The Wrangell sentinel., 1923-01-18
Alaska as Seen
 By an Outsider
By E. A. SHERMAN, Associate Forester
 fRanriptad from, Tho

Even late in the 70's corn was con- sidered somewhat doubtful crop in northern Iowa. Today it is one of the standard farm crops 200 or 800 miles farther north. It was a long hard task to bring the heavy prairie sod lands of that region under sub jection. Breaking was a horse killing job. It was not believed that ditching would possibly reclaim the wet land of the region. Tile drainage was unknown.
 One who has seen the wonderful transformation of the past half cen- tury will hesitate to say of Alaska that anything is either impossible or improbable. Wheat, oats, rye. barley, potatoes. hardy alfalfa. the common staple garden vegetables are as fully demonstrated success in the Tan ana valley and the Matanuska as corn was in Iowa in 1871. The world to- day seems more likely to buy your products at living wage some time in the future than it then seemed likely to buy Iowa's corn. In short the future seems to me to be as full of promise for Alaska as a half a century ago it seemed to the pioneer of the Middle West.
 My personal interests are prima- rily agricultural and my natural ten dency. therefore, is to express myself along agricultural lines. I am not unmindful of the tremendous miner al wealth of the Territory and the vast treasures open to you through the haryests of the seas. Your mines have attracted the eyes of the world to Alaska. Your fisheries have sup plemented your mines through a transition period which would oth- erwise have been one of real distress. But the young men of Alaska today who have the good fortune 10 live out the allotted three score and ten years will, I am firmly convinced see the agricultural products from Alas ka's farms and forests exceed in val ue many times over the value of your mines and fisheries.
 At this point can imagine the av- craze resident reader shaking his head 'doubtfully If he lives in south eastern 4 3ska or anywhere along the coast he is doubtful in his own heart about the soundness of the claims made for agriculture in the Territory. He feels it is all right to permit such statements for out side consumption and wild horses could not drag any adverse admis- sions from him; but secretly he feels all this talk about agriculture in Al aska is pure bunk. For him there is only one cure and that is trip down the Yukon through the Panama val ley, across the valley of the Copper River and it's tributaries, and back along the Susitna and the Matanus- ka. Human nature seems to be about the same north of 54 deg. 40 min. as il is south of 49 deg. The Alaskan is just as prone to be pro- vincial as the average resident of the States. Tie resident of Nome, the resident of Fairbanks, and the resi- dent Of Ketchikan each differs from the other in his conception of Alaska as do the residents of Maine, Louisi- ana and North Dakota in their con- ception of the United States.
 I feel that the resident of Alaska, regardless of location, may safely ac- cept as conservative Professor Geor- gesons estimate that there is in AL eska not less than 100000 square miles suitable for agriculture. This means 100000 farms of 160 acres each. With the population of con- tributary occupations, this ultimate ly means a total of not less than 2,000,000 people dependent, directly or indirectly, upon agriculture for their livelihood. No such population can be expected within the next dec ade, but the first 100000 should be firmly established within the next l twenty years, and the larger figure should easily be reached within half | century.
 But, you say, I've have no market for farm products in Alaska" What market was ther for farm producr: in Iowa in 1S46 when that state wa admitted to the Union? What mar
 ket did the Oregon farmer have for
 his crops when statehood was grant
 ed .in 1859? Do you imagine the
 farmer in Illinois had any greater
 market for farm produce in that
 state when its star was added to our
 flag in 1918? In every state in the
 Union the pioneer farmer has pre-
 ceded the market for agricultural