Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-18
Resources of Alaska.

PRODUCTION FROM 1880 TO 1905.
Gold $500. SAC, 0O0. 600
Gther minerals. -.................. o0
Fisheries .................... 1O0 COY, IVY
Total production .... $500. 600. 900
PRESENT ANNUAL PRODUCTION.
Minerals ............-.......... $2O.OOO. 00O
Furs ................... 800 ,00O
Total production. ......... sso.5oo, 900
This statement seems almost incred-
ible but the figures are said to be OFF,
cial and they demonstrate the wisdom
and foresight of Secretary Seward
and the folly of his critics.
Congress appropriated 100000 to
collect, maintain and return the exhib-
it's, and the building was erected out
of that fund. A large number Of the
displays ought to be taken about the
country and exhibited in as many towns
of the public, because even the most in
telligent people have only slight COM
prehension of what Alaska is and what
is produced there. Some of the exhb.
stalled in the National Museum at
Washington. but the public at large
ought to have an Opportunity 10 see
Them.
Alaska Farm Products.
While Alaska is not a banana belt
nv any means. staples that can be grown
in short season with cold nights are
easily produced there. and under the fos-
tering care of James Wilson, Secretary Of
Agriculture, a considerable area of land
is now under cultivation. The Agricul-
,tural Department maintains three expert
ment stations in the territory In order to
demonstrate what can be done and how
to do 1t. Sheaves of wheat, barley, oats
hNndlRC NInVor ffrrnfhy nd Vo7-
top. potatoes. cabbages, cauliiower, tur-
nips, peas, lettuce, radishes, rhubard and
other garden truck" are exhibited, and
the signboard says that 100000 acres
OF agricultural land are available for
settlement
We are more accustomed, however, to
think Of Alaska as a lumber camp. and
the forestry department proves what her
resources are in that respect. In the
mines building is spruce log ten feet
in diameter at the butt. and $50 feet long,
which was too big to put into the Alaska
building, and here We have cross sections
six feet In diameter. cedar logs four feet
I'm diameter. spruce board four feet wide
and other striking exhibits OF cedar, hem
lock and birch. The forests Of Alaska
are OF unknown extent but they cover
millions upon millions of acres. and the
timber is OF large size in many sections.
During Russian occupation Alaska timber
was used for shipbuilding: lumber was
shipped to China for building materials.
Dul OF ldte years the trade mas been neg
1ected because mining has paid to much
larger profits. Hence it may be said that
the forest wealth of Alaska Is practically
unlimited and that the lumber industry
has not yet been started there.
Fox Fur Industry.
The records show that the Russians took
more than s15o. eco OOO worth OF furs-seaI
otter. ermine. mink and silver gray fox
skins-from Alaska, and we have de-
rived revenue OF $4,000. 600 from that
source since 1857. The exhibit OF furs Is
very attractive. and the most interesting
part OF 1t are the skins OF domesticated
foxes. Fox ranches. Mr.. Mcbride, the
Alaskan commissioner. tells me. are be,
coming popular as well as possible. and
he counted ten establishments which have
sprung up during and since 1904, when
Harry Pryde of Juneau started the bust
ness on Hound Island with twenty pairs
of blue foxes There are now several
thousand foxes on different islands, which
produce annually about 1000 skins. worth
an average of $50 a skin. They produce