188 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



oats, 10; barley, G; buckwheat, 3; corn, 1; flax, 1; flat pea, 1; and 

 broom-corn millet, 1. A considerable number of these varieties are 

 from Russian sources. It was reported in August that nearlj'^ all of 

 these varieties had grown Avell and were aj)proaching maturity. 



The following kinds of vegetables are also being tested : Turnip, 

 carrot, spinach, beet, parsnip, onion, jjarsley, rhubarb, asparagus, 

 ruta-baga, kolil-rabi, mangel-wurzel, leek, lettuce, kale, cauliflower, 

 celery, celeriac, brussels sprouts, radish, cabbage, peas, beans, and 

 potatoes. 



Five varieties of apples, one of crab apples, and nine of plums, have 

 been planted, and some trees of the wild crab apple, which grows quite 

 abundantly in Alaska, have been set in the nursery row, where they 

 will be grafted with different varieties. Experiments are being made 

 in treating the soil with lime, guano, seaweed, and stable manure, 

 with special reference to reducing the acidity of the soil and putting 

 it in better physical condition. A log silo is being constructed with 

 reference to determining whether a building made of logs can be suc- 

 cessfnlly used for storing silage. "Tlie season has not been esj^e- 

 ciall}^ favorable for the growth of cultivated plants. March was very 

 warm for the season of the j^ear; the latter part of April and of May 

 was characterized by cold, rainy weather; from June 10 to July 13 

 there was less than three-fourths of an inch rain — a little too dry for 

 this country." 



Through the courtesy of the Navy Department, a small steam 

 launch, for which that Department had no immediate use, has been 

 transferred to this Department for use in connection with our Alaska 

 investigations. This launch has been repaired and is now in running 

 order. This will enable our agents to visit different points in south- 

 ern Alaska and in many ways will facilitate our work in that region, 

 where almost all transportation is by water. 



There is evidently much misconception regarding the work which 

 the Department is attempting to do in Alaska. Persons who are unfa- 

 miliar with the Avork of experiment stations have criticised our opera- 

 tions at Sitka and elsewhere because they are conducted on so small 

 a scale. In this respect, however, tliej^ do not differ materiallj^ from 

 similar experiments at the experiment stations generally, where it is 

 the usual practice to test different varieties of plants first on small 

 plats. In this waj^ it is entirely feasible to determine in a general way 

 the adaptability of a region to the growing of different kinds of plants, 

 and what varieties of these i)lants are likelj' to be most successfully 

 grown. The plat tests should be supplemented by field and garden 

 trials on a larger scale, and this we shall do in Alaska as soon as it is 

 practicable. 



It has been said over and over again that Alaska can never become 

 an agricultural country, and this is undoubtedly true in tlie sense in 

 which the criticism is made; that is, Alaska will never become a region 

 in which the soil will be generally cultivated as it is in most other 

 parts of the United States, and especiallj^ in the Mississippi Valley. 

 There is at j) resent no agriculture in Alaska. Successful attempts have, 

 however, been made in growing vegetables in a considerable number 

 of places in different parts of the Territory, and here and there fields 

 of potatoes and oats have been grown and a few head of live stock 

 have been maintained. Native grasses grow abundantly over large 

 areas and here and there have been successfully utilized for hay and 

 silage. 



The problem which the Department has undertaken to determine is 



