30 BULLETIN 50, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



vegetation develops very rapidly. The winter temperatures are very 

 low, but with dry, still air and clear weather much of the time, par- 

 ticularly in the upper portion of the Yukon drainage. 



The flora is rich and varied. It includes 100 species of grasses, 

 many of which are of large agricultural value for hay and silage 

 and for grazing. The mosses and lichens of the tundra regions of 

 western and northern Alaska are an important source of food supply 

 for domesticated and native reindeer. 



Among the native edible fruits that are plentiful are currants, 

 gooseberries, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries. 



Timber in the humid south-coast area is dense and of large eco- 

 nomic value. In the central plateau it is sparse and small, but ample 

 for local needs if it can be conserved. Of the Coniferse, spruce pre- 

 dominates. The balm of Gilead and quaking-asp poplars and white 

 birch are the representatives of deciduous trees. Willow and alder 

 thickets are widespread. There are 100,000 square miles that may be 

 classed as timberland. 



Among the fauna are the king of carnivorous animals, the Kodiak 

 brown bear, and many other species of bears; the moose, the largest 

 of his kind ; the caribou or native reindeer that exist in large herds ; 

 mountain sheep and goats ; deer ; numerous fur-bearing land and sea 

 animals ; myriads of land and water birds, this being the nesting place 

 of many of the latter; and fish in such variety and number as to 

 make the fisheries of Alaska among the greatest in the world. 



The mineral resources are vast, varied, and widespread. Gold, 

 copper, and coal are of the greatest importance. Gold and coal are 

 very widely disseminated. Rich bodies of copper ore have been 

 located in the Prince "William Sound region and in the Copper River 

 drainage. 



Alaska's agricultural possibilities have been in process of demon- 

 stration for 15 years by the Office of Experiment Stations of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, during which time experi- 

 mental work has been carried on in Sitka (the headquarters station), 

 Copper Center, Kenai, Kodiak, Rampart, and Fairbanks, besides the 

 work done by individuals on homesteads, at schools, and at missions. 

 The result of this effort has been to prove that hardy vegetables, 

 small fruits, and forage crops can be successfully grown over a wide 

 area and that dairying, poultry keeping, and stock raising are prom- 

 ising industries. There is ample pasturage in the tundra regions of 

 western and northern Alaska for many thousands of reindeer. 



Alaska's present population of 65,000, including natives, does not 

 afford sufficient home market to warrant large agricultural develop- 

 ment, especially in view of the great cost of clearing and preparing 

 land for tillage. 



