The daily morning Alaskan., 1901-10-03
AGRICULTURE
Expert Report On Alaska's
 New Era

Very optimistic views os Co Che ogrIcul- taincd by Prof E w. Allen. an expert of Che department of agriculture. who has just returned Co Washington. D. C.. from n tour through Che so1thcastcn part of tho territory Prof Allen visited Che thrcc experiment stations of thte depart mcut of Alaska. examined Che districts whore farms were In operation. and made a study of thc soils. both aloug Che coast and In Che Interior As a result of hIs inc vcsueouons. oidod hy Che work of thc experiment stations at s.tkl. Renal and Kadnk. hc declares that Che cereal grains. parucular those which mature carly tsuch as slNty-day oatsl and oll varieties of hardy vegetables. can loo proHt1hly grown in Che tcrritou.
 Prof Allen does not predict that Alaska win ever become a great rrun-growine statc. but says there ls no reason why Che cereals. vegetables and certain v1ric- tIes of hardy fruits should not hc grown in sufficient quantities Co meet thc de- mands Of home consumption. TO accom- plIsh this cnd Prof Allen thinks would iu itself bc great achievement os it would bring thc home producer Into direct competition with Che transportation conn p1nlcs. certainly Go Che disadvantage of Che latter from Che view point ot contn- ned heavy freight rates. makes thc state loss like Che prmcyll wilderness it is generally understood Co Doe. and hence result In ts more rapid settlement and mathematician.
 "The principal difficulties is conducting 1rrIcuitura In Alaska" said Prof Allen. "Is thc preparation of Che soil Go rc- c,iyc Che crops. The ground in thc dis- tr.rts where Wagc is p1ssibic. is cove erod log sIN-lnch layer of moss which 4ct.ne like Che saw-dust in an icc-housc. rctlIns tho frost In Che ground until Che summer is we'll under way But when this moss Is removed. which of course cn- tails considerable labor. Che latter cone dition seemingly being dist1acful Go thoso who have gone Go Alaska In search of gold. Che virgin son responds readily Go systematic cultivation and gives Che most sausfactor, results.
 Along Che coast lt must hc remembered. che winters are comparatively mild. though long. Che mercury seldom falling below zero. while even In thc interior whcr Che long season is much colder tho mentioned condtos of frost-rctcntIon being overcome. good crops arc possible. Tho ccrcaIs-whcat. oats. ryc and barley and Che hardy vegetables such os pot1- tics. tomatoes. beans pcas urnips thrivo under intelligent carc quite 1s well os in Che East Indeed. it is no harder lf os hard. Go prepare Che virgin soil of Alaska Cor cultivation than Co reclaim from h1r- ronuoss thc abandoned farms of New England.
 The soil itself and not Che climate as generally supposed. has been thc draw back Co agricultural operations. At Che departments experiment stations. when Che moss covering Che ground was roe moved and burned and Che soil plowei and narrowed. Che results acricvcd were most astonishing Much finer potatoes werc raised In Alaska l1st year than ony- where on Puget sound. and some or thc local merchants look with dlsf1vor on thc departments atttcmpts Co impress on the Alaskans Che idea that agricultural opera tious arc practicable. for they proceivo that their prestige is In danger and that the days or 2lO per cent. profit are nearly over"
 Prof Allen mentioned Che case or ono
 entorprlslng citizen of New Hampshire who dappolntod in search of gold. cleared a small tract Of only three acres put portion of it under glass. and raised flowers and vegetables His enterprise ncttcd him S.000 In the first year. and he has since enlarged his farm. The Ans kans Prof Allen said. like luxurios as we'll as Che people in Che cast. and when it is mentioned that the farmer referred got 60 cents a head for his lettuce. cor