18 KEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



the facilities for propagation are not as complete as at the main 

 station. 



The work Avith vegetables has been reduced to the minimum at the 

 Sitka station. It is no longer a question of the possibility of grow- 

 ing vegetables in Alaska, but which varieties give ihe best results. 

 Comparative tests of about 60 varieties of potatoes and of many 

 varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, and other vegetables are being con- 

 tinued to determine Avhich varieties are best adapted to the climatic 

 conditions of the coast region. 



At the Rampart station 30 acres are now under cultivation, 4 acres 

 having been added during the past year. The work here consists of 

 testing varieties of grain, cross-breeding varieties that have shown 

 desirable qualities, the introduction of hardy leguminous plants, and 

 testing vegetables on a limited scale. At this station uniformly suc- 

 cessful efforts in growing barley and oats have been made, but with 

 rye and wheat less favorable results have been secured. The normal 

 growing season is about 110 daj's, and in 1911 the maximum tempera- 

 ture was in June, when 91° F. was registered. The maximum for 

 July was 89° and for August 85°. The daily mean temperatures 

 during these months were: June, 59,4°; July, 63,09°; and August. 

 56.3°. This gave sufficient warmth to ripen practically all varieties 

 of spring-sown grains except wheat. Where rye and wheat were 

 sown in the fall and well covered with snow thev came through the 

 winter and matured a considerable portion of their crop. The 

 spring of 1911 was abnormally late in starting, but spring-sown 

 grains are reported as having done well. Winter rye and winter 

 wheat were badly injured by severe freezing in the early winter 

 before snow covered the ground. A number of successful crosses of 

 varieties of barley have been made, and in the first generation some 

 appear to have desirable qualities, but they will have to be grown 

 longer to fix the varieties and determine their worth. In addition 

 to the hybridization work selections of the earliest maturing and best 

 individual plants from different varieties have been made for the 

 past three years, the object being to secure pedigree stock of known 

 superiority^ This experiment is in progress with all grains now 

 grown at the station. As a result of 10 j^ears' work at this station, 

 it appears that grain growing is practicable in the interior of Alaska, 

 and that it can be made a success in many parts of the broad inte- 

 rior valleys. 



An attempt is being made to introduce some of the Siberian alfal- 

 fas, brought to this country by Prof. N. E. Hansen, of the South 

 Dakota Experiment Station, and there is reason to believe that some 

 of them will become established, as the plants have withstood the 

 winter without apparent injury. None of these plants formed seed. 



