INSULAR EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 19 



and vegetative propagation is at present the only way to increase the 

 supply. 



An experiment with potatoes was carried on at Sitka, Fairbanks, 

 and Rampart, with practically the same results at each station. 

 The tubers of a number of varieties were placed in greenhouse flats 

 covered with soil and allowed to sprout in the light for four weeks 

 before planting. These yielded in nearly every instance an increase 

 of 10 per cent or more in the total crop, with a proportionate in- 

 crease in marketable tubers. By following this method and plant- 

 ing only those varieties that experience has shown are adapted to 

 the country the jDroduction of potatoes of good quality in large 

 amount is possible. 



The Fairbanks station was largely established to determine the 

 practicability of farming on a considerable scale. As a consequence 

 the small plat and plant-breeding work have been reduced to a mini- 

 mum, and all the force is applied to general farming and the fur- 

 ther development of the station. With this in view, grain and pota- 

 toes were grown on a commercial scale. In 1910 over $1,500 worth 

 of potatoes, the surplus of the crop grown on 3^ acres, were sold, 

 and in 1911 on 7 acres the value of the potatoes grown was estimated 

 at about $2,500. In variety test plats yields of from 120 to 300 

 bushels pere acre were obtained. The hay problem in the interior 

 valleys of Alaska is an important one, and the station is giving 

 especial attention to it. The production of grain hay has been com- 

 pletely demonstrated, and 30 tons of oat hay were produced on 25 

 acres of light soil in 1911. All early varieties of oats, barley, and 

 fall grains, where the latter have had a good snow covering, have 

 matured. The results with vegetables have been quite satisfactorj'^, 

 especially with cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, rutabagas, carrots, etc. 



Since the last report 23 acres of land has been cleared. The sta- 

 tion noAv has 93 acres of cleared land, 70 of which is in cultivation. 

 The weather at Fairbanks was cool and wet in the spring, followed 

 by warm weather with an unusual amount of sunshine during the 

 summer. A frost on August 31 killed many tender plants, but the 

 ground did not freeze enough to stop plowing until October 20. 



Satisfactory progress is reported from the Kodiak station, where 

 there are now 85 head of pure-bred Galloway cattle of all ages, 10 

 grade cattle, and 89 sheep and lambs. The stock is all healthy and 

 thrifty and only 2 head of cattle and 6 of sheep died during the past 

 year. The animals were successfully wintered on native forage, sup- 

 plemented by a small amount of purchased grain feed, and there does 

 not appear to be any reason why stock raising should not be made a 

 success in the coast region of Alaska if care is exercised in selecting 

 the stock and they are sufficiently well housed and winter fed. 



