The Alaska daily empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1912-1926, 1922-08-14
DAIRY FARMING
TO BECOME BIG
INDUSTRY HERE
Sherman Predicts Alaska Will
Be the Great Dairy State
in the Future.

Alaska as "the great dairy state
of the future" is the prediction made
by Associate Forester f. A. Sherman,
who represents the Department OF
Agriculture on the lnterdepartmental
Alaska Board and is in Juneau on
general inspection of conditions in
the Territory and the work OF the
Forest Service in Alaska.
Yesterday | drove out to Menden-
hall Glacier and went over the roads
beyond" said Mr.. Sherman to
representative of The Empire, and
along the highway | saw some little
evidence of what can be done in
Alaska in the line of agriculture
But | hesitate to talk about 1t mere
in Juneau because you people OF
Southeastern Alaska. | am afraid. re-
ceive such talk with good natured
tolerance, somewhat as though you
feel 1t can't do any harm to let
grecnhorn wax enthusiastic over the
future possibilities of the region II
he wants to believe such things.
Secondary industry Here
when | think of agriculture in
Alaska ! emphasize the Interior coun-
try. Agriculture along the coast Will
always be secondary to the fish in
dustry: secondary to the wood work
ing industry, including numbering
and the manufacture of paper and
other wood pulp products; and sec
iYin nd pn0nT1l com
merce Even at that farm products,
such as the dairy products OF the
Mendenhall region adjacent to Ju-
ncau. berries of all kind, and all
kinds of hardy vegetables, will con
tribute in no small way to the gen
eral wealth and stability of the re-
gion and furthermore will add ma
terially to the general appeal OF
living conditions in the Territory.
1T is to be hoped that when the
road is completed to Eagle River,
every tract of meadow land or land
which can be devoted to farming
with a rela -onable amount of effort
VIII he taken up by real farmers. 1t
is also to be horcd that the people
of tits town will give them every
rp7~ctre encouragement and support
s'The backing of a productive farm.
ing region will mcans more to your
municipality than you imagine. II
I>cal drfrymen can only drive the
.fin cow" out of your homes and no.
tells and off your lunch counters
they will have done more to give
the visitor to ynslf town an imnres-
t,'on of s4abs~y End pcrmanency than
would the erection OF half dozen
big sky-scrapers.
Land Of Families
an a white mans country the Tin
COW" Is everywhere an evidence OF
camp conditions. In logging camps
railroad construction crows, survey
por.ies, hunting or exploring par
ties. YOU expect 1t as matter OF
course; but i'm settled regions the
local dairy surplants the canned
product excepting where fevcrs or
pests interfere with raising dairy
stock. An ample local supply OF milk
cream, butter. eggs and fresh veg
ctables will also contribute more to
domestic contentment on the part OF
the people of a community than any
other one thing Alaska is ceaslng
to be a land of single men and Is
becoming "a land OF families. Inc
1920 census returns shows that TO
be fact. II is therefore desirable
to make the Territory the kind OF a
place women and children like to
live in. Mans meat-eating instinct
ds survival Of his prowess as
hunter, but women invented the dairy
and the kitchen garden and they pre- !
for to keep house and make their
homes where such products are
abundant This may sound fanclful
but think it over and perhaps 1t may
not appear to be SO far-fetched after
all
Interior a Dairyins Country
However AlaskaS sureenough,
onestto-goodness big dairy country
OF the future wili not be along the
coast but in the Interior Your !
coast farmers will have all they can
possibly do to supply the local de-
mand for milk, cream eggs. berries
and vegetables. Probably most OF
YOUR butter, cheese and potatoes VIII
be shipped in just as in New YORK
City or Seattle. In the Interior the
case lis different There you have
vast areas much better adapted TO
agriculture than the best lands along
the coast I am convinced that Pro !
fcssor Georgoaons estimate OF
100000 square miles suitable for
agriculture is not an exaggeraton. |
That means 400, 900 homesteads of
J60 acres cnch. With an average
family Ct five on each homestead
YOU would have one million people
engaged in agriculture. ! am not
going TO engage in any Colonel Sell