10 



ALASKA. 



from these results, the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture writes, supplementing the fourth annual re- 

 port .(1900) of the work in the Territory: " If our 

 investigations should do nothing more than estab- 

 lish on a sound basis the growing of vegetables in 

 little gardens about the cottages of miners and 

 fishermen in Alaska they will make an adequate 

 return for the funds expended on them. But there 

 is a fair prospect that they will do much more 

 than this. There are large' areas on the western 

 peninsula, in Cook Inlet, and on the islands which 

 are naturally adapted to the growing of live stock. 

 The fact that a considerable number of domestic 

 animals have already been maintained in this re- 

 gion would seem to show that an animal industry 

 might be developed there. The department will 

 attempt to find out under what conditions this 

 can best be done. 



" The growing of grain and other forage crops 

 on a large scale in this region and in the interior 

 is still problematical. The experiments which the 

 department has thus far conducted have been 

 very largely made with reference to the determina- 

 tion of general agricultural possibilities of the 

 Territory. The growing to maturity of such 

 plants as wheat and oats in any region, even in 

 small quantities, furnishes an excellent indication 

 of the climatic and soil conditions of that region 

 with reference to its agricultural possibilities, for 

 we know quite definitely what is required for the 

 maturing of such plants. 



" In southern Alaska, which is the only part of 

 Alaska seen by most tourists, the forests cover 

 most of the land. The natural meadows, which 

 occur in considerable numbers, are usually of 

 quite limited extent, and for the most part escape 

 the notice of visitors pursuing the ordinary lines 

 of travel. The clearing of land for agricultural 

 purposes in this region w r ill necessarily be expen- 

 sive, and will only be done as lumbering takes 

 away the trees and increase of population makes 

 a demand for agricultural products. In most re- 

 spects this region does not differ materially from 

 that of Puget Sound. It is probable that ulti- 

 mately it will become the home of a considerable 

 population, part of whom w T ill engage in agricul- 

 ture; the growing of such crops as oats, barley, 

 potatoes, buckwheat, turnips, and other vege- 

 tables, together with dairying, will become im- 

 portant industries, and it is probable that flax 

 will be largely grown for its fiber here, as it will 

 be in western Washington and Oregon. 



" For a considerable period our operations will 

 largely partake of the nature of an agricultural 

 survey, to determine where agricultural opera- 

 tions may best be carried on by incoming set- 

 tlers. By active work along the lines already 

 marked out, it is believed that the experiment sta- 

 tion in Alaska will prove an efficient aid in the 

 development of the Territory, and will thus justify 

 the expenditures for their maintenance. 



" That Alaska will ultimately have a consider- 

 able permanent population there can be but little 

 doubt. As we have shown in previous reports, 

 Finland is the country which, on the whole, fur- 

 nishes the best basis of comparison with Alaska 

 as regards natural conditions. Finland supports 

 a population of 2.500,000, and its agriculture has 

 reached a high state of development. In 1895 

 Finland produced 38,174.083 bushels of barley 

 oats, and rye, of which 1,390.200 bushels of oats 

 were exported. At the same time there were 300 - 

 650 horses, 2,398,183 cattle, 1,007,384 sheep, and 

 197,350 hogs. During the period from 1891 to 



395 there were annual exportations of about 22 - 

 750,000 pounds of butter, 400,000 pounds of cheese 

 and 400,000 gallons of milk, or a value of $6 750 - 



000 from dairy products alone. Very conserva- 

 tive estimates of the agricultural possibilities of 

 Alaska indicate that agriculture may be regularly 

 and successfully carried on over an area as large 

 as that of Finland." 



Statistics of an industry so largely in its in- 

 fancy are of necessity very meager. The bulletin 

 of the Census Department, prepared from statis- 

 tics collected by special agents, published in con- 

 nection with the census of 1900, reports 12 farms 

 in the Territory. The total acreage was 159 acres, 

 of which 104 acres were devoted to the cultiva- 

 tion of vegetables and hay, and the remainder 

 used for pasturage. Of these farms 5 were under 

 3 acres (4 market-gardens and 1 raising poultry 

 as well as vegetables) ; 3 had more than 3 and 

 less than 10 acres; and 4 had more than 20 and 

 less than 50 acres. The total value of the prod- 

 ucts of the farms of the first class was $627 in 

 1899; of the second class, $3,010; and of the third 

 class, $4,409. The total farm wealth of the Ter- 

 ritory on June 1, 1900, was $15,686, of which 

 $2,196 are invested in live stock, $690 in imple- 

 ments and machinery, and $12,800 represent the 

 value of buildings and improvements (on 9 of the 

 12 farms). No land values are given, as no titles 

 have been secured by the farmers, owing to the 

 fact that no official survey has been made. These 

 farms were all south of Kuskokwim river, in 

 southeastern Alaska, and along the southern 

 coast, including the Aleutian Islands. In this 

 section there are two centers of agricultural 

 activity, one on the southeastern coast in the 

 vicinity of Juneau and Sitka, and the other in 

 the southwest in the region about Cook Inlet and 

 Kadiak island. The main expense incurred by 

 the settlers in opening farms has been in the 

 preparation of the soil for cultivation. This has 

 been in some instances $120 per acre. The least 

 for which labor can be hired in the interior is $5 

 a day, and the average will reach $7.50 a day 

 and board. At Sitka and Kenai the least that 

 W 7 hite labor can be hired for is $2 a day. At the 

 mines labor is paid from $2 to $2.50 a day and 

 board. 



The farm animals and poultry comprised 13 

 milch cows, value $810; 5 oxen and other cattle, 

 value $505; 5 horses, value $465; 10 swine, value 

 $100; 3 Eskimo dogs, value, $150; and 176 chick- 

 ens, value $166. The relatively higher valuation 

 of oxen than horses is explained by the statement 

 that they are better adapted to farm work in 

 Alaska, as they can be kept at less expense and 

 are less susceptible to cold. The native grasses 

 furnish abundant pasturage in the summer, and 

 roots and ensilage take the place of natural for- 

 age in winter. This enumeration includes only 

 the animals on farms, no enumeration having been 

 made of cows, reindeer, pack dogs, and other live 

 stock owned by the Indians or kept in towns and 

 villages. On many of the small islands along the 

 coast of the Alaskan peninsula, and notably on 

 Sanak and Shumagen islands, cattle are very suc- 

 cessfully raised. No detailed report was obtained 

 of the number of cattle kept on these islands nor 

 of those on Douglas island, near Juneau, where 

 a number of cows are kept for dairy purposes. 

 The unenumerated stock far exceeds in number 

 and value that reported. 



Of the total value of products $8,046 $5,565 

 was from the sales of vegetables; $1,340, hay and 

 ensilage; $179, chickens; $360, eggs; $310, calves; 

 $274, milk; and $18, butter. The long periods of 

 daylight, the comparatively high temperature, and 

 the abundant rainfall, which mark the brief grow- 

 ing season, are highly favorable to the rapid 

 growth and early maturity of nearly all kinds of 



