20 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



At the Fairbanks Station the work is yet in a pioneer stage. The 

 development of this station was be^rnn in the spring of 1908, and dur- 

 ing the past season 30 acres were in crops, mostly planted to oats for 

 oat hay. although there were some experimental i)lats and about 3 

 acres in potatoes. In the experimental i)lats -2 varieties of winter 

 wheat, 1 of winter rye, 12 of spring-sown oats, and (i of barley ma- 

 tured. As indicated above, the jirincipal area for cultivation was 

 sown to oats for seed and for hay, and while both crops were light 

 the grain was well matured where it was allowed to stand until the 

 end of the season. A few of the very necessary buildings have been 

 erected, and a portion of the reservation is fenced. Additional build- 

 ings and fences are needed, and also some additions to the equip- 

 ment of implements and tools. It is intended to develop the Fair- 

 banks Station on a considerable scale to demonstrate the practica- 

 bility of farming in the Xanana Valley. After the pioneer work 

 has been completed, it is expected that the cost of cultivation and re- 

 ceipts from the sales of crops will be accurately determined so that 

 the data will be available for settlers in the future. 



The animal-breeding work on the Kodiak Island has continued 

 along the lines previously described. The portion of the herd which 

 ^ives promise of being of value for dairy purposes is kept near the 

 village of Kodiak, where a reservation of about 300 acres has been 

 placed under fence. The other cattle of the beef type have been 

 taken some 15 miles from Kodiak, to a tract of land on Calsinsky 

 Bay, which has been fenced. Several head of cattle were lost from 

 the herd at Calsinsky Bay in March, due to impaction of the third 

 stomach, as a result of eating beach grass found along the beach after 

 the snow had melted. As the cattle had been taken to this place 

 late in the season, there was not enough forage on hand, and many 

 of them fed upon this dry beach grass, with the result that their 

 stomachs became impacted and in a number of instances death fol- 

 lowed. Precautions have been taken against the recurrence of these 

 conditions by fencing the tract and providing silage and hay in 

 quantity that should be ample to carry the herd of 50 head through 

 the winter. The summer conditions for the herd have been exceed- 

 ingly favorable. There has been no sickness among the cattle during 

 the past year, and the young stock have grown well, and all were in 

 fine condition at the close of the pasture season. The experiments 

 have thus far demonstrated the value of the Galloway breed for 

 Alaskan conditions. These cattle have been fed in the last year 

 exclusively on native grasses, either in pasture or with silage or 

 hay made from them. A successful attempt was made in growing 

 spurry at Kodiak, and a pasture of this plant was produced which 

 was much relished by the cattle. It is proliable that the winter feed 

 of silage and hay made from native grasses could readily be sup- 



