OCR Text |
Show Seed DistrftMtoii in Alaska mtimk dETTLERd MAKING TERRITORY A GARDEN SPOT MDArt CHLDREff IN SCHQOL GARDEN, GOLOVIN To tho average person tho mention ofAlaska brings to tho mind n picture ot Ico nnd snow; that any porson should tako up a residence thcro to follow tho slmplo llfo ot a farmer seems beyond comprehension. Nevertheless this territory Is fast becoming a garden-spot. With fow exceptions ex-ceptions tho country will produce ovorythtng In tho agricultural lino grown In tho "stntns." Heeds nnd labor nro tho two nll-lniportnnt factors. fac-tors. Tho irtcn nnd women who nro . subduing tho Alnsknn wilderness need not bo exhorted to labor; they do their shnro of tho world's work nobly, nnd tho garden seed Is being furnished them by tho experiment btntlnns on application. Tho bureau ot plant Industry In-dustry of tho United States department depart-ment ot ngrlculturo has kindly furnished fur-nished seeds to tho stntlons for this purpose. Persons who nro seeking Information Informa-tion about Alaska nro recommended to read tho lottcrs published horowlth. They nro In n wny moro vnlunhlo than reports 'from tho experiment stntlons, in that they record tho things tho people peo-ple accomplish, These nro only n fow ot the lottcrs received on that subject. sub-ject. All that reach tho station aro not written in tho samo snngulno mood which characterizes most of those. Taken ns a whole, tho season was not favorablo nnd many report failure, though most ot tho following letters report splendid successes. Then, agnln, tho render Is recommended to study them hecauso of tho practical directions found tn many. To garden successfully In Alaskn requires experience, ex-perience, whether ono gots It for himself him-self or utilizes tho oxpcrlenca ot others. oth-ers. Tho latter plan may often save tlmo nnd labor, to Bay nothing of disappointments. dis-appointments. Tho reports show the possibilities ot tho country. From the southernmost boundary to fnr north ot tho arctic clrclo they toll what Alaskn can produce under ordinary plonoor conditions, with very meager facilities. S. Stride, Haines, Alaska, November 20, 1007. Thanks for trees nnd bushes sent last spring. All nro nllvo, but tho growth was not much on tho apples, ap-ples, about 12 Inches, Tho npple treoB of 1906 did much better this yoar, growing 20 Inches. Tho raspberries grow four feot canos, but one-half ot tho fruit did not ripen boforo froBt camo nnd destroyed It. I think If you enn get a cross between tho salmon berry ana raspucrry u win ripen nuro all right. My currants bore fruit and nro doing well, 1 sent to llrltlsh Columbia Co-lumbia lust spring for dowborry bushes, bush-es, but they wcro too long coming ami died. Shall try again. My potatoes, rhubarb, carrots, and turnips did woll. I. S. Williams, Montauk Point, Englc, Alaska, Octobor It, 1907. Tho scods you sent mo last year havo been tried with fair success, Tho cabbage did not do well, I bollevo tho soli was not suited for It. Lettuce, radishes and carrots ofany kind grow ns well ns In nny country. Scarlot Horn Is really the best enrrot. Parsnips nnd beets did fairly well. Potatoes nbout eightfold. eight-fold. Thoy, ns well ns everything else, seem to grow hotter ns tho ground gets worked well with manure. My flowers did not do very woll, probnbly duo to lato planting, llutabagns and turnips grow line. I nut well pleased with tho results, but expect to do still better next s-iioii, ns I am lenrnlng. Honry llutko,' Chenn, Alaska, October Octo-ber IS, 1906. 