Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 April 1917 — Page 3

VALUABLE LANO FOR FARMING in ALASKA

by C.C.GEORGESON

It has been demonstrated both at government experiment stations and by hundreds of settlers scattered over the country, that Alaska has agricultural capabilities of considerable range. But it is not without its drawbacks and prospective settlers should get all availfable information before deciding upon a move into this —— ——

So FAR as topography, soil, and climate determine the matter, Alaska bus probably 100,000 square miles of area on which there are possibilities for farming and grazing. The larger portion of the farming land is in the interior, in the Yukon drainage. Currants, raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries are plentiful in Alaska. Some varieties of wheat, oats, rye, barley, potatoes and many other vegetables have matured every season since the United States department of agriculture started its work. The department has four stations; one is on the Yukon within 75 miles of- the Arctic circle, another is also in the interior, while there is one in the southeastern and -another in the southwestern portion of the territory. It has been positively demonstrated ’that forage crops may be grown in the southwestern and central portions as well as potatoes and other garden vegetables. Chicken raising is also proving feasible. It has also been estimated that a great number of farm products are shipped in that might easily be raised on the ground. A recently issued bulletin on Alaska, while citing many optimistic facts, also warns the homesteader that there are many difficulties to be encountered. on the south 'coast, where the climate is mild, -tillable land is scarce, because of the proximity of the mountains to the shore line; elsewhere in Alaska the winters are long and very cold and frost-proof buildings must be provided for shelter'of family and stock. ..'..J— The ground freezes to a great depth and there M-but a short period"during which this can thaw, and the surface is covered with an accumulation of undecayed moss and other vegetable material serving as a protection to the frost and a reservoir for moisture. The frost line under natural conditions sinks hut a few feet during a season, and the thawed layer is usually a morass of muck in all portions of Alaska where tillage is possible. This condition makes land travel almost out of the question during the summer until wagon roads shall have been built, and these must be largely of the corduroy type. Meantime the farm home ■must generally be located close to navigable water. The swampy character of much of the surface of Alaska makes it a great breeding ground for mosquitoes and gnats, which are almost intolerable p&ds th iwHTTunninrnti boftsr" it Aisir wakes drainage a prerequisite in order to remove the surplus water so ♦hat the land can be temperature of the surface soil, lower the frost line, facilitate the decay of the accumulated organic matter, and bring about chemical changes which will transform the soil from a very acid condition to one much less so. Nature requires much time for this last process. Where the vegetable accumulations are largely moss, this must be destroyed, either by burning or by carting it from the land, sos if plowed under it decays very slowly and seems to have an injurious effect bn most crop plants. The timber growth, which occurs on practically all the land suitable for tillage, must, of course, be cleared from the. land. All this work— building houses and barns, draining, clearing land of moss and timber, is very slowly accomplished in the short outdoor working season If done single handed by the homesteader, and costly, almost prohibitively so, If hired labor is used, because of the high wages and living expenses. Lacto of general transportation which would open up the country, of local wagon roads, schools, .churches, and other features of present-day life, and of the markets in which to sell farm products and from which to obtain home supplies and farm equipment are deterrent features at present, but they will disappear in time. The federal homestead laws extend to Alaska, excepting that/ instead Of 160 acres, 320 may be filed upon. Very

Short : Paragraphs : of : Interest

An aviation school is about to be opened by the Chinese government Waste molasses is now used in Hawaii as fuel for furnaces that produce steam power. An English Inventor’s interlocking concretg piling is said to be stronger than sheet piling made of wood. •The production of apples In the United States equals a busheUand a half sot every man, woman and child In the country. '

little of the available land has been Tmrveyed, buV that \£ork is now in progress. One may locate on unsurveyed land, file a claim, and establish Hues by metes and bounds, but he cannot secure a title until a survey has been made by an authorized surveyor and the survey approved. If the survey is made In advance of that made by the government, it is done at the expense ,of the homesteaders, and that is heavy. In a recently published report showing the results of the government’s experimental work, and the agricultural progress in Alaska, we find the following: The most favorable season for farming known in Alaska for many years occurred throughout the territory in 1915, according to the annual report of the four Alaska agricultural experiment stations for that year. Grain, of all the varieties grown, ripened and matured unusually early, while vegetables and berries produced abundant crops. An agricultural reconnoissance of Matanuska valley, through which the projected government railway is to pass, and to which many settlers have

