The Wrangell sentinel. (Wrangell, Alaska) 1909-current, 1940-01-19
Winter Flowers In Alaska

Wrangeu and Southeast Alaska
may wei take a bow. Through the
efforts Of Mrs. Frank S. Barnes. To-
cal resident, this section Of the Ter
ritory has received recognition in
the Editorial columns Of one OF the
leading and oldest established news
papers in the Pacific Coast. The
Portland OTegonian needs no in-l
PRODUCTION. It's circulation reaches
every part Of the globe But It isl
through such civic pride and effort
such as Mrs. Barnes has shown that, !
as the Oregonian expresses it. the
Outside learns that the real Alas
ka is not the literary Alaska-ofI
Dan McGrews, bowling huskies and
sab-zero temperatures" More pow
er to those among Us who help put
an end 10 these fallacies and a bou-I
quet of Alaska's still blooming flow
ers 10 The oregonian for giving
US worldwide recognition. The edi-I
torial follows:
In Wrangell. southern Alaska,
where there is located the Wrange1I'
Packing company, whose stationery
she used, Mrs. Frank S Barnes has
been reading certain items in this
newspapers news and editorials
with increasing distaste. Perhaps
that isn't exactly the word but, any
way. as Mrs. Barnes read OF Deem
Der roses in Oregon, and Yuletide
raspberries. she experienced distinct
reactions of regional superiority.
And these impelled her at last to-
write The Oregonian a letter, else
where appearing, in which she en-
umerated the summer flowers which
at the date of her communication,
yet were in blossom in her garden
at Wrangell. Allow US. with ap-I
propriate evidences of being literal-I
ly overwhelmed, to give her resigtry
OF these unseasona1 efflorescenees.
They are:
Sweet william anchusa. forget-I
me-not. snow-on-the-mountain, prim-
rose, pyrethrum, sweet rocket. cali
endula. godetia. michaelmas daisy
snapdragon, clarkia, phlox, sweet
alyssum, rock moss. sweetpea. alys-.
sum basket of gold.
"Salaam to Alaska, or whatever the
obeisanee may be that the AlaskansI
employ at such times For what
ever reason, We have no such
variety of blossoms as these in wes-
tern Oregon this morning, thought
we could il required soon muster a.
presentable garland from our gar
dens. It is true that there is gener-
al knowledge of the comparative
clemency of climate in certain re-
gions of Alaska, as where the warm
waters and winds of ocean modify
the temperatures of the southern
and southeastern coast, but it also
is true. though oddly, that the lit
erary influence of Jack London and
others causes us to forget this re-
gional blandness. Yet the circum-
stance is that Alaska has a range
Of climate greater than that en-
countered from Florida to Maine
And Wrangell. comparatively speak
ing, is in the banana belt.
The average annual temperature
of Yrangen is 43.6 degrees, while
that of the Portland area is 53.1I
degrees, although IL must be remem-
bered that our coastal average is
considerably milder. AT Wrangell
they undoubtedly have zero wealth
er oftener than we, but the climates
are not unlike. though their sum
mers are cooler. In January of last
year their temperature was only ten
degrees lower than ours; in Feb
ruary it was ten degrees less; and
in December, six degrees. There
isn't a great deal of difference.
Still they have flowers now that
We have not-and the answer to
this. having first admitted that
both Alaska and this region have ex-
perienced unusually mild seasons SO
far, is that conditions in Alaska are