Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 April 1917 — VALUABLE LANO FOR FARMING in ALASKA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

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

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

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-

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.

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