Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-05

raise dairy products for tho United
states narket"'
There is no reason why i, should
not. The climate OF the Aleutian Is
lands is mild, and hardy cattle and
sheep can III many seasons run out all
winter or be kept ever with n small
amount Of hay and fodder We are
now wint"rine our cattle on the Island
OF Kodiak on the equivalent OF two
tons OF hay per head. We do not use
hay, but put green grass into the silos
The cattle are kept up ut night. but
THAI is 10 protect them from the bears
rather than on account OF the cold
We can raise cattle almost anywhere
IL the Yukon Valley, but the trouble
There is the long winters. when they
have TO be fed for something like
"ifh, months OF the year
I'm the interior OF Alaska the grass
grows almost everywhere to the height
OF ones head" continued Professor
'eorscSoh II have seen many patches
as tai! AZ man upon horseback 4
10" years ago l visited the Holy Cross
MIFs'on on the Lower Yukon. The mis-
SION station owned ii small herd of CAT
tie, which ii had in n pas,ur. Adiojn.
lhG TINS was about ninety acres OF viii,
grass that had been reserved for h,v
asked permission 10 turn the cattle
INT" TINS tract. that I might photo
graph them. They We're driven in. but
| could not make the picture. Tho AMI
mails We're lost in the grass which
lowered two or three feet above tb.ir
heads. such grass is found in South
western Alaska, and cvcrywhcr. on the
moist grounds throughout the interior
II makes valuable hay i! It is cut early
but If left TO ripcn It becomes tough
and woody.
at Fairbanks such hay now brings
. q xt-li II,
Aha!ta Soils for Sl@5 Il ton rcmcm-
Der that got as much AZ $40 Il ton for
grain hay when We had an experiment
station on the Copper River near Cor
Iova' ana that We often sold hay there
'or as high as cents Il pound This
was before the people had started
farming After that they sent in OBJ
l"ctions 10 the Agricultural Department
at Washington. saying .!.it the expert
in"nt station ought not TO compete in
the markets, The matter was brought
h"tor" Secretary Wilson. lie replied
that $40 II ION was too high for nav
and ordered us 10 keep on raising /;
and selling 81 until the price went
down 10 SIS Il ton. He said that he
thought SO a ton was enough for hay
anywhere"
How ABOUT your experiments with
alfalfa"
The Alaska stations have been
NoIh!HE lb' several years that
problem, the most OF our cypcrimcnts
having been made n Rampant, far
north on the Yukon. We have brought
Ill seed from many parts OF the earth,
but so far have found only one species
that Is absolutely hardy. This Is a
yellow lowered alfalfa Indigenous to
siberia, from where tho seed came
through our Department OF Ayricul-
turc. 1t has smaller leaves than the
common alfalfa. and the stems are
more slender. The flowers arc yellow
instead Of purple. and II has this fault
That the pods split open and shatter
much OF the seed In tho handling.
Thnr alfalfa has never been winter
Killed at the Rampant station, and we
have mado several crosses between IL
ana other varieties which are nearly
as hardy. We need the alfalfa not
only a. a feed. but AS a heterogeneous
FERTILIZER for the soil. This alfalfa
fills IN" requirements. and 1t is mere
" question OF time when we WIN
haN" enough seed to meet the demands
OF tho country"
SOMETHING hnoUT
soII. or alaska
T"!! IN. something about the soil
of ALASKA? How does {; compare with