Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-15

OF tho Arctic Circle. and the growing
season is short. ranging from three to
-FOUR months. and extending i'm favor
able seasons perhaps Il half-month
longer. The last spring frosts occur
about tho middle of May. and frosts
begin again during the latter part OF
AUGUST or first of September. There is
really no darkness In midsummer. and
'ne long sunlight adds to the growth
:" the crop. June. July and August
are warm. tho thermometer sometimes
going to &c degrees
me winters are cold. in the Tannua
valley the mean temperature i'm lam
""rE pclnG about 20 degrees below
zero. The thermometer ranges fron,
the freezing point to 60 or 20 Icrrnns
hciow zero during December January
ana February. After the rrcczaun
which begins about the last or DO.
.oDer, there is steady cold Weather
from then until May. The ground is
frozen as hard as Il rock; quiet bodies
OF water become lee to a drnth of civ
rect: ana there Is from three tn six
leet of ice on the lakes and the streams.
I'hc Yukon has three or four feet of
zee. The streams are then the sled
'"'as' ana IraNci is easier than in the
summer. The ice and snow begin Ia
melt in April and early NAV Th.
small streams Tow into the larger ones
raising the Ice sheet so that IL is torn
away from the shore II breaks into
pieces ana starts on it's way to the sea.
INC cakes of ic" grinding against ono
another and pi!iUg up i'm great masses
AS they 40 on they carry every moy
abic thing in their path. Thi; move
mcnt last" for u week. or so, whom the
streams clear and the boats start ont
from their winter quarters
TANANA VALLEY LAND
or SCANTY RAINFALL.
he Ianana Valley is Il land of scanty
rainfall. Heavy showers are almost
unknown. II drizzlcs often in summer
and much Of the rain is during tbn
growing season. The yearly AVERAGE
IS about ten or twelve inches of water
including the snow of the winter
added to III" moisture from the skies
IS that from the strata Of pcrpciunI
'"c. which is found from eight inches
to yard below the surface of III.
ground. When tho land is cultivated
This gradually mcltS mal<in., the soil
deeper and dc"pcr from year to wear
nntil ~ last the ice has no effect ON
the crops
The soil is fairly fertile. Some of
that about Fairbanks grows 200
bnShei* of potatoes per acre without
manure. When the woods arc cut down
the native r"d-ton springs up There
is pasture cvcrywhcrr i'm the. summer
The best lands ar" the gently slopinr
hills. comno#ci OF the silt sand and
gravel The most of the soil is sandy
The very best is the Fairbanks silt
loan OF which there are altogether
100000 acres in the Tanana Valley.
| cloSe this letter by warning the
would-hc settler that cutting n farm
from the forest and dragging It out
Of the ice il no bah,. JOB. Ii is better
suited 10 men or from twenty to thirty
tlan those over sixty The first year
a 50 Viii hc full Of hard work ana
the hom"Stcndcr should bring along
enough money to keep himself and his
family dur!n. that time. Practically
all tn" land needs clearing. y cabin
VIII have To Ice built, and garden
patch cut ont of the woods. y log
barn Will be needed: and. If possible,
a dollhouse should be erected The
mast OF tho work will have to bc done
hy the farmer and his family. Wages
are high. y common hand gets 81 or
- a day and board. or If hired right
along, from $i00 To $50 a month Nil.
RiCk"tt pays his lady cook" SO "a
month ana her board. y servant who
does general houscworS will want Sln
in To help on wash days ana sweep
inu days will charge from 30 cents to
80 cents an hour. These are the wages
in Fairbanks The result is that most
Of the women do their own work hir
iur help only FOR the heaviest kinds
~: labor
Wopyrirh,. 1916. by Frank q. Car