An Alaska Settler’s Garden and Cabin, Eight Months’ Development. Rab-bit-Proof Fences.

already been attracted, is reported. It is stated that the region is well adapted to general farming and stock raising and that the prospects for successful farming probably are as favorable there as anywhere in Alaska. Promising results were attained during the year in the development of hybrid strawberries combining the hardy characteristics of the native cultivate'! in the" States. The hybrids, most of which were developed at the Sitka station in southeastern Alaska, have not~Ceen _ distributed because of the belief that something still better will be produced in the near future. Success has been achieved in growing certain varieties of apples in the coast country,* and what is believed to be the first apple tree to bloom in central Alaska—-a Siberian crab —bios-

Porto Rico Is Good Market

Island Possession Buys About 95 Per Cent of Its Merchandise From United States. Porto Rfco promises an enlarged market for the products of the factories and farms of the United States. Reports from that Island indicate that the sugar crop will be the largest in the history of the island, and, at the present high prices, will.jadd greatly to its purchasing power. A compilation by the foreign trade department of the National City bank of New York shows that the trade between the United States and- Porto Rico was SIOO,000,000 In 1916 as against about $75,000,000 in 1915, $65,000,00 in 1914, $59,000.000 in the fiscal year 1910, $30,000,000 in 1905 and $7,500,000 in 1899, the year of annexation. Merchandise sent from the United States to the island in 1916 aggregated about $40,000,000 value against $32,000,000 in 1914, $27,000,000 in 1910, $14,000,000 in 1905, and $4,000,000 in 1899. The value

A Spanish bell bearing the date 1247 is still in use in Oakland, Cal. The electric, railways of the United States are valued at the enormous sum of $730,000,000 In national factories and establishments controlled by England, 500,000 women are now employed. ■ German brew'erles are manufacturJng a form of yeast to be mixed with stock foods to increase their nourishing qualities.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

somed at the Rampart station about 75 miles south of the Arctic circle. w Promising results have been obtained in breeding more prolific early varieties of grains. Especial success has been had.Mith spring wheats and but little with winter varieties of the grain. .T. During the year work was resumed at the Kodiak Island experiment station. A recommendation was made for provision for the crossing of Hol-steln-Friesian cattle with ,the hardy Galloway beef cattle. The report States that it has been demonstrated beyond question that sheep do well on natural pastures throughout the island and coastal regions in the vicinity of the station, and that in normal winters these animals can maintain themselves with- little feed. For tin* development of a satisfactory beef animal for central Alaska the report recommends anew the importation of yjtks from Asia for crossing with hardy cattle. It is recommended that horse breeding be taken -up at the Kodiak station, since al present none are bredfin Alaska, while many are imported at great expense from the States. A circular for the Use of those who are thinking of settling in Alaska has Just been issued by the Department of Agriculture as Circular No. 1 of the Alaska Experiment Stations, under the title of “Information for Prospective Settlers in Alaska." This circular is designed to answer questions as to the climate and agricultural areas of. Alaska, the best places to locate, the ways of obtaining a farm, the means and cost of transportation, cost of living, what crops can be grown, possibiTlties of live stock production, labor conditions, school facilities, game laws, etc., etc. The publication is intended primarily for the benefit of homesteaders. It is stated that the agricultural area of Alaska (mainly in the interior valleys) is as large as the combined

areas of the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland. Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Now Hampshire, and it should be capable of supporting a population nearly equal to that supported by the agricultural products of those states. The circular contains a special report on the agricultural possibilities of the valley of the Matapuska river through wliUdiJtlifc-government..-raiu road ’is now being constructed and where, as a result, settlement has recently been rapid. The great problem here, as elsewhere in Alaska, is the clearing of the generally heavily-wood-ed land. The soil and climate have been found favorable to general farming, the experience of the past few years having shown that a considerable variety of field crops, vegetables, and fruits can be produced.

of the iperchandlse passing out of the island in the Calendar„ year 1916 amounted to $75,000,000 against $42,000,000 in 1914, $38,000,000 in 1910 and $10,000,000 In 1899. About 90 per cent of the merchandise passing out of the island is sent to the United States and about 95 per cent of the merchandise entering the island is composed of domestic products of this country, being chiefly cotton goods, boots and shoes, machinery, manufactures of iron and • steel, flour, meats, Tice and fertilizers.

