Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-04-23
placer mining are comparatively good
This is the story get from the miners
COAL KNOWN TO EXIST
~ xyIrSTEnE PAM

placer mining are comparatively good
This is the story get from the miners.
COAL KNOWN TO EXIST
IN WESTERN PART
Coal is known to exist in the west
I, ern part OF the peninsula. and II was
mined thore by the Russians. who
brought in lauorers from Siberia and
miners from Germany with view to
developing the territory. Later one OF
! the American steamship companies
! took some of the coal to San Fran
cisco. but Il was found OF too low a
grade to he valuable. 1t liz Ignite.
varying in color from black to brown,
/ and it cracks upon drying. There are
great quantities Of 1t north OF Kache-
MAX Ray, and tho entire Renal low
/ land may he collaborating. This coal
Will furnish fuel for the farmers? and
! run through gas producers it might
bc used for manufacturing purposes.
! The great future Of the Renal Pc
ninsula lies in its farms The Agri-
cultural Department experts who went
over the country year or SO ago have
estimated that there are on the pc
! ninsula and IN the Matanuska and
SuSitra Valleys. where the railroad ia
now building, something like 100000
acres of fairly good land. This part Of
tho country is low, and 1t has an
cquable climate. Some of the region is
covered with swamp and muskeg.
which will need draining, but at least
one third of II will require clearing
only to he made ready for crops. The
land of the latter character is enough
TO make more than 5000 farms OF a
quarter Of section each. or 1000
farms Of 800 acres, which is the amount
Of land now allowed for a homestead
in Alaska
! The total area OF the lowlands
which arc suitable for farming is about
. three -fourths the size OF the State of
! Massachusetts. and the best of the
I lands, those which do not have TO be
! drained are about twice as large as
Rhode Island. or the latter, one half
/ lies in the Susitna and Matanuska VAL
Toys. and the other half is on the west
crn side Of the Kenai Peninsula.
II weeds. grass and bushes are any
sign Of fertility, much OF this country
viii produce excellent crops. Here at
i Sunrise. outside the roads and trails,
! the land is "A jungle OF dense vcEeta-
4 ton and one wades through weeds as
high as his head. have found high
grass in every open place in the forests
and some OF il is 90 thick that a man
Il short distance away is hidden from
view. There is grass on the stream
bottoms. on the benches and up the
slopes of the hills even above the tim
Der line The most common is a
red-top that grows to the height OF
/ five or six feet, and. as l am told,
makes excellent hay. Indeed, 1t is cut
| for that purpose about Sunrise and
Seward. Ii brings from $40 to sl2 per
ton when first harvested, and IN the
winter rises to $50 and upward per
ton.
There is good forage almost every
where in this part of Alaska. and it
would seem that the country might be-
come stock raising section. Accord :
inc TO the farming experts, this is the
destiny OF much OF this region. They
figure that the territory l have de-
scribcd will support $4,000 stock, and
allow eight acres per animal. They
Say the country should he devoted also
10 dairEing, and that properly used
il can be made to produce something
like 25.000.0J0 pounds of butter or 60,
0o0,000 pounds of cheeses a year. 1t
is about the same latitude as parts OF
Finland and the Scandinavian PENN
SUla. which are celebrated for their
butter and cheese. and the climate is
fully ~ mild In this connection the
Island AZ Kodiak. about 100 miles or
80 west Of Seward. also promises to be
q great dairyiu2 and stock raising
center. Tie government has AN expert
mental farm there, l shall write of it
in the future.
No EXPERIMENT STATIONS
on KENAI PENINSULA
So far VIC have had no experiment.
stations on the Renal Peninsula, al
though one viii now be established to
show what can he done. The experts
OF the Department Of Agriculture say
th9t early varieties of grain will ma
ture and That barley and oats wiz pro-
du.e excellent crops. According to
them. 200 bushels OF potatoes to an
acre can be grown on the good soils
without fertilization, and cabbage. let
tuce, beets. turnips, garden peas and