ALASKA EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 265 



GOOD GARDENS EVERYWHERE. 



It was gratifying" to behold the many and excellent gardens which 

 were found along the river. At Eagle nearly every householder had 

 a garden. Not only were the common vegetables quite generally 

 grown, but flowers were also in evidence to a considerable extent. 

 Many of the hardy annuals, such as poppies, nasturtiums, larkspur, 

 and mignonette were in full bloom, and some of the more tender 

 plants, as sweet peas, were in bloom at Eagle when I arrived there in 

 the latter part of July, and there was abundant evidence that flowers 

 as well as vegetables could be grown everywhere if they were given 

 the requisite care. Such vegetables as potatoes, turnips, radishes, and 

 lettuce could be seen nearly everywhere, and in several places cabbage, 

 cauliflower, and kale were also grown successfully. 



A resident of Eagle, who gave some attention to farming in 1900, 

 promised to grow some grain the past season, but his interests else- 

 where prevented him from doing so. It is, however, worthy of note 

 that volunteer oats had come up in the little field he had in oats last 

 year, and that it gave promise of a good crop. It would be difficult 

 to adduce stronger evidence concerning the agricultural possibilities of 

 that region than is furnished by this fact. Wherever grain will grow 

 up, mature, and the waste seed live through the winter and produce a 

 crop the following year, there certainl} T can not be much doubt but that 

 farming is possible. 



But it should also be noted that frosts are liable to occur at almost 

 any time during the summer, and that in exposed places, especially on 

 low ground along the river, these frosts may be severe enough to kill 

 tender things. Thus a frost occurred in the neighborhood of Rampart 

 and Fort Gibbon on July 31 of the present year, which injured many 

 gardens in exposed positions, particularly those at Fort Gibbon, and 

 the garden at the experiment station at Rampart was not entirely 

 exempt. This frost, however, seems to have been confined to a limited 

 area, for I did not note injury from it at Eagle nor on the lower Yukon 

 in the neighborhood of Holy Cross Mission. 



GARDENS AND EXPERIMENTS AT HOLY CROSS MISSION. 



This mission is renowned in all the interior of Alaska, not only for 

 its good work among the natives and the helping hand it lends to 

 needy wa3^farers, but also for its gardens. There are about 4 acres 

 under cultivation, and the principal crop is potatoes, this vegetable 

 forming one of the staple articles of food. Other kinds of hardy 

 vegetables and a great variety of flowers are grown with marked suc- 

 cess. While I was a guest at the mission, from August 2 to August 

 9, the table was daily supplied with new potatoes, lettuce, and radishes, 



