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Show THE PORESTS OF ALASKA. J .. j Numberless Trees From Six to Eight Feet in Diameter. j : (Washington Star.) 1 "If I were to tell you that in far-off I Alaska, whose resources are just be- . coming known, there is an extensive ... forest in which are found numberless trees from six to eight feet in diameter ; and 200 feet in height you would ques- , tion my veracity," said an official of the interior department the other day. "Nevertheless, that is the fact." he added. "President Roosevelt recently created a forest reserve, embracing most of the islands of the Alexander ? archipelago, lying on the southeast ; coast of Alaska. These islands, moun- tainous in character, extend along the coast for about 260 miles, and from thi shore to their outer limits is about ; i sixty miles. It is a fact that practically practi-cally every foot of soil is covered with . dense vegetable life. tree3 of mammota size growing abundantly from the coast ' clear up the mountain sides to an ele- -; vation of 2,000 or 2,500 feet. Practically all of the valuable timber of Alaska is concentrated in tlis group of islands ; and has been but little cut. ; "People generally have a misconcep- tion of climatic conditions in Alaska. : especially the southeastern pan-handle It is a matter of record that on the ) ; Alexander archipelago there is an an- t nual rainfall of eighty inches, much of the moisture descending in the form ; of a gentle mist, keeping the soil con- - ; stantly damp. The warm Japan cur- l ; rent runs in close by, moderating tne . temperature. Snow is practically un- known, yet a few miles in on the mam- ; land the winters are severe. There the i ; effects of the Japan current are but little lit-tle felt. The forests of the archipelagic were recently studied by an orncei ; the navy department sent for that pur- i 1 pose. He reported that only the spruce f 1 and hemlock reach the proportions 1 t I have given you. although yellow cedar. : a most valuable wood, often reaches c I a diameter of three to four feet. The I smaller trees are the alder, cottoruvooa. , t poplar, maple, willow and red cedar- ; . No doubt when the timber supply ot j I the United States becomes depleted, as ' 1 it certainly will at the present rate or , f cutting, the virgin forests of Alaska ? I will make a valuable contribution to I the nation's supply. The president wa3 1 fortunate in reserving this rich spot j before its presence became known to j timber speculators and before the hand 1 of man worked devastation throughout j , 1 its length and breadth." : i j |