Agricultural Research in Alaska— Irwin g 



tinued intensively and has been extended to the smaller out- 

 lying villages and mining camps of the Territory. 



Agricultural engineering is a new department established 

 approximately one year ago. Its major concern is the use of 

 native lumber in the construction, insulation, and ventilation 

 of farm buildings under sub-Arctic conditions. This becomes 

 of primary importance in the agricultural areas of Alaska where 

 timber is available and where the cost of imported building 

 material is almost prohibitive. Fourteen small buildings, each 

 six feet wide by eight feet long, have been constructed of native 

 materials to test the efficiency of various materials and types of 

 construction. Some are constructed of green logs, others of 

 dry logs and still others of rough sawed material. All buildings 

 are insulated with sawdust. Thermostatically controlled electri- 

 cal heating elements set at 7o°F. and connected to electric 

 meters have been installed in each unit. Measurements of 

 material shrinkage by means of internal air pressure gauges 

 will be taken at regular intervals throughout the year. 



Another project of vital importance to Alaskan agriculture 

 is the drying of threshed grain. Because of rains at harvest time 

 it is not unusual for grain to have a high moisture content when 

 threshed and to heat in the bin. Drying equipment has been 

 constructed on an experimental basis to study this problem. 

 Cost of operation and efficiency of several methods and designs 

 of drying equipment will be studied. 



One project on the ventilation of farm buildings and another 

 on methods and equipment for land clearing are each in the 

 initial stage. 



The ravages of insects detrimental to crops and livestock 

 annually cause severe economic losses in Alaska. The depart- 

 ment of entomology was organized in the spring of 1950. Work 

 has been initiated in projects for the control of root maggots, 

 cut worms and other injurious insects using a number of in- 

 secticides at various concentrations. To date results are not 

 conclusive. This may be due to the cold damp soils and cool 

 air temperatures. A study of residues in soils from the various 

 insecticide applications is also receiving attention. 



