EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Yol. IX. No. 5. 



The report 1 of the commission appointed to investigate the agricul- 

 tural and horticultural possibilities of Alaska contains much of general 

 interest concerning the present agricultural conditions of that country 

 and the possibilities of agricultural development. This commission, 

 consisting of Hon. Benton Killin, a regent of the Oregon Agricultural 

 College, and Experiment Station, and Dr. Walter H. Evans, of this 

 Office, spent the past summer in Alaska, visiting the southern coast 

 region from Dixon Entrance on the southeast to Unalaska on the 

 southwest. Including side trips the distance covered exceeded 3,500 

 miles of travel by boat. 



Much of the region visited is very mountainous, although there are 

 many narrow valleys and tide Hats of considerable extent. The south- 

 ern coast region is naturally divided by the St. Elias and Fairweather 

 mountains into two very characteristic regions. The southeastern 

 portion of the country is heavily wooded, trees extending from tide 

 water up the mountain sides 2,000 ft. or more. The most common and 

 widely distributed forest tree is the Sitkan spruce (Picea sitchensis). 

 In some places trees of this species of great size were seen. Spruce 

 logs approximating 100 ft. in length and 4 or 5 ft. in diameter are not 

 uncommonly seen about the few sawmills in the Territory. Other val- 

 uable trees occur in considerable quantity, such as the red and yellow 

 Alaskan cedars (Thuja gigantea and Ghamceeyparis nooikatemis), the 

 hemlocks and alders, with the birches and cottonwoods occurring rather 

 abundantly in some localities. 



The southwestern region, from Cook Inlet to Unalaska, is character- 

 ized by its wealth of grasses. Poa pratensis, Deschampsia crcspitosa, 

 D. bottnica, Galamagrostis <ih>i<tica, and Hordeum boreale are common 

 species everywhere, while in the southeastern portion common timothy 

 and orchard grass do exceedingly well. Nor are these the only fodder 

 plants. White clover is spreading everywhere; red clover has appar- 

 ently not been given a thorough trial, although the scattered plants 

 seen were growing vigorously, and a native vetch is abundant in 

 pasture lands and is said to be readily eaten by stock. 



But little has been attempted with cereals so far as could be learned. 

 Scattered plants of oats, barley, and rye were seen that were headed 



] 55th Congress, 2d session, House Doc. No. 160. 



401 



