88 



fair. The turnips turned out to be excellent, as also did the ruta-bagas. 

 Radishes, Icale, rhubarl), caulitlower, lettuce, and garden flowers were partially 

 a success. 



As the packages you sent us contained no cabbage seed, I had to use old seeds, 

 a late variety, and they are growing yet with big leaves and no heads. All 

 vegetables except those mentioned al)Ove were a total failure. The season was 

 not favorable, and being away from home nearly the whole summer trying to 

 earn my living somewhere else, I had no opportunity to give them proper atten- 

 tion ; hence the failure. 



I commenced to talie up vegetables, with the exception of cabbage and kale, 

 September 29 and had them all in the cellar by October 1. Romanow wheat 

 is in the milk yet and still growing. Manchuria barley and Swedish Select 

 oats were sowed late and in a cold ground. They are nearly matured, espe- 

 cially the former, although the straw is green yet. The winter wheat and 

 rye matured all right. The heads of rye are not full. They have few seeds, 

 but the wheat is better. I sowed winter wheat and rye in the latter part of 

 August last year. They came up and grew satisfactorily and were of a right 

 height when snow covered them before frost, but early in the spring the snow 

 left the ground and the plants were left exposed, after which we had frost and 

 rain intermittently. 



In your report for 1903 you have come to the conclusion that grain can not 

 be grown successfully along the coast. However, I believe that certain grains 

 can be grown successfully on favorable spots, not exactly on the coast, but a 

 mile or so inland. And when the time comes a man can make his living by 

 farming on a small scale. I have grown barley suitable for home use for the 

 last five years without failure, and I have by no means the best ground around 

 here, nor am I giving it extraordinary cultivation. 



O. W. Palmer, Knilc, Cook Inlet, Alaska. — The seed you sent me last fall 

 were received and planted in the spring of 1904. I gave the natives all that I 

 did not use myself. The sununer has been very cold tind wet. and very unsat- 

 isfactory for gardening. I'otatoes have done fairly well. I had about 2 tons 

 on about half an acre of ground. Turnips, ruta-bagas, and carrots did fairly 

 well ; cabbage did not head firm and hard as they did last year. Lettuce was 

 fine. Beets, parsnips, radishes, and onions were failures. 



The natives' gardens were almost a failure from lack of attention. 



Ilcrman Metier, Lotcer Kenai Lake, via Hewanl, Alaska. — In the fall of 1902 

 I oiitained from Mr. Nielsen, in charge of Kenai Station, some Department seeds 

 which were planted in 190.S. with tlie following results: 



My gardens were planted on the banks of the Kenai River about 2 miles above 

 the Lower Lake, where they were sheltered from the cold winds from all sides 

 and the open river gives a southern exposure. The soil is alluvial, overlying 

 a gravel deposit to a depth of K; to 24 inches, well drained and loamy. 



The first year, 1003, no manure was used, but this year a compost of fish, 

 grass, leaves, etc., was prepared whicli ;idded materially in the growth of the 

 vegetables. In 1903 only a small area, perhaps 50 feet square, was planted. 

 The result being so encouraging I was induced to experiment further this sea- 

 son. The first year there was more sunshine and the beets and parsniits did 

 better than they did this season, and the peas (Alaska and Earliest of All) 

 ripened, but the seed when planted did not itroduce well, half of them not 

 coming up at all and the others very late. The few potatoes I grew I saved 

 for seed and they did much better than those from the States. 



This year I planted my jiotatoes :\Iay ." on manured ground. The other 

 seeds — turnip, beets, carrots, kale, eabbage, lettuce, and radishes — were planted 



