750 ANNUAL lU'.roFrrs of pkpartment of agriculture. 



latitude 05° 30'. It is f^ratifying to be able to report that success 

 has attended upon the introduction of hardy early maturing varieties 

 of biU'ley. oats, winter wlicat. and winter rye. In addition, by cross- 

 fertilization new varieties of barley and oats have been developed, 

 and a number of them aie being grown this ye^tr for the first time. 



The work in horticultural plant breeding is done at the Sitka 

 Station, and the success mentioned in a jnevious report with hybrid 

 strawberries has been maintained. During the ])ast year nearly 

 2,000 hybrid i)lants were under observation, and it is believed that 

 at least a score of them will prove thoroughly adapted to the coast 

 region of Alaska. jNIost of the hybrid strawberries proved to be shy- 

 bearers, but occasional plants were found to be exceedingly prolific, 

 one producing 200 berries. A large proportion of the plants produce 

 berries comparable in size with the average straw-berries of the 

 markets, and in addition they partake of the flavor and firmness of 

 the wild berry. A few plants of the hybrid made between the salmon 

 berry and the cultivated raspberry have fruited, but the fruits did not 

 show any improvement over the parental types. 



The attempt to secure the hybridization of the native Alaskan 

 crab apple with pollen from early and hardy varieties of apples from 

 the Northern States has been continued, but some years will have to 

 elapse before results can be obtained. As in former years, consider- 

 able work is being done in testing bush fruits of various kinds, and 

 these are being propagated and distributed over the Territory for 

 trial as rapidly as possible. Currants, raspberries, and gooseberries 

 have been found to succeed nearly everywhere, but the apple and 

 cherry trees that have been distributed have made but little, if any, 

 growth. It seems almost certain that none of the present varieties 

 of these fruits can mature in Alaska, and the only way to success lies 

 in the development of varieties from hardy wild species. 



Some work is being carried on Avith ornamental plants, and the Tar- 

 tarian honeysuckle and Japanese rose {Rosa rugosa) have been estab- 

 lished and are doing remarkably well. In addition to the experiments 

 wdth fruits, the testing of many varieties of potatoas with a view to 

 selecting those best adapted for general culture is being continued at 

 the Sitka Station. 



The cattle and sheep breeding work is all done at the Kodiak Sta- 

 tion. The Galloway cattle brought there three years ago are doing 

 well and are proving adapted to the climate and the country. The 

 station suffered no material losses from cattle during the past year, 

 and, although the snoAvfall was the heaviest on record, the stock kept 

 in excellent condition throughout the winter on native hay and silage 

 put up on the ranch. The object of this experiment is to test the 

 adaptability of these cattle to Alaskan conditions, to develop their 

 milking qualities if possible, in order to make them an all-purpose 

 breed, and to produce surplus stock to be sold to settlers at prices 

 not much in excess of those for which common cattle can be brought 

 into the country. At the end of the fiscal year there were 61 pure- 

 bred Galloways of all ages at the station. 



The sheep-breeding work is a new feature, having been introduced 

 during the past year by the purchase of 40 ew^es. Most of these sheep 

 have been bred in Alaska and are thoroughly acclimated. The sheep 

 are mostlv Cotswold and Merino jjrades, and it is intended to intro- 

 duce if possible rams of a large breed, such as the Lincoln. At the 



