378 UKPOUT OK oKKK'K <>F KXI'KHIMKNT STATIONS. 



evory way <l.'Vi'li>jii'(l. 1 siiu-eri'ly l)i'lii.'\<.' tluil Alaska roiild |iriMliiciM'ii(Hi;;li oat hay 

 to fi'vd a viTV larjre amount of stock. Tliorc is one drawhack for raisinj^ it for grain; 

 sonio st'a.sons arc very rainy. Imt tn cut (iiiriii',' tin- moiitii of July, there is nothing 

 bettt-r for liay. Potatoes i^rcw very well last scasun. Tlicfrost (Icstroycd the tips on 

 the 2(1 of ScpltMiiber, retaniiuji the jrrowtii; still soiin' of my croi) weijrhcd 1 pound 

 and averagi'il about S to the jiomid. 



My garden is the nidy une in this seclioii, Imt :il N'oini- tliece are (juile a number 

 who raised radishes and lettnee and did a line business snpplyiiiir restaurants and 

 hi'telsat r>{lceuts jier head of a few leaves. My i^arden of L'] aeres issituatetl on a jioint 

 on the north shore of <ioio\in i>ay and is exposed to all of the strong gales, iH'ingonly 

 t)0 yards from the beach, and has Ciolovin J'.ay on the south an<l (loloviii Sound on 

 the uortli. The soil is a sandy loam and is rarely (it for ))lanfing before the 1st of 

 June. I have not trii'd hotbeds or hothouses, raising everything from seeil jilanted 

 in the open air and \\>\i\'j, very Utile fertilizer. I consi<ler this section nmeh l)etter 

 adapted to agricultural pursuits than parts of Norway and Sweden, and I can see no 

 rea.son why Alaska can not produce nearly all her vegetables neei led. The Yukon 

 Valley is as good a farming country as the northern j)artof Minnesota, in fact taking 

 the long sunniier liay with 20hoursof sunshine, it makesapretty fair growing season. 



During the i»a.st season I raised 500 j>ounds of carrots, 2,500 pounds of turnips, 

 2,000 pounds of potatoes, 300 pounds of parsnips, 150 ]>ounds of onions, and other 

 vegetables in abundance, also sweet peas for Mowers. I also keep 2 horses, 2 cows, 

 1 bull, cutting all the feed here, except oats for the honses; 5 pigs, raised from April 

 to October, averaged 150 ])ounds and were only fed one month before killing time, 

 and 2 goats, which were killed bv the dogs. 



Mrs. Chnrlcn I'. I'JillUpa, Council City. — The see<l you sent last year I used this 

 spring. I could not begin to use all of the lettuce. I have given it away to all friends, 

 also ra<lishes. I planted carrots, parsnips, turnips, radishes, mustard, beets, onions, 

 three kinds of lettuce, sweet peas and nasturtiums, all in three beds, inclosed with a 

 fence about 18 feet square. It is a small place to call a garden, but I get lots of 

 green food from it. Now, as to the way we grow the plants. We put down large 

 logs and fill them level with stable manure, then (\ inches with black soil, about 4 

 inches of sand or wash from the river. I have had this garden three sunmiers. 

 Last year we filled it level with manure and put the old soil on top with the dirt. 

 The manure is in the bottom and keeps it warm and, as none of the things I 

 desire have long roots, it does not l)nrn them. The grouml is so cold and it is the 

 only way I can see to form a heat under ])lants. 



I am the only one iu this part of the country that tries to have a garden, and I 

 could not get along without it. The first lettuce I planted was on May 1 and on 

 July 4 had nice lettuce for dinner. Last fall I took in the house six heads half grown 

 and kept in the window until Thanksgiving day and had it for dinner, and it was a 

 treat. I had some nice large turnips and beets last season. 



J. A. M<>r<jftn, Dairsfin, Y. T. — You will find with this letter some samples of oats, 

 wheat, and barley that were grown here from the seed you sent us. We planted it 

 on May 22, and by July 20 the barley was 47 inches high, the wheat 45 inches, and 

 the oats 42 inches. It was ripe September 1, and at that time the wheat was 47 

 inches high, barley 45 inches, oats 42 inches. From the way it did I should think 

 it would go about fiO bushels to the acre. The vegetables did finely. From the Jer- 

 sey Wakefield cal)bage you sent us we got heads that weighed 12 jjounds, and none 

 less than 6 pounds. We started those and cauliflower in the house the 1st of April, 

 and set them outdoors the 1st of June. We had Farly Snowball cauliflower that 

 weighed 3 pounds, and none less than 1 pound. The l*urple-Top Strap-Leaf turnips 

 did not get very large, but were nice and tender. They were planted the 1st of 



