Evening star., 1923-03-12

country or to become naturalized-t
tel him there's q ship going homo
every oay. No room for parasites. I
X X X
Gov. Scott c. Bone of Alaska, a.
FORMER Washington editor, recon-
mends to the Alaska legislature that
1T memorable Congress to provide
free homesteads to be given to Alaska
soldiers Of the world war.
This suggestion might be enlarged
TO cover not only Alaska veterans
but all veterans who choose to take
advantage of a homestead and turn
to farming.
At the close Of the civil war the
veterans sang very popular song.
Uncle Sam Is rich enough to give US
all a farm" 1t was true, for at that
period the vast alIuvial prairies OF
the west were unoccupied 1t has
not been possible since the world war.
for there is scarcely any desirable
land in the United States not already
taken up.
But why should we overlook that
vast territory of Alaska--as exten-
sive as all the United States east of
is farm land. nor is the climate at
all salubrious, but there are thou
sands of square miles of as good
farm land as most of the states can
boast. and as for climate, 1t is off,
cially stated that the temperature at
Sitka, it's capital. is comparable with
that of the District of Columbia.
X x x X
There is more agricultural land in
the Tanana valley, Alaska, than there
is in corresponding territory and lat,-
tude in Norway. Sweden and Russia
about 100000 acres. The total
tillable land in Alaska is estimated
acres would provide 100000 farms of
160 acres each. with a farm popula-
tion of 100000. In the same pro-
portion as the average population in
| the states, that would support 1000
600 population in cities and villages
in the agricultural region alone.
With the mining industry. fishing.
forestry and kindred interests added
for the less temperate regions OF that
great peninsula. the day is coming
when Alaska will TEEN with 10000, 900
people, and will be cut up into half
a dozen states.
The Second Assistant Postmaster
! General. Col. Paul Henderson, who
has charge of the parcel post service.
/ is planning some radical improve
| ments in the service. These viii
probably include the handling of the
rapidly growing volume of parcel
post by special trains, rather than
mixed with regular mail upon pas
senger trains. 1t will also mean the
substitution Of steel hampers i'll place
of mail bags, so that breakages will
be reduced.
Now, If these steel hampers be made
| in standardized units, SO that a. given
| number exactly fill car. leaving no
| waste space, additional economy would
be achieved This is an idea invented
some years ago and patented by ST.
| Louis engineer, but never put to
practical use. 1t was intended for
all kinds of merchandise and farm
freights. The units would be inter
changeable and be loaded and locked
before the arrival of the train A
car could then be filled in a few min
| utes by a derrick lifting the steel
units aboard, as ships are loaded. The
! units would not all be the same size,
| but smaller ones would be quarters
| or eighths of the dimensions of the
larger ones, according to the volume
of the shipment.
Watch out, MIR. Farmer. and be sure
you plant your potatoes and every
/ thing that grows underground in
| "the dark Of the moon" so that when
| they begin to grow the moon will be
growing, too, and will hurry them
along. Superstition? Nothing Of the
kind. 1t is truth. Science now
verifies what many a good farmer has
| been half ashamed to declare, al
though he believed it.
| Experiments are being made by
| agricultural chemists in Liverpool.
and they discover that moonlight does
! affect the action of the sugar in seed
and stimulates termination. Now.
how many old farmers are going to
declare, II told you so all my life?
Copyright, 1928 by P. V. Collins)