Largest Coal Storage Pit.

A huge pit. 150 by 800 feet, in plan and 25 feet 6 inches deep, with side slopes, will provide the Duquesne Light company of Pittsburgh with safe storage space of a 100,000-ton pile of coal, says the Engineering Record. The danger of spontaneous combustion will be prevented by submerging the coal in water up to the top of the pit, which is located near the company’s main generating plant on Brunots’ Island.

An Easy Job.

In an Irish courthouse recently an old-man was called into the witness Sox. and being infirm and just a little earsighted. he went too far in more than one sense. , Instead of going up -the stairs that led. to the box he mounted those that led to the bench. The judge, good-humoredly, said “Is it a judge you want to be, my man?” “Ah. sure, your honor,” was the repiy, “I’m an old man now, an’ mebbe it’s all Tm fit for!” The judge raised his spectacles.—New York Mall. - '

RAISING AN ENGINE

HOW IMMENSE LOCOMOTIVE WAS RESCUED AT SAN PEDRO. Railroad Superintendent Devised In* genious Method to Recover Large Engine Which Had Toppled Over Into Bay. While handling a pile driver equipment used in rebuilding an-old trestle at San Pedro, Cal., a 120-ton locomotive broke through its track, toppled over the piling supporting the trestle and fell down a sloping embankment to the bottom of the . bay. It went through 30 feet of water and halfburied itself, top down, in slime and mud.

A floating derrick barge with equipment powerful enough to raise the engine was not available. A local railroad superintendent finally devised an ingenious method by which the big engine was successfully recovered. Two barges, each of 200-ton capacity, were floated out over the approximate location of the "drowned” locomotive. They were placed parallel to each other and united at each end by two girders made of three logs of 20foot piling lashed together with a 4’/i----inch manila rope tied about the piling and bits. As each turn of this lashing was made a hoisting engine was used to pull the rope tight. A complete coil of rope was used at each end of the girder, and several short lashings were made between the ends as well. Before the hoisting work started, sdme objectionable pile stumps had to be sawed off’close to' the bottom of the bay by a diver with a short piece of cross-cut saw. The first operation, necessary was to turn the engine and its tender right side up. This had to be done in two operations as the tender and engine could not be separated, owing to their depth in the slime. To support the engine, three clusters of large timbers were rigged across the barges. Two of these were placed at each end and one in the middle. From these supports one and one-half inch steel cables were dropped to the engine, passed under it tind made fast to it by the diver. When the cables were all made fast below and drawn tight about the supporting timbers above, 50-ton hydraulic jacks were placed at each end of the supporting bridging. As the supports were jacked up, railroad ties were inserted under them for cribbing. After the engine was turned, rightside up the. cables had to be readjusted and more units attached. The hoisting then continued until the cribbing had been built about 10 or 12 feet above the deck of the barges. Extra cable lashing was put on to hold the engine in suspension until the crib-

The first operation was to turn the engine and its tender side up by means of cabies attached by a diver.

bing was removed and the supporting timbers lowered back To the deck of the barges. By repetitions of this performance the engine was elevated sufficiently from the bottom of the bay, so that it and the bargeS could be towed intact onto some mud flats half a mile distant and close to a spur railroad track. The whole equipment was pulled aground by a locomotive. —Popular Science Monthly.

Regulating the Railroads.

In three states it is illegal for a railroad having repair shops within the border to do repairing in other states. Fifteen states have set down the minimum freight movement which will be allowed on lines within the state. A number of states specify the size of the railroad train crews. A number have conflicting laws and ordinances about whistles and bells and rates of speed. All the states are said to have regulated the size, brilliance and radiating distance Of headlights.—Toledo Blade. . -

Most Expensive Railroad.

The most expensive railroad in the world, we are told in the American Magazine, is the Garfield and Bingham railroad, that carries ore to the gigantic copper nihf of D. C. Jackling at Bingham, Utah. It cost $300,000 a mile and is all tunnels and.trestles. It was built for the sole purpose of insuring an adequate supply of ore for the mill.

