The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-03
Congressman Hear Statement Of
Territory's Possibilities from
Pacific Coast Millionaire.

BY w. w. Jermane.

Seward. One of his most striking state h
ments to the committee relative to Alas y
kan agriculture was in the way Of an u
explanation.
s'The general misconceptions of agri- +
cultural possibilities in Alaska he 9
said, "arises from the fact that we fail :
to take into account one important !
phase Of climatic conditions there in
the growing season. From the middle
of May until the first of October, the
average sunshine from the Pacific coast
to the Tanana river is not less than
eighteen hours out Of the twenty-four.
The sun in the middle of May rises far
off in the northeast. It's course is not
directly overhead, but in an angle some
degrees to the south, and it sets away
in the northwest. The consequence is
that the period Of growth each day, dur
hours In the locality of Washington
| the growth of vegetation does not ex
| coed ten hours in the longest days. The
consequence Of so much sunshine in |
Alaska is that vegetables and grass, and
everything that goes to support an ag-
ricultural population, grows rapidly and |
in great abundance.
d. Can Sustain Millions.
~ am often asked whether the
climate of Alaska is such as to make |
certain the support Of a permanent
population in the territory, and my
answer has always to be, that a CORE,
| by 1000 miles of railroad from the
Pacific coast to the interior rivers of
Alaska contains population Of not
! less than 16,000,000: That population
is confined between ATTITUDES 60 and 81 /
tion Of the scandinavian peninsula, all
Of Finland, and part Of Russia. In that
thickly populated belt is one of the
largest cities in the world, st. Peters
burg, with population of 100000.
J. North of latitude go are some Of, the
) Wealthiest and most progressive cities
}. to 100000, in a latitude corresponding
, to that Of the Sushitna valley.'
. els st. Petersburg further removed
~ from the Gulf stream than the towns
70 Of centra! Alaska are from the Japan
i currentY'' the chairman of the com
= mittee asked Mr.. Ballaine at one stage
70 Of the hearing. zs &
"Fairbanks, and the country in that
9 vicinity, is only $50 miles inland from
= the Japan current, and that current is
- Just as much 81, larger 81 than the aulf
81 than the Atlantic. The consequence
~ is that the warming influence Of the
IL Japanese current Is much greater than
= the warming influence Of the Gulf
81 stream. And In addition the outlet
q and inlet of the Pacific ocean from the
9, Boring straits that there is much less
90 effect from the cold waters in that
On region than is the case on the Atlantic
IS side east of Greenland, so that the tenn
90 perature of the waters of the Pacific
% ocean is higher than that Of the At
3 3S lantic ocean in the corresponding lati
~ ~ tudes. And yet there we have st
Petersburg several hundred miles from
the Gulf stream. So [ say, taking tina
aass as a general basis, it is evident tina
~ what is done in the southern portion
Il STA in the way of agriculture can an
~ will one day be done in Alaska.
Fl Climate Misunderstood.
81 @"Another- thing that makes agricu]
''' ture possible in Alaska is the climate
100 and the Alaskan climate has been griev
III ously misunderstood by most peopl
90 ern coast there are few points wher
~ zero weather is ever recorded. It ma
20 surprise you people to know this, BY
90 you can readily learn at the weathe
100 bureau that the average winter weathe
~ Sitka, Juneau and Seward, is milde
ny, and more even than in Washington. I
lew the interior there is much colde
,o Of weather, but it is very dry cold. The1
Its it's is range Of mountains skirting tt
cOdSt OF Aldskd anu InlS LITERALLY uTl'
nee out all the moisture from the ocea
1sct winds: At Fairbanks they have hs
'af in it as low as 60 below, but this was
avs exceptional instance, and in all the i
D. terror severely cold weather comes on
her at rare intervals and then stays on
aui, ture great agricultural valleys of Ala
ka men work out of doors with hors
all winter long with no more discomfo
=. than is experienced in any Of the mort
ern states. When the weather is We
\ cold in thai; country, it is dry, st
stirring, as the mountains protect t
country from high winds. People W
= have lived in the Sushitna valley f
r twenty years and have kept a reco1
= say the lowest the Thermometer b
be eSsR ze10 In resstss asfe
that, | believe I can truthfully 8
that there has never been a winter
the last fifty years that they have I
had it So below in the states Of w,
ming and Montana. Two years a
they had it So below in the northee
part of the state of New York. 7
average winter temperature in
Tanana valley is from 10 above to
below. And the Tanana valley is
- nearly as well situated as the Sushit
the Sushitna valley better than it d
in Montana or Wyoming, and the snc
fall is not nearly SO great, the fall
the Tanana valley being not over
feet on an average. while in the Susl
ma valley it is often not over half th
In the latter valley last year it '
only seven inches for the entire win1
Alaskan Vegetation.
HIn telling about the vegetat
there, am going to make some Sta
ments that may seem absurd to J
but there are plenty Of people who
corroborate what / say in this regs
One Of these statements is that red
and blue-stem grasses in Alaska g
to an average height Of five feet. 7
is the average height and not the
Eception. It stands on the ground
thick as grass can stand, and it is
the dry, coarse rye grass to which
people Of the far western states are
customed, but fine, leafy, succul
grass. It is natural growth.
grass is similar to the bluegrass
Kentucky. Furthermore, [ will m
statement as to the height this g
sometimes attains. Two years ag
Z went into the interior as far as
Natanuska coalfelds with e. a. Sh
. < "a director and stockholder In the st
Exchange National bank Of Chicag
AMs had told Mr.. Shedd about the gro,