OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 205 



can look after the numerous things which require constant attention 

 at the farm. 



Considerable work has also been done on a drainage system for the 

 station farm. The launch Wave, transferred from the Navy Depart- 

 ment to this Department and assigned to the Sitka station, needed 

 considerable repairing before it could be made serviceable. These 

 repairs were made by Mr. Rader. The little boat was then made 

 fairly seaworthy, and has since been of much use to the station in 

 procuring grass, wood, etc., as well as for transportation. 



At Kenai experiments with cereals and vegetables have been con- 

 tinued with considerable success. A number of varieties matured 

 during the season of 1900. Some fall-seeded rye and wheat survived 

 the past winter in fair condition. The greater portion of the grain 

 seeded last spring at this station is from grain grown there last year 

 and the year previous, which indicates that grain can be matured and 

 propagated in that latitude. Between 5 and 6 acres have been cleared 

 and fenced and are in culture. About 3 acres of this were cleared last 

 year and are cropped this year for the first time. 



During the past year the assistant in charge of the station has built 

 a five-room log house for the use of the station. All the work at 

 Kenai has been done by Mr. H. P. Nielsen, the assistant in charge, and 

 one laborer. Mr. Nielsen deserves great credit for the energy and 

 faithfulness which he has shown in doing a large amount of hard and 

 rough work under difficult circumstances. 



Professor Georgeson visited the Kenai station in June of the pres- 

 ent year, and writes as follows regarding the climatic conditions there: 



A new difficulty has arisen in connection with our experiments at Kenai, and 

 that is a drought during the spring. This has been the case during the past two 

 years. There was moisture enough in the soil to start the seed growing, but on 

 account of dry weather the growth has been slow up to the present time (July 17). 

 During the month of June the rainfall amounted to only .06 of an inch. I do not 

 know whether the past two years represent the average of the seasons in the Kenai 

 Peninsula in that respect. If they do, this feature will be a greater obstacle to 

 successful farming than cold weather. 



Besides the experimental work at Sitka and Kenai, seeds have been 

 distributed to over 400 persons living in different parts of Alaska, and 

 a considerable number of reports have been received from those 

 grown there during the season of 1900. There is a considerable 

 increase in the demand for seeds now that it is known that they are 

 being distributed through the station. Not only are vegetables, 

 cereals, and forage plants asked for, but there is a considerable 

 demand for flower seeds. There seems to be a great desire on the 

 part of a certain class of explorers in Alaska to cultivate flowers, 

 which are more than ordinarily prized in a region where the general 

 conditions of life are so comparatively hard. 



Professor Georgeson has continued to supervise all the voluntary 

 observers of the Weather Bureau of this Department in the coast 

 region of Alaska. These observers send their monthly reports to the 

 station at Sitka, where one copy is kept on file, while another is sent 

 to the chief of the Weather Bureau at Washington. 



In connection with the annual visitation of the experiment stations 

 in the different States and Territories, Dr. E. W. Allen, the assistant 

 director of this Office, went to Alaska during the present season and 

 has made the following report of his observations there : 



In connection with a tour of the experiment stations in the Northwest, I pro- 

 ceeded to Alaska during the month of July for the purpose of examining the con- 

 dition and work of our agricultural experiment stations there. My visit was con- 



