. As soon as the stations. w.,
[ located. experimental platS -lva-f--
several acres. were laid out ana S,g-s
with the various kinds Of seeds. and in
cidentally beginning was mas in n.
! study the prospects for rearing ~
nestle animals. At present there an,
/ no domestic animals in Alaska az
| though the country is we'll ADAPTED =,
/ sheep, pigs and goats, while IN the Sir
kan region and on the AleuJhiar Islands
cattle keep fat the entire year ~orr5
on the wild grasses Poultry. too. cs-
be raised TO advantage.
! The only domestic animals in The
q
kept to catch mice. and dogs. wbfrb
are used for drawing and packing. An
extensive vegetable garden has hazT
established opposite Dawson. which Is
the capital of the KlOndike district. Ibz
blowing being done with the aid NJ
dogs Occasionally moose. trained ?,
pull. have been utilized in that c0U1-
try for blowing. At Circle CIV and
elsewhere, lettuce, radiShes, onions
trUrnips and peas are sown on the raa-z
Of the houses, which are covered with
layer Of each, the latter. warmed by
the heat from within. yielding Very sal
tisfactOry crops. The soil Of tile Yukon
valley is a rich loan, from the falling
leaves of the forests and $50 miles from
the mouth Of the river CauIf0Wers
rsdishes. lettuce, cabbages. carrots and
beets are raised in the gardens Of The
Protestant and Roman Catholic mis-
siOns. Peas propagate themselves. br-
beans are a failure and potatoes .s-2
watery- The surest vegetable In thar
region is the early tUrnip. which some
times reaches a weight Of ten pounds
Alaska is most particularly The
country of small fruits, no other pan
OF the world producing SO many kinds
or in such abundance There is Won
derfUl variety Of berries. some of which
being unknown in the states might BE-
introduced TO great advantage. They
grow wild over great areas in exrrav-
! agant prOfuSion-bright scarlet cram
berries the size of peas, big Srrawh=r-
ries, raspberries. red and black cur
rants. blue berries, gOOseberries bear
berries, dew berries. mOSsberrieS and
rose berries. These last are the fru-
, of a species of rose known 10 b0tan-
lists as the Rosa Cinnamonea Trad
ers buy large quantities OF the Gran
berries from the natives who pick them
, shipping them TO San Francisco. and
red currants are so plentiful in The
!, neighbOrhood of Cooks Inlet that one
may purchase them for 2I2 cents q
T pound The Indians depend upon Der
ries to a great extent for their supplies
of winter food. crushing them and DRY
ing them. while, the Russians prepare
from them many delicious preserves.
The priests of the Russian church
, in Alaska are specially. eniOined by
: their bishop TO give every possible as
. sfStance TO our government in the work
s. of improving the agricultural resources
: of the territory. Something in this
: way they are able to do through Their
influence with the natives, whose cor
! ( ditiOn is becoming more preCari1G
: year BY year. As the CannerieS il
! crease in number, and the streams ara
: fished clear Of salmon, they are finding
Z greater difficulty in obtaining winte,
supplies of food The sea otter and tL.
+; SEAL until recently an important
:. source of income 70 the Indian hunt
: ers. are already reduced in number
!, almost TO the point of extinction and
: even the laTge game and fur beariI:
/. land animals are rapidly diminishing
J. AS these sources of livelihood are nor
and more depleted, the natives viii q
compelled TO appeal TO the government
> for aid, or else StarVe. The only prac
q tica bic remedy is to encourage then
). TO cultivate the soil, and the FIRST Stei
L in this direction is to give them SEED
l. of hardy vegetables ana grains. n
5 vegetable is appreciated by them nor
> than the tUTnip, which grows we'll VIII
! little labor and skill. yielding an 61.0i
81 product n q short time.
I, 1t Is row believed that in the no
E distant future the territory viii 10
p only support millions Of people with Ii
- fruits of its own soil, but Will aCtual
:. export large quantities of f0OdSru1s
5; such as but or. cheese. wool, mulJo
T. and beef Thanks 10 the warm JaCa
2, current, which corresponds To- The gu
" stream Of the Atlantic ocean. the eli
mate OF the southern coast OF AlaSh
is rather mild, being not NOR seven
Z than that of Maryland and Virginia
y with fewer VicisSiLudes. and u ma
J.; part OF the country millions OF ea--
IN ana snee9 might subsist on The VII
:, grasses with a much less Derctltas
n, of loss from winter cold than IN %
n western part Of the United States A
n cereals except Indian corn do well, an
i the same is true Of most vegetables
y, OF TIE southern coast are 900
q II ny islands, some Of them very arg
which are fertile and well adapted 10
farming purposes. especially Tor ID
k. production OF cereals One Of mes
$, called Kadi2k, is ninety miles long
% sixty miles wide and might De- 2 EIt-
3 airy for the whole territory. TWa--ll--
I'd of il is LreeIess. and the fertility OF ].
c. soil IS shown by the extraordinary -L1
n. uriance OF the grasses with which d
ey hills are covered. eQualnE any mn mn
NJ ~ Dc seen Oh lliE % Gil 10 VA -
- and Minnesota. II IS IN the same -d-
tude as q. part Of Scotland, Wh=ca ~
q duceS much barley and rye. and IL 10 "a
d about the same Temperature ana ran
e fall Oats. as IS well known, are =
= tremely hardy. and viii grow F--t 70
%. north. Inasnauch rs no section =
81 claim to be an agricultural country =
nj less i can produce the grams VIM
fe, feed man and beast. this matter
sr; cereals is all-impOrIa1J-
y 1T IS thought that the interior :
~ Alaska may. perhaps, offer even 80
n er possibilities for the develoHl------ -,
ID agriculture than the coast 80
J. While the winter climate Is more =
ID orous. the summers are Wari.--- a a
D. it is likely that barley, oats am ~. -
- wheat could be. grown suece~s----'
iillf many localities W neat 1--'- - --