El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-10-14
Crops Worth $500 An Acre Raised Frank G c.rpat.,
On Farms Cut Out of Alaskan Woods " t. 4sS Frank
Alaskan Cantaloupes Dairy Brings
Galon-Farmers Valley a Difficult Task.

were luxuriant and the hilled up rows
| reached to my thighs.
200 BusheI of Potatoes to Acre.
/ Potatoes grow well in this part OF
I Alaska Two hundred bUshel per acre
! is not uncommon, and the country Is
now raising about all that is needed for
/ the towns and the camps A year or SO
ago the station sold the yield of five
acres for $500. and il has records OF
three acres which have produced a
value Of from $500 to $500 per acre for
years IN succession Potatoes are sold
by the pound They bring from to 9
cents, according to season Some claim
the tubers lack the mealineSS of those
OF the Rocky mountains Those 1 have
had, have been dry and delicious
spent some time at the experiment
station The home of the farmer is a
one story cottage surrounded by beau
tiful flowers At one side Of it is a
great bed Of pansies. and in the front
yard are more pansiess in patterns OF
intricate design About the porch sweet
peas have climbed to the height of your
head, and the blossoms have a color and
freshness not found in the sweet peas
in the states This is SO OF all the
flowers Of Alaska The growth is so
rapid they seem TO have been born
overnight and that in the rain
Near the cottage is a dollhouse where
tomatoes and cucumbers are grown,
and across the way are barns and out
houses where grain-hay is stored for
the winter.
There is also a root cellar in the
side Of the hill not far from the barn
This is a cave about 65 feet in length
and so lined with board that is is clean
and dry the year round. 1t will hold
hundreds Of tons and is used for stOr-
ing potatoes and other root crops.
The potatoes are put into the cellar
as soon as they are dug. which is some
time in August, and they viii keep
there for more than a year Just Op-
pOsite the root cellar and a little below
It is a large turnip patch I climbed
the fence and pulled up a turnip- It
was eight inches thick, and by actual
measurement the leaves were Il inches
long.
Ice Near the Surface.
"a great part OF the country IS IN
derlaid with prehistoric ice. the soil
being frozen down to bedrock" said
J W. Neal. the farmer. In some
cases the frozen strata is only a few
inches below the surface. and in others
it may be a yard or so deep After the
land is cleared this gradually melts
until it has no effect upon cultivation
and growth
Mr.. Neal does not think that large
farms viii pay in this part of the
world He says the markets for a
long time will be limited to the local
community which will be supported by
the mines. The demand will steadily
increase as the country IS opened, and
in time there will probably be a. con-
siderable population of small farmers.
HOmesteaders Do Well
Leaving the experimental farm. we
visited some OF the HON esteads nearby /
The first was owned by a man named
Young. who came TO Alaska with moth
ing about seven years ago He took !
up 800 acres of government land and /
a large part Of this is now under culti- /
Tation- He IS raising oat-hay and I
potatoes; he has also a big green !
house. where he grows tomatoes and I
other vegetables for the mining camps I
and towns Mr. Young was not at /
tome when we called. but Mrs Young
showed US about As we looked over I
he farm I asked her how she liked i
living in this far off Alaska She re- /
llied that she had been a little dis /
satisfied until she had gone outside" /
asst summer, but that since she re- 4
-urned she had no desire TO go out 4
again She said:
This country is my home. and a I
mighty good home it is. You can see |
what summer is like. We are per- 4
'ectly comfortable during the winter I
We always have plenty to eat. we get i
nigh prices for all that We sell and i
We are further ahead every year"
At that moment We were looking over /
the stock in the barnyard. II included B