ALASKA KXl'KUIMENT STATIONS. 389 



The floor of tlic tiiain \ alley is arninocd in a siK-cc.s.sion of henclics, 

 or larjjfc terruccs, wiiicli rise al>niptly (die al)()\ c the other toward tlie 

 north. \aryin<^- in h<'i«iiit from KM) to ^00 feet, or even higher. Kaeh 

 beneh is e()nn)arati\ely le\ el on top and eoni[)rises an c'xpansi\e area. 

 Parallel with the Coppci- is another sy.sterii of henehes of tin; same 

 formation l)ut not so wi(U'. At the mouth of the: Xlutena, where the 

 expeiiment station is temporarily loeated, these benehes vary from a 

 (piarter of a mile to a mile or more in w idth. 



The whole country was nearly covered with spruce forest, but exten- 

 sive Arcs destroyed it over large areas many years ago. Here and 

 there willow thickets have sprung up since the tires, but everywhere 

 the dead and charred trunks arc standing or lying on the ground. 

 This land is comparatively easy to clear, and it att'ords tin a])undance 

 of good, dry fuel for the use of settlers. This dead timber is small, 

 most of the trees not being nuich larger than large telegraph poles, 

 but some of the live timber is comparativeh' large. 



The soil is generally a light loam, that is, of a more or less sandy or 

 gravelly nature, but in low places it is rich in humus and occasionallv 

 peaty. The subsoil, so far as the writer had opportunity to examine it, 

 was found to contain a large amount of a coarse gravel, and the sur- 

 face loam varied from G inches to 2 feet in thickness. This formation 

 whih> a *• warm" soil, and therefore favorable to.a rapid growth, will 

 also be lial)le to sull'ei- from drought and, so far as our data at i)resent 

 available will enable us to judge, the earh' ])art of the season through- 

 out the Copper Valley is deficient in rainfall. The writer is informed 

 that there are also extensive areas with a cla}' subsoil, and it is a (jues- 

 tion which is th(> more preferable, the gravel or the clay; the former 

 })eing warm but lacking in moisture, the latter being cold but suii'ering 

 less from drought. 



Nine acres had l)een cleared and seeded to nian}^ varieties of grains, 

 grasses, and vegetal)les. At the time of my visit the grains were still 

 small, most of them not having headed, ])ut as an example of the rapid 

 growth in this region, the barl(>v and oats were ripe; four weeks later. 

 More ground was being cleared and next year the station will have 16 

 acres in cultivation Some of the grains promised well, otliers were 

 stunted. It was noticeable that wherever the ground had been fertil- 

 ized by the ashes of a burnt J)rush heap the growth was veiy much 

 more vigorous than in places not thus fertilized. 



Vegetables promised well. Turnips, radishes, and lettuce had l»een 

 in use for some time, and peas were ready for the table by the middle 

 of .luly. 



Mr. Neal is an enthusiastic, industrious, and carefiil worker, and he 

 deserves much credit for the results accon)i)lished. 



The team of horses owned by the station is worn out and was not 

 considered worth wintering, inasmuch as the cost of keeping a horse 



