ALASKA 



badly mildewed. Cuthbert raspberries do exceedingly 

 well at Wrangell and Sitka, the fruit being of tine size 

 and quality. Tlie same is true of strawberries at the sev- 

 eral places where they are cultivated. Attempts have 

 been made at a number of places to cultivate some of the 

 indigenous fruits, and the dewberry or "knesheneka" 

 (Bubus stellatus },v.-ik\ currants {Bihes rubrum and iJ. 

 bracteosion), and the strawberry (Fmgaria Chiloeii- 

 sis ?) have all been domesticated, and their fruit is 

 fully equal, if not superior, to the wild product. 



Vegetables.— More attempts have been made to grow 

 vegetables than fruits, and some definite data have been 

 obtained, showing what varieties are known to be adapted 

 to Alaskan conditions. Most of these data have been se- 

 cured from Sitka and Wrangell, in the southeastern part 

 of the country, and from the Holy Cross Mission, near 

 Koserefski, on the lower Yukon. A recent report from 

 the latter place states that potatoes of fine quality, weigh- 



grown during the summer "t l-'i- In -lilition, notes 

 were given of some of the v;m ; . ,.i , . : iMi'S adapted 

 to the region, as follows: (';it _ I -i-i-sey Wake- 

 field, Flat Dutch, and Dnii, I: ni: !l.,wer-Early 



Snowball, Early Dwarf Erfurt ; turnips - Early Flat 

 Dutch, Yellow Globe, and Extra Early Milan ; ruta- 

 bagas—Improved American; radish — French Breakfast 

 and Chartier ; onions — Extra Early Red and Yellow 

 Danvers; lettuce — Golden Heart; peas — American Won- 

 der and Early Alaska; beets — Eclipse and Edmand's 

 Blood Turnip ; carrot— Oxheart ; parsley — Extra Early 

 Double Curled; celery- White Plume, Giant Pascal; 

 rhubarb —Victoria. 



The same varieties, with numerous additions, have suc- 

 ceeded in the coast region. Snap beans, Challenge Black 

 Wax and Golden Wax, have done fairly well at Sitka, 

 where some experiments were conducted by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture during 1898, and the 

 English Windsor is quite in its element. At this place 

 the Philadelphia Butter and San Francisco Market let- 

 tuce made fine heads of a most superior quality. Par- 

 snips and carrots grow well, and salsify and spinach 

 were successfully grown at Sitka for perhaps the first 

 time. Peas were found to grow and yield well, and in 

 addition to the varieties above given, some of the dwarfs 

 and the Norwegian Sugar peas continued to produce 

 their crop until cut off by the frost. The blood beets, 

 Extra Blood Turnip and Extra Early Egyptian, grew 

 well at Sitka, but in many places beets are a failure on 

 account of their tendency to run to seed. This unde- 

 sirable trait on the part of biennial plants is shared by 

 other vegetables, principally turnips, although cabbage 

 and cauliflower have bi en reported as doing likewise. 

 It is believed by soiiif giuui-rs that the flat type of tur- 

 nip is more sulij.n i., i lui I ■ -■ i A than the globe type. 

 Celery of fx.'c.Mi m - 1 ;■ :., .; Ikis been grown at a 



number of phir, -, I, :;, iiili:ik specimens were 



seen in \vlii<'h il m mI :i\:~ '.\ us greatly elongated. 



The leafstalks w. re al>.. ifiiiiiiiciicd in about the" same 

 proportion, and this trait was not considered undesirable. 



Potatoes are more extensively grown than any other 

 crop, and the quality varies with the variety, locality, 

 season, and culture. Usually little choice is exercised in 

 the matter of varieties, but Polaris, Beauty of Hebron, 

 and Early Rose appear well adapted to the conditions 

 existing in this region. The two last are the most ex- 

 tensively known varieties, and very favorable reports 

 have been received from a few trials of the I'olaris. 

 Season and method of planting unib'ulitediv . \.it a 

 strong influence on the crop. If the s..il, whirh uMially 

 contains a high proportion of organic matt, i- and mois- 

 ture, is well drained or thrown up into L, ,N. as is the 

 custom in many places, go,.,l ,,ntat... s , at. In- grown in 

 the average season. In soim- imits ni tlf rmnitrv, espe- 

 cially from Cook Inlet westwtinl, th,' iitnivrs cultivate a 

 small round potato, called the Kussittii. that seems to be 

 well suited to the country. It is said to have been brought 

 from Siberia fifty or more years ago. Close planting of 

 potatoes, as well as almost every other vegetable, is the 

 rule, and often to this fact alone may be attributed many 

 failures. The object seems to be to grow a large crop 

 by planting an abundance of seed. The result is a large 

 growth of tops that completely shade the ground, thin- 

 ning being seldom or never practiced. Along the coast. 



ALASKA 



41 



where cloudy weather is the rule, it is safe to say tnat 

 the sun's rays never strike the ground after the grow- 

 ing season has become well advanced. Under such con- 

 ditions it snotanuncon mo f^ht to see a crop of small 

 potatoes borne n the ax 1 of 1 1 ve tl o i,ro nd, 

 no tubers be no- for ue 1 belo 1 t 



In ge e al on leral le i 1 the 



cho ce of gH le te As I Iways 



prefer ed and f well dra 1 nlly a 



thrifty one 111 p into 



beds 4 or f 1 se the 



bed Wh n 1 s a 1 led to 



warm and I tensively em- 



ployed as a 1 ts value when 



adde I to a so 1 ir 11 I \ e I of vegetable 



debr s is que t onabie Gardens have been successf Uy 

 inainta ned at Da vson C rcle C t^ and other of the great 

 min ng centers of the upper \ ukon an 1 the dirt roof of 

 the m ner cab n is fre [ ently t 1 ze 1 for earlj gar- 

 den tl e heat fro w h uppl ng the neces ary 

 waimth r 1 el t gro ^ earlj ad shes onions, 

 lett ce r p et 



Wl Berk e -Theal n lance of nat ve fru ts espe- 

 ciallv of I e es ha aire 1 been ent one 1 and an 

 enu er to of some of then vould eeu notout ot ^lace. 

 Of w le t 1 tr but on a e the sal nonberr es [B bus 



rants 



bei 



»;,; s ( r. 



oval 1 I I 1 I ) the 

 molkao b k J ul 1 [II' <-l a or s 

 properly called 1 onl e rj n the ii ter or and rasp- 

 berr e (ii" b sir gost s) Of less gen- 

 eral 1 tr b t on yet very abundant in 

 place may 1 e ment o e 1 strawberr es 

 {t I CI Ue I le vler es {Bu- 



Salmonberry 



FLORicrLTURE.- This branch of horticulture is not 

 wholly neglected in Alaska, although but few data are 

 available. Many of the hardier plants of the old-fash- 

 ioned flower garden are to be seen. Pansies of great size 

 and brilliant color are common, and they remain in 

 flower all summer. In some parts of the country sweet 

 peas do well, and poppies, nasturtiums, mignonette, 



