8 



As to the introduction and propagation of nursery stock work 

 begun last year was continued. Among fruit trees attention has been 

 cliiefly directed to the appk» as the one most likely to succeed in far 

 northei-n latitudes. Only sinnmer varieties have been selected, and 

 these again of only the hai-diest sorts. It is almost certain that the 

 season in any part of Alaska is too short to mature fall and winter 

 varieties, but sunnner apples which, in more southern latitudes, 

 mature in July or early in August may possibly have time to develop 

 before the cold Aveather sets in. As stocks, seedling apples of hardy 

 varieties have been chosen. Several thousand of these seedlings have 

 been grafted at the station, and some have been purchased already 

 griifted. A few trees of each of the promising varieties have been 

 planted at the station with a view to noting their behavior, but the 

 majority have been or will be sent out to all parts of the Territory to 

 be tested. It will take some years before results can be secured from 

 which it is safe to draw conclusions. Success in fruit growing is 

 problematic at best. At Wrangel are two trees known to the writer 

 which have matured apples. There is a native crab apple in south- 

 eastern Alaska {Pyrus rimdaris). but it is little more than a bush, 

 though specimens have been found with trunks 5 or 6 inches in 

 diameter. It is of slow growth, and on that account it is doubtful if it 

 would have any value as a stock on which to graft. The apples are 

 about the size of sour cherries, but they are much valued for jelly. 

 When the weather is cold and rainy during the flowering period, the 

 last of May, these native crab apples fail to set fruit. This would 

 point to failure also of better varieties under similar conditions. 

 Among the varieties considered for introduction, we have selected 

 several of the crab apples and their hybrids as being on the whole the 

 most promising sorts. 



The nursery stock at the station has not grown as vigorously as it 

 would in a better soil and ^^armer climate. This is in part due to 

 the soil, which has not as yet been brought into satisfactory condition. 

 Our efforts to improve it will be briefly mentioned later. A year 

 ago there were slight signs of fungus diseases appearing on the nur- 

 sery stock. The past season this evil increased so that we found it 

 necessary to spray with Bordeaux mixture several times. These 

 sprayings kept the attacks in check, but they nevertheless had a 

 retarding effect on the growth. This nursery work will be continued 

 and extended. 



While there may be some doubt of the success of fruit trees, there 

 is no doubt whatever concerning the success of fruit bushes in almost 

 all parts of Alaska south of the Arctic Circle. Raspberries and 

 currants grow wild, and cultivated varieties of these bush fruits are 

 grown with marked success everywhere they have so far be;'n tried. 

 In the coast region raspberries, currants, and gooseberries grow better 



