AGRKT'LTl'RAL AriMlOPKIATION UILU 1'J24. 47 



HAWAIIAN KXPKKIMKNT HTATIO.N. 



Mr. AM>Kits<»N. I s(ip|><)S<> the work is •roin^ du in tln's«« othor sta- 

 tions a.s usual? 



Mr. KvANs. TIm'V hi-*' ;,'oin;_'' aloii^r as iiMial. In lia\\aii llii* 

 hoard of health in llonohihi is still insistin«i: on oiii- foiuu-ctin;; with 

 their seweraije system there instead of havin;; open privies. That 

 womM cost about $;i.(MM). 1 would lik«' to ap|)en<l a suinnuiry of the 

 woik for the past year at all the insular stations. 



8TATEMKNT K>:()AKItINU THK WUKK (IK THK liN8l'l^\K K.M'KUIMK.NT BTATIU.NH. 



AI.AHKA KTATIONH. 



There are five iiKrieiiltnnil exiK»rlnieut statUm.s iiiaintaine<l in Alaska. This 

 iiiiiiibcr i.s (MinsIdertMi lUKi'.ssjir.v nii art-ouiit «>f tlu' meat ditTereiui? in rliiuate 

 anil «»iiiK iu lar^ie reitrf-srutativf reninus. Il(>ad(|uart«'rs are niaintaini'd at 

 .Sitlva. in .soutliea.'Jtern Aiaslva, au<l much of the worlv with veKetables and 

 .small fniifs is carriiMl on at that station. St«M-k ltree<iiii« work i.s carrle<l on 

 at tlH' KiHliak .Station, wliich rei»n'.s«'nts the .soutlnvt'sttTii trivless region, and 

 urain trowin;: at tlu' Kairliauks ami K.impart .Stations in th»' inti'ri«>r of tlie 

 Territory wlicre there is a liulit rainfall and comparatively hi;:h summer teiu- 

 IK>ratur«'s. Mixed fanning is believed i>ossihle in tiie Snsitna Valley re>?ion 

 eontiuruous to the new (Jovernment railroad. an<l as a eon.se<|uen<-e, inve.stiua- 

 tions with liehl crops, veiretaliles. small fruit, and animal liushandry liave 

 Ikh'u he;,'un at the Matanuska .Station. 



The .sea.«^on throuu'liout .Vlasku was extremely hackward in the spring of 

 1U'2'2 and jrrowth was slow in be;,'innin^ and was further prolonKe<l in the 

 interior by an unusual amount of rain ami a irre.it lunuber of cloiuly days. 

 1 li<-e (onditions letardiMl the ripening' of ;:rain at the Fairbanks an<l Uami)art 

 Stations to such an extent that most of it was destroyed by frosts tliat occurreil 

 tlie last of Aujrust. This is llie lirst time since the stations were established 

 in 1IXJ7 that the majority of the varieties of cereals failed to mature. At the 

 Fairbanks Station, from ilata collected since 11H)4. there is usually a frost-fre»' 

 j)erio(l of lUS days. 



The vejretable and small fruit work at Sitka is pro;rressiu;r ."satisfactorily. 

 Tile work with hybrid strawberries is making good pro^rress aud about 2.000 

 hybrid plants were jrroNMi in the field during; the past season. A large uuniber 

 of i»pdigreed plants from previous seasims' plantings have been tested further, 

 and the best have been allowed to form runners and thus increa.se the stocks 

 for cooperative trial elsewhere. The experiment of producing new see<lling 

 potatoes adapte<J to Alaska conditions is progressing ami about ITu additional 

 seedlings were grown this year. The best of the seedlings grown in IDlIl were 

 planti'd in increase plats this year and they will sf>oii be ready for testing in 

 other parts of the Territory. An opjiortunity was atTorded the chief of the 

 insular stations to observe, in .Inly of this year, the reaction that has taken 

 plac-e in southeastern Alaska since the station was established. In 1SI)7 there 

 were seen but two creditable gardens in the whole region. In 1922 good gar- 

 dens were observe^l at every village and town at whicli steamer landings were 

 made, and many others were reporte«l at i)laces olT the steamer route. In 

 all the towns local suiiplies of vegetables of excellent quality were found in 

 the stores, and locally grown strawberries were just <'oming into tlie nuirket 

 in some places, while raspberries, currants, and gooseberries were pronnsing 

 large crops. 



Livestock work has been taken up and made an important feature at the 

 Matanuska and Fairbanks Stations in or<ler to develop dairying and meet pro- 

 duction in tho.se regions. At the Matanuska Station there were 7 milking 

 Shorthorn cattle, G (ialloways, and H5 shee]) at the beginning of the year. At 

 the Fairbanks Station there were 3 milking Shorthorns, r? Hampshire pigs. 4 

 milk goats mid a pair of yak. The female yak <lied during the sununer and 

 this will temporarily interfere with the ex|H'riment of making reciprcK-al cri>.s.ses 

 with (Jalloway cattle. The presence of these breeding animals has called 

 attention to the necessity for more adequate barns to shelter them and more 



2202.S 22 4 



