1 86 A GRICULTVRE IN A LA SKA 



sheep. Quite a number were placed on a small island, and, as 

 they had come from a much warmer and a drier region, many 

 died during the winter in consequence of being poorly fed and 

 not provided with shelter. 



Pigs are reported to thrive exceedingly well in most parts of 

 Alaska, but when allowed to run at large their flesh is liable to 

 acquire a fishy flavor. The same objection is raised against 

 the flesh of fowls, since their diet in winter consists almost 

 