ALASKA EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 333 



Two hundred and eighty feet of drill row produced 488 pounds. They do as well 

 here as in the States. They attain a weight from 1 to 8 pounds, and as a rule they 

 will average about 3 pounds. 



Yours, truly, Roll Brothers, 



General Merchants. 

 Prof. C. C. Georgeson, Sitka, Alaska. 



FARMING ON THE NUSHAGAK. 



Moravian Mission, Nushagak, Alaska, August 4, 1901. 



Dear Sir: I will drop you a few lines at this time to let you know that the ther- 

 mometer and rain gauge came to hand safe and sound. I have as yet not set 

 them up, as I have been very busy with fish catching, gardening, and haymak- 

 ing, besides very many other duties; not the least of which is the post-office, of 

 which I have charge. I shall endeavor to set them up and take records by Sep- 

 tember 1. 



The seeds came all right. Some were planted, while others were kept over for next 

 spring. 



Thus far, this has been a remarkable summer, the like of which I have not seen 

 in the five years of my Alaska life; dry and hot, so that often one felt like keeping 

 still and cooling off. 



It took a long time for the seeds to germinate, but they finally did, and now the 

 gardens are a beautiful sight. We have very little competition in that line, so we 

 have praise from visiting parties. We are, however, not the only ones who try to 

 raise vegetables, as quite a number of our neighbors have gardens, and a few natives. 

 The white settlers are all fishermen, and at the time when gardens need most atten- 

 tion they must be on the river catching fish. The natives, too, have spent what 

 time they might devote to it in drinking and being "all same white man." 



P^verything planted seems to be doing well. Even the corn woke up during the 

 w 7 arm weather, and if we had had some warm rain it would likely have come to some- 

 thing this year. I don't believe, however, that corn will do well, as a rule, here. 



While I was attending to fishing, etc., the sisters waged war against the worm, 

 which spoiled so much of our underground crop; first, wood ashes were put to all tur- 

 nips and the like, but still they came. We then brought some lime from the can- 

 nery and each stalk was trenched around and a liberal pile of lime placed at the 

 root. This checked the worms to some extent, but some go through even lime. 

 When we dug the garden we put considerable lime on. It seems that these worms 

 are possessed of constitutions to stand any test Alaska can furnish. 



I dare say you will be interested in the growth of the grains you sent me; they 

 are doing fine, I think. They were all planted on or soon after May 15. On account 

 of the dryness they did not spring up very promptly, but I think most of them will 

 mature and ripen this year. The Romanow wheat is just splendidly loaded; the 

 oats are also doing well, but a little behind time. I have barley from a Dakota 

 farmer which beats anything I have yet seen. Wheat (spring) from Dakota is 

 headed, but I am afraid not as heavily as it does in its native State. I have Penn- 

 sylvania oats which is about on a par with the other. 



I have sown two beds of clover, red and white, which are doing nicely, but at 

 this writing I see no signs of blossoms. I hope it will yet mature, as clover is one of 

 the grasses I much desire to have. I wonder how timothy grass would do here? 



At last I have a cow (calf). At one of the canneries they had a cow which gave 

 no milk, and in due season she had a calf. The men wanted to kill it at once, so 

 they might the sooner have milk. I asked to be allowed to raise it, so am 



