332 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



April 1, 1917, Mr. F, E, Eader, who had formerly been connected 

 with the Alaska stations, was commissioned to proceed to Matanuska 

 and begin the pioneer work of clearing the land and establishing 

 the station. The clearing of land, erection of buildings, etc., are 

 now well under way, and it is hoped that experimental work can soon 

 be begun, as all the adjacent country for miles around has been 

 homesteaded and the residents are looking to the station for instruc- 

 tion and assistance. The Alaska stations owe much to the Alaskan 

 Engineering Commission for the successful inauguration of this 

 station, and acknowledgment is most cordially made of the many 

 favors received and assistance given. 



The work at the Sitka, Fairbanks, Rampart, and Kodiak stations 

 proceeded along about the same lines as formerly until the spring of 

 1917, when a special campaign for food production was begun. The 

 season of 1916 was unfavorable to agriculture over much of the Ter- 

 ritory. Fruit production and vegetable testing at Sitka gave less 

 satisfactory results than usual. Five varieties of winter rye, one of 

 winter wheat, four of spring wheat, six of oats, one of spring rye, and 

 three of barley ripened in field plats at the Fairbanks station, produc- 

 ing about 600 bushels of grain. In addition, 1,200 pounds of turnip 

 seed was produced for distribution throughout the Territory. In the 

 spring of 1916 a cooperative experiment was entered into with a 

 number of farmers in the Tanana Valley and adjacent regions for 

 testing some of the station-grown grains, two varieties of oats and 

 two of barley being thus distributed. The results, though not at all 

 conclusive, are believed to have aroused an interest in grain growing 

 in that region. 



At Rampart the grain-breeding work continues to be a prominent 

 feature, a considerable number of crosses having been made each year 

 in the- hope that early varieties of good quality and high yield might 

 be secured. Several of these hybrids have been under observation for 

 yea-rs, and though some exceed the parent plants in all the desired 

 qualities they are still far from being fixed in character. Testing of 

 varieties of grains is carried on, and increase plats are maintained to 

 secure stocks of promising sorts. In the spring of 1917, 10 acres were 

 seeded to various alfalfas, the seed for which had been grown at the 

 station in 1916. 



At the live-stock station on the island of Kodiak the herd was 

 found to be infected with tuberculosis, 21 head out of 54 reacting. 

 The animals showing the most pronounced infection were killed, and 

 all others which reacted and several suspicious ones were transferred 

 to Kalsin Bay, where an effort will be made to breed healthy cattle 

 from them by following the method of hand-rearing calves on pas- 

 teurized milk. The sound animals are quartered at Kodiak. After 

 the discovery of tuberculosis infection in the herd it was deemed nec- 

 essary to remodel and practically rebuild the barns. Modern sani- 

 tary Jbarns are needed for all the stations. The Holstein cattle bought 

 in 1916 were landed at Kodiak, and the experiment of producing a 

 cross having the hardiness of the Galloway and the milking qualities 

 of the Holstein will be begun by making reciprocal crosses between 

 these breeds. 



With the development of the country the necessity of providing 

 some means of popularizing the results of the stations' investigations 

 is becoming apparent. 