Expensive Piece of Road.

The most expensive piece of railroad line In the world Is that of the North British railroad which runs over the Forth bridge. This portion of the line, including approaches, is about four miles long, and cost per mfle to construct.

FREAK ACCIDENTS’ARE CITED

Stone Thrown by Boy Cut Off Engineer's Finger “Shorty" Run Over Without Being Hurt ■ The Into Len Marshall, engineer, lost a finger in a peculiar way. He was running his engine through the country east of Dover, N. H.. his right hand was on the throttle, and his left hand rested on the sill of the cab window, with his fingers outside. A .boy standing on the railroad embankment, threw h stone at the engine, and the stone struck Marshall's middle finger, cutting ft off at the lower joint. A Boston business man. who served 25 years in the train service of the .Florida, Tampa & Key West railroad, tells that he worked in the freight train service, during the “link and pinhitch" days.” for 20 years without sustaining any injury, a rare thing in those days. He received his first injury In the railroad service after being promoted to the position of passenger conductor. While collecting tickets in the “Jim Crow” car one day, a drunken passenger seized the conductor’s thumb In his mouth as he put his hand out for the ticket. It required the efforts of the whole t ruin crew to pry. tlie passenger’s mouth open to release their conductor. One night when “Shorty," a diminutive yawl brakeman, -attempted to board the front end <*t a he missed his footing and went under. “Cut to pieces I” I said as I ran toward the spot. The engine' kept moving, as the engineer did not see Shorty trying to jump on the footboard from the ■middle of the track (a forbidden and dangerous practice). I reached the spot just as the shifter passed over Shorty's body. The shifter had no sooner cleared, when to my surprise Shdrty jumped up from the middle of the track and started to run after the shifter; yelling at the top of fils voice: “Walt for me, you fool!” Shorty was so small that when he went down he cleared the brake rigging of the engine, consequently he was uninjured.

ZIGZAG ROAD IN AUSTRALIA

Famous Piece of Railroad Now Replaced by Dozen Expensive Tunnels to Make Big Descent In looking back over the history of the original settlement at Sydney, at first it seems strange that the base of the Blue mountains, a plateau 3,000 feet in hei gl 11 and ada y's ride Iromthe coast, should mark the edge of known land for 25 years after ctvnizatlom a writer in the National Geographic Magazine observes. There are. however, good reasons for tins seeming lack of enterprise. The Blue mountains, though not lofty, are broad, and constitute a formidable barrier. There are no long valleys heading in practicable passes and furnishing access from the east and the west; the stream heads are boxes inclosed by walls, and it was only when the narrow divides were chosen for causeways that the passage of the mountains was successfully accomplished. The famous “zigzags” of the first railroad, now replaced by a dozen expensive tunnels required for the precipitous descent of 2,000 feet, give even tlie casual tourist an impression of the ruggedness of the plateau; and when one is led out onto one of a hundred - -flat-topped promontories and gazes down into canons whose walls may be scaled only by an experienced •mmmttdueei and —hwks —out over—atangle of canons and cliffs and tables at lower levels, he realizes that “magnificent scenery” for the present generation must have been obstacles” to the scout in search of tillable land. It is as if the only feasible crossing of the Appalachians which confined the American colonists to the coastal belt were through the most rugged portion of West Virginia rather than along the Mohawk or through the Cumberland gap.

Cost of Stopping Train.

A railroad in the southern part of the United States, in order to make it plain to its patrons why suburban trains are not stopped -whether There are passengers or not, has carefully computed the cost of stopping a train. The calculation was made that it costs about 60 cents to stop a freight train of 2,000 tons and then to speed it irp again to its normal rate of 25 miles an hour. This calculation was. of course, based .upon the price of coaL One-half of this expense represented the amount of coal burned; then there was the time wasted by the men. this being valued nt 10 cents. The wear and tear on the brakes and the start® ing mechanism was estimated at 20 cents. ——f~— — —

Produces Most Revenue.

