Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-07-28
ALASKA FARM
STATIONS CLOSE
Government Takes Action After 81
Years Experimental Work, Min.
nesOta Man Affected.

Upon recommendation of Secre-
tary of Agriculture Arthur M.
Hyde, Congress did away with the
agricultural experiment stations
or the appropriations for them in
the Territory of Alaska. A form
err Minnesota man, Eiler Hansen,
who spent his childhood and
youth in Tyler, is affected by this
| change. Mr.. Hansen who has
been in Alaska the past Is years
and most of that time in the gov
eminent service, is son of the
Danish author, the late Carl Han
sen, and has visited Askov sew
eral times. A report of the gov
eminent action as taken from
recent issue of the Cordova ALAS
KAY Times, reads as follows:
| After 35 years of experimentation
here in agricultural and allied pur-
! suits, the federal government aban-
doned that line of activity with the
close of the fiscal year, June 80, and
the federal agricultural experiment
stations in the Territory were shut
down. Secretary Arthur M. Hyde
frowned on the expenditures last year
| and refused to recommend to Con-
gress the regular estimates for sta
| tiOn maintenance and operating. eX-
penses.
Congress, although petitioned by
every Alaskan community, declined
to insert any money in the general
supply bill of the Department of Ag-
riculture, saying that it would not
override the secretary and the Blu
reau of the Budget in matters of this
kind.
Staff Without Jobs.
Seven permanent employees consti-
tuted the staff of the two stations
which have been operating for the
past year. In addition to them, nor
mally, employment was furnished for
| several months every year to some
| 80 others.
| DR.. H. w. Alberts has been director
of the stations for the past six years
and has made his headquarters at
Juneau for almost a year. In head
quarters office with him were Filler
Hansen, administrative assistant and
Miss Mabel Koenigs, secretary.
The Sitka station was in charge of
Clifford Corey, horticulturalist. At
Matanuska, F. L. Higgins was the
agronomist, w. T. White, animal hus-
bandry man and j. c. Wingfeld, hor-
ticulturist. All of them have been
thrown out of employment, since no
transfer was available.
DR.. Alberts will proceed to the
States shortly. Mr.. Hansen is re-
turning to Sitka. Plans of the others
are not known.
Covered 81 Years.
| The government launched its ex-
perimentations in Alaska at Sitka and
Kodiak in 1898 with DR.. c. G. JOr-
gensen in charge. He remained there
for over 20 years. Stations were es-
tablished later at various times at
Kenai, Copper Center, Fairbanks,
Rampant, Kalsin Bay and Matanuska.
| Due to early-day transportation
costs and the extreme difficulty in
obtaining fresh vegetables under ex-
listing conditions, the first efforts were
turned toward experiments of garden
crops. Livestock was next added and
cereal grains followed this. In later
years, besides carrying forward the
original lines of activity, small ber-
ries and shrubs, and more recently
apples were added.
Notable success was attained at. ex-
periments. Sitka produced fine strains
of strawberries shrubs, certain vege-
tables, and in the past year has pro-
duced an apple tree which seemed to
be especially adapted to the southeast
Alaska climate.