APPENDIX C. Agriculture in Alaska. [Referred to on page 53 of the report.] DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, The honorable the SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR. MY DEAR MR. SECRETARY: In reply to your letter of November 9, I will state that this department has been studying the agricultural possibilities of Alaska since 1897. Experiment stations have been established at a number of places and there are such institutions now in operation at Sitka and Kodiak, representing the coast region, and at Rampart and Fairbanks, in the Yukon and Tanana Valleys. The station at Rampart was established in 1900, and there has not been a season since then when most of the varieties of oats and barley seeded have not matured, and many years wheat and rye have also ripened. Naturally, great differences are noted for different varieties of grain, depending on the origin of the seed, character of the season, method of cultivation, etc. In 1909, out of 63 varieties of cereals sown, 55 ripened their entire crop. These included 1 variety of winter wheat, 7 of winter rye, 27 of spring barley, 15 of spring oats, and 1 each of spring wheat, emmer, and spring rye. In 1910, 32 varieties of spring barley and 20 out of 23 varieties of oats ripened their entire crop. Ten varieties of winter wheat, barley, and rye all matured. There are at present 23 acres under cultivation at this station, which is situated at approximately 65° 30′ north latitude. At the Fairbanks station, which is near the town of that name and 3° 30' farther south, there are about 70 acres under cultivation. Part of this land is devoted to growing oats and grass for hay, some to grain experiments, and about 7 acres were in potatoes during the past summer. The work at the Fairbanks station was not begun until in 1907, and an attempt is being made to demonstrate the feasibility of agriculture on a farm scale. Grains have matured here, and there has been no trouble in making hay from the native grasses or from oats especially sown for that purpose. Last year more than $1,500 worth of station-grown potatoes were sold, and this year the crop of 7 acres was estimated in September as worth fully $3,000. At both the Rampart and Fairbanks stations experiments are in progress in breeding earlier and hardier grains, and some promising results have already been attained. At Sitka, where the headquarters of the Alaska stations are maintained, the investigations are confined to horticultural operations. Varieties of all the hardy garden vegetables have been tested and those best suited to Alaskan conditions determined. Through these experiments and others in cooperation with the branch stations and 11355° -INT 1911-VOL 1-6 individuals throughout the Territory, it is possible to determine what varieties of vegetables are best suited to the different parts of the country. Some work with small fruits is in progress at Sitka, and during the past season about $65 worth of strawberries were sold from plants that resulted from the crossing of a native and a cultivated species of strawberry. On the island of Kodiak experiments with live stock have been in progress since 1907, when there were assembled 11 head of cattle from Kenai, 6 from Wood Island, and 19 purchased in the States. The cattle are all pedigreed Galloways, and those from Wood Island and Kenai were purchased in Missouri in 1906, when the stockbreeding project was begun. They have all been brought together as a matter of economy, and, while a number have been sold and others have died, there were at the beginning of the present fiscal year 82 head of pure-bred Galloways and about a dozen head of grade cattle. Some work has been done at this station with sheep, and the 40 head of the original flock in 1910 have increased to about 80. During the past two years all of these animals have been wintered almost exclusively on native forage, either silage or hay, about 100 tons of each having been made each year from wild grasses. In 1909 and 1910 the cattle grazed until the middle of December, and they were fed from that time until May, when the beach grass afforded some grazing. By June 10 the pasturage was good, and all stock fattened rapidly. The Galloway cattle have proved well adapted to the coast region, and it is planned to give them a trial in the interior as soon as possible. The only stock kept at the Rampart and Fairbanks stations are horses, and no trouble has been experienced in making sufficient hay for them. As a result of 10 years' active work this Department believes in the possibility of developing an agriculture for Alaska that will be comparable with that of Northern Europe, where conditions are somewhat similar, such as in parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. It is believed that agriculture will supplement any other industry that may be developed in Alaska, and it is possible that ultimately oats and barley can be grown in sufficient quantity to supply not only local demands, but a surplus for exportation. It is probable that stock raising can be made a success and dairying become profitable, as the period of winter feeding and protection is not much if any longer than is now required in many other regions where these industries are carried on. The Department expects to continue its investigations and extend them as rapidly as its resources will allow, so as to be in a position to give definite advice on all agricultural and horticultural matters relating to the Territory. Sincerely, yours, JAMES WILSON, Secretary. |