1 wish to report tho result re-sult of tho seed that wns sent mo. j Drussols sprouts, cabbago kale, car- PORT On OF HOT 6PRMG& WXMOiTHE TANMA rotB nnd rutabaga nil did very well; In fact, I never saw nny bettor out in tho states, Parsley, onions, nnd celory i did not do very well. I planted turnips, tur-nips, potatoos and string beans, somo seed that I. had. nnd thoy wero oxtra flno. In fact, tho only stuff that did not do woll wcro onion, pnrsloy and colory. V N. Krcuz, Fnlrbnnks, November . 1907. My placo Is 36 by GO foot. Tho soil wns only six inchos uoop, so I wheeled somo soil from tho road to n dopth of 14 feot, nnd had about throe InAcs or wood nshos nnd four Inches of old horso manuro mixed with It nnd tnmped so tho soli was rafted 1V4 foot ubovo tho ground. I planted two boxes with Wnkoflcld cabbage, kept thum In tho cabin, and transplanted Mny IB. Thoy did not grow much for tho first two weeks. A big "worm" wns ontlng tho leavos off tho stem. I had to keep transplanting them ngnln until flnnlly I had tho worms destroyed, It Rrew profusely In dark rich liontthy colors nt all times. On Juno 1G it commenced com-menced to hrad up. Planted them 18 Inches by three feet apart In rows. On September 1G, when cut, from 10 to 15 heads weighed 16 pounds nploco, all good Bolld food for cooking; the sinnllost wolghcd sovon pounds; CO heads In all. It wns tho best I havu seen nnywhoro nround town. C. A. Fowlor. Kuskokwlm Illvor, Alaska, Fohruary 2, 1907. I planted tho seed sent hero by tho oxpcrlmont station nnd enn say thnt most of It turned out very successfully, In fact all hut peas; thoy woro planted on the first ot Juno nnd camo up In about flvo dnya nnd grow nicely for thrco weeks nnd then scorned to stop for nearly a month. Thoy then took another very thrifty stnrt nnd grow luxuriantly for tho rcBt of tho season, hut did not pro-iluco pro-iluco nnythlng at nil, Potatoes, turnips, tur-nips, radishes, cnbbago, kale, rutabaga ,nud lottuco did Just as well as at any placo I over saw. All seeds woro planted In a sandy loam or n scdl-mcnlnry scdl-mcnlnry deposit of tho rlvor. W. II. Hnydor, Council, Alaska, Do-combor Do-combor 6, 1900. I havo had n garden hero for tho last four yearn thnt has been a success, Uadlshes, turnips, boots, and all early vegetables do well. Had ono hill of potatoes that yloldod six pounds of nlco potatoes. I havo littio grass growing; It does well. Wo havo flno soil. I think wlcnt, oats and barley can bo grown for hay. Judgo C. W. Thornton, Nomo, Alaska, Alas-ka, November 19, 1907. I horoby report re-port to you my success nnd partial failures with plants, troca nnd seeds received from your stntlon; First, np-plo np-plo trees; these, with currant and raspberry bushes, arrived In July. Thoy had evidently been on the way for some tlmo and did not appear to bo In tho best ot condition. However, they weru carefully planted and given attention and appeared to ho doing well up to tho latter part of August, when wo Imd sovoral cold storm. which seemed to blight and wither them nnd from which thoy scorned nover to recover. Tho final freeze up camo about tho first of October, and these trees and hushes seem now to bo dead. With vegetables I have a very different story lo toll, hnvfug had wonderful success with somo, particularly partic-ularly radishes, lettuce, turnips and 'spinach. In fact, I beg to venturu tho assertion that no bettor radishes and turnips enn bu grown uny place In tho world than right hero In Nomo. I raised thrco crops ot radUhes on ono patch of ground and somo of the first crop, left In until the closo of tho scascn, attained a growth nt nearly two Inchos In dlamoter, and wero still as crisp and lender ns nny rndlshus I over ate. Iuiniedlfttcly adjoining ui Hrnry Kuehnu guarded and tender ono of his earliest nnd largest turnlpi and nt tho closo of tho season It mens tired ovj.t 22 Inches In clrcumforenci and weighed a llttlo over four pounds |