ALASKA EXPKKIMKNT STATIONS. 353 



Aniont^ our piosent needs 1 will roconimeiul us uiiieh needed at this 



station a good hay rake and at least 1<> hales of harhed wire. The 



latter is a serious need to protect our crops. The ordinary ])ole fence 



does not turn the stock once they get a taste of the tine oats and various 



irrains tfrowinii" at the station. 



Respectfully suhniitted. 



J. W. Neal, 



Super hi tendiiiit Copper Center Keperlnieiit Station. 



Prof. C. C. Geokgeson, 



Special Agent in Chanje of Ahishi Fnixiftigations. 



KENAI STATION. 



On returnintr to Valdez from the interior I took the first boat hound 

 for Cook Inlet, which happened to be the jVewj/o/'f. vShe left Valdez 

 Auirust 11 and arrived at Seldovia on the 13th. The little tiat-bottomed 

 steamer Ti/o/u'c was in waiting and left the same night for the ports 

 in the north of the inlet, and arrived at Kenai the next morning. 



I found Mr. Nielsen and Mr. Ross engaged in breaking new ground. 

 (PI. X, fig. 1.) There are now at the station 21 acres cleared, broken, 

 and fenced. The first 5 acres were cleared immediately back of the 

 village, but it was found that the winds from the sea, which swept in 

 unobstructed, damaged the crops. The next 10 acres were therefore 

 cleared some little distance liack in the w'oods so as to leave a shelter 

 belt of timber to protect the crops from the sea wands. This has been 

 found to be an advantage, but it is believed that still better protection 

 will be afforded farther back, and the next field to be cleared has been 

 chosen with this end in view. 



In the middle of .August, when the writer was there, the crops 

 looked well and gave promise of a plentiful harvest. (PI. XI.) But 

 the promise was not fulfilled. It will be seen from Mr. Nielsen's 

 report, submitted herewith, that none of the grain matured this year. 

 Heretofore the earlier varieties of grain have matured, but this year 

 was an exception in this respect. 'I'he spring was lat«' and the sununer 

 averaged coldei'thai; in i)revious years. There was less sunshine than 

 usual, with a great deal of misty, overcast weather. The number of 

 clear days was as follows, by months: May, I>; June, <i; 'Inly, 12; 

 August, l". Hut whatever the cause, the fact remains that grain failed 

 to matun-. Of the five years during which we have been at work on 

 this station this is the oidy total failure to mature grain. From the 

 data now at hand it is evident that grain growing for the seed is 

 uncertain along the coast on the Kenai Peninsula. But there is reason 

 to believe that grain can be matured some lo or more miles from the 

 coast where the infiuence of the winds and mists from the inlet are less 

 sinister. 



S. Due. i4S, 58-li 23 



