The Alaska daily empire., 1919-09-20
Dr. Georgeson Well Pleased With Summers Work
 In Agricultural Alaska
MUCH GRAIN DEVELOPED
Head of Agricultural Ex- pertinent Work Produces Hybrid Grains For
 the North

"The situation with reference to
 agriculture in Alaska is becoming
 more promising every year." declared
 Dr. c. c. Georgeson, in charge Of the agricultural experiment stations in Alaska. who has just returned from
 the interior where he visited the
 Rampant and Fairbanks experimental
 stations, and the farms in the vicin- ity of Fairbanks and elsewhere. He
 will be in Juneau for several days
 until the Admiral Evans arrives when
 he will go to Sitka.
 Dr. Georgeson has a fine collection of samples of cerials gathered from the experimental farms at Rampant md Fairbanks. They include about 50 varieties of barley. and many vari- cites of wheat and oats. Most of these varieties were hybrids which have been developed under the direc- ton of Dr. Georgeson, and they in
 dicate very high degree of success. Many Varieties of Grain
 The hybrid grains developed by Dr.
 Gcorgeson were produced by cross ing varieties gathered from various sections of the world In this devel- opment the first consideration in the case of wheat, barley and oats was to secure a grain that would mature in 90 to 100 days from the time of sowing It is impra cticable to plant grain in Alaska before May, and it must be harvested in August, the earlier part of the month the better. The process has been, therefore, to cross early varieties of grain with heavy producers and those which have been developed in northern lati- tudes. Russia and Siberia have fur nished many of the parent grains. pr. Georgeson has developed grains that mature in about 90 days
 md some of the varieties have large,
 hard grains of the best quality, and are very prolific, the barley and wheat producing as high as 30 bush
 als to the acre and oats as high as
 70 bushels. Some of the heads of barley are five inches in length with six rows of grain, and most or them
 run from four and half inches The most promising of these varl' cites will be planted more extensive " next year, and within two years there will be seeds produced to dis-
 tribute among the farmers
 Introduce Tractors.
 The Fairbanks and Rampant expe-
 rimental stations have introduced the tractor in farm work in Alaska, and tthe success that has resulted from | their use has attracted so much atten- ton that several farmers will in troduce them next year. One trac- do the work of six horses, and they tor, according to Dr. Georgeson, will do not eat when they are not work ing. There is no work on the farm or road that horses can do that cannot be done by a tractor, and there are i 'ots of things the tractor will do thai horses cannot do.
 Will Make Flour at Fairbanks. The experimental farm at Fair banks, where 30 acres of wheat were raised this year, will have a bolting apparatus this year so that flour car be made for the farmers. It is fig ured that a very large percentage of the flour used in the interior this year will be made there. The mill on the experimental farm was estab- lished some time ago, but heretofore only graham flour was made.
 Farmers Doing We'll
 Dr. Georgeson says the farmers of Fairbanks and vicinity planted a large area this year and were harvesting a big crop when he left there. There are four self-binders in the Fairbanks country, and more than 100 acres of wheat were raised to maturity, and will be threshed this year.
 "One farmer in Fairbanks told me
 that he will make $10.0O0 this year
 from 1O0-acre farm. This is in
 addition to the produce used for his
 family, hired men and stock He
 raised 80 tons of hay for sale and