Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-05
EVEN ALFALFA GROWS THERE
Expert Gives Advice TO
Would BE Scttlcrs-Scvcnty-F
- Cents an Hour for Farm lands.
Experiment. Station AT Sila.
Il, FRANK q. CARPENTER,

max, situated within q short diStaHC
nf Seward. the ocean terminus Of tn
now railroad. Kodiak is bigger thar
i'orto RICO. Its speciality is stock
Gearing and dairyiug. The rairhauk
station is in the center Of n cr,a
agricultural region. II is devoted I,
ali-round farming. Rampant ~ so IA
North, that i; forms the best place 70
the breeding OF oats, barley and whea
for the cold lands The experiment,
al Sitka are devoted 10 vegetable gar
doninE and the raising OF berries anC
other small fruit. This part OF IN,
icrrfory IS mountainous and IS large.
~ made UP OF islands II has no ,reat
farming areas, and the crops com,
rom patches OF land about tho bay.
or in the valleys. Nevertheless. thor,
Hre many small farms. and the mining
communities and towns are getting
Nome OF their supplies from the coun
Try about.
OF MOUNT NE:RSrONIA
The experiment farm at Si,ka lies
under the shadow OF Mount Verstoyia,
within quarter OF mile OF the town.
u Is gently rolling, rising from the
muskeE or swamp up the slopes OF
the hills. The farm has a great green
house or f-uit-forcinG plant. and ,hc
Yields about this are devoted 10 vere-
tables and grain and 10 gardens and
orchards.
There are acres of strawberries ana
raspberries and orchards OF apples.
cherries and apriCots. The strawbcr-
ries are finer than have seen in auv
part Of the United States or Europe.
There are hundreds OF rows OF them.
The plants are vigorous and are loaded!
With fruit | saw some berries almost
as big as hens eggs and many over an
inch in diameter. The berries have
been produced by ross-brccd!nE the
"a
herries brought here from all parts Of
the world. There are now several
thousand different kinds OF strawber-
RES growing At tho station, and near
~ all OF them have more or less
Alaskan blood in their veins wish
you could taste them. They are straw
berry all through. Only a few have
a tart flavor, and the most are so de-
licious that they fairly melt in your
mouth. The plants have a hardihood
not known TO our strawberries. They
Keep on bearing for about two months
during the summer. ana arc still Weld
ing fruit as late as September.
\monC the other experiments going
"n At this station Is the croSSini, OF
IN" red and yellow S;lmonbcrrics with
The raspberry. The saImouherry is as
hig as the largest blackberry. but Il
Is red or pale yellow In color 1t Is
delicious TO taste. and is used in Crca,
quantities all over Alaska. Rasphcr-
licS also will grow well almost any
where, and the crossing is successful
although the new fruit partakcs more
Of the flavor OF the salmonbcrry.
The station is also breeding annie
trees that Will grow In many parts OF
the territory, and il is making expert
iuentS with cherries with tllberts and
other nuts OF tho harder varieties
The most surprising feature OF the
gardening is In pansics, poppics, roses
IL Il. s,,1
the pansies now growing are many aS
big around as the bottom OF "A tumb!cr
and some are as black as ink and as
soft as SILK plush. There arc also roses
Of exquisite perfume and popp!cs Of the
most brilliant red and as big around
Us tea plate; These poppi"s come
from Asia, and they are perennial
They are among the new wonders Of
Alaska.
GEoRGESON IN CHARGE
or EXPERIMENT FARM,
went over .ae experiment farm
with Professor G. G.. ueorgcsUn. who
under Secretary Houston. has the man
seement and direction OF Uncle Sans
agricultural work in ALASKA There
is no man better fitted by ability and
experience FOR the position. met
him In Japan twenty -cigh; years ago
when j was making my FIRST news
paper trip around the world Mr.
Georgeson was then :; professor In
the Imperial College OF Agriculture
At Tokyo, and was INTRODUCING, modern
farming into tho land o: Japan Born
in Denmark, he had been trained IN
farming on some OF the largo estates
or that country ana had then Como TO
the United States where he was pro.
lessor in the Texas state College o.
Agriculture. lie had also been one
of the editors OF The Rural New York
er. After leaving Japan lie was sent
by our government TO lnvcstirate the
dairy industry o! Denmark. ana later
in 1Ses-was ordered 10 go to S!tka
and establish experiment stations IN
various parts of Alaska, with Il view
TO the development OF the territory
For the eighteen years since then
Professor GeorGcson has been IA
charge OF Uncle Sans farming iutcr-
"sts in Alaska. lie has travelled all
over the territory, studying us soil
climate, plant lie and farming pos-
sinil.ties. He has been the chief man
aEer Of q half-dozcn different expert
ment stations and has rakod the world
for grasses ANA plants suited TO this
part of tho United States
We were looking at some alfalfa
crown from coed imported last wear
from siberia. when I asked Protcaao,
Georgeson 10 civ. me his idea OF the
future OF Alaskan farming. lie re-
Piled:
There Is no doubt but that Alaska
VII some day support large farming
ropulati0n. Sc no reason ,vhy the
territory should not eventually have
stable population % thrc" millions
49, more. We are discovering new
l'lants and grains every season. This
airalfa VIII grow all along TIC YUKON
aud we have made successful exrerl.
ments with II north OF that river
estimate that Alaska has about 100
600 square miles That car ~" used r.,
agricultural purposes. That means
'hat II has 6t,oO000o acres, or an area
Two and half times that os OHIO OF
Virginia, that can be turned int,
farms ana ranches"
"Of this territory about nfty-scvor
million acres lie N the interior bcyon,
The Cnast rAnga OF runnnt.LnH .rL.