The railroad in the Western Hemisphere that produces the most revenue to the mile is not in the United States but in Brazil. It- is the Sao Paulo railroad, 734 miles long, from Santos, by way of Sao Paulo, to Jundlahy. The, rqgd? Carries more than one-half of the world’s supply of coffee, and is said to be one of the best-managed railroads In South America.

Low-Grade Railroad.

On the Canadian Northern. Canada’s latest transcontinental railroad, a special train of 15 heavy coaches was drawn by a single engine from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The mountahi grades of this line are less steep than on any other transcontinental road on

Home Town Helps

WIDE PIAZZA ADDS TO HOME Part That Is Roofed May Easily Be Con verted Into Sun Parlor During the Winter Months. A good wide piazza or porch adds greatly to the comfort and beauty of most any home. In order to serve the best purpose ft should be wide and built around several shies of the house.This will insure a cool, shady spot to hang the hammock on a hot summer day for rest ami reading. A piazza should be at least seven feet wide and may be as deep as .12 feet. It is not necessary to have all the piazza covered tftth a roof. It is a good idea to have the part which is to be roofed over so constructed that by the erection of glass sides a sun porch can be provided for winter use. In the winter a piazza which- is entirety, roofed tends to shut off light from the first floor. For this reason the piazza roof should be high, extending to the bottom of the second floor windows. In the summer the piazza may be covered with an awning, or a vine trellis, which on nights when there is little air stirring does away with the feeling of closeness otherwise occasioned. It is a good time to be foresighted when ordering the piazza to tell the architect that It should be made so as to be screened for the warm season. A fine piazza is sometimes a discomfort from the presence of flies or a swarm of mosquitoes or noths. For a bungalow’ or summer cottage near the salt water screens made of copper wire are best as they corrode less from contact with the sea breezes. Ordinary black screens should be painted two months before they are Intended to Wb put in use so that the paint may have time to harden. When windows are put up in the winter the window sashes should be painted with black paint over the red wash which Is put on in the factory and has little preservative quality in it.

TO PLACARD DIRTY PREMISES

California City Adopt* Unique Plan to Raise Standard of Cleanliness in Residences and Business Houses. The city of Alameda, Cal., has adopted a unique plan to raise the standard of cleanliness in residences and business houses. In future the sanitary condition of the various premises is to be shown by placards bearing the inscriptions “Clean,” “Dirty” or “Filthy.” Those places which do not satisfy the board of health will be placarded as dirty or filthy until they comply with the demands of the authorities. This action was decided upon by the board of health, which appointed a committee to post the placards and to care for the general health of the city. The board of health Intends to inspect not only the business houses but also the private residences of the city and to affix the placards to every house in the city. Those residences which can be designated as “clean” will not be placarded, but those in- which sanitary conditions are disregarded will be designated as “dirty” or “filthy” until the house owners remedy the conditions, upon which the placards will be removed. As the board of health has arbitrary powers under the city charter, the placards must remain on the Rouses or places of business until the board is satisfied that the conditions therein are sanitary. If any householder tears dowri the placards, the extreme penalty of the Jaw can be enforced.

Bristol Has City Manager.

The adoption of a city manager by the towx, of Bristol, Tenn., with a population of about 10,000, may not be >f the highest importance from a political viewpoint except for one reason —it adds to the evidence that the city manager idea is spreading, leaving the Inference almost a certainty that it is a question of time only until admlnls tration by eity manager is taken up b; the biggest cities as well as the smaller towns. The choosing of a manager for Bristol for a term of three years promises that the plan is to be given a fair test -which it should have if any comparison that will be satisfying is to be made between the town’s old political system and the new. Unless a manager is allowed the necessary time to work reforms and present results, the handicap would probably be too heavy and iu case of failure would register a mark against the city manager unjustly.

Shade for Pennsylvania Highways.

The Pennsylvania state department of forestry and the state highway department have completed arrangements for co-operation in planting shade trees and fruit trees along the state highways. The trees will be grown from seed by the forestry department tn its nurseries, transplanted in areas set aside for the purpose, then turned over to the highway department when they have attained suitable size. Good roads organizations will also assist in the planting at that time. The species already transplanted are Scotch, white and pitch pines, Norway spruce,. Douglas fir, sugar maple, white ash, white elm, black cherry, honey locust and European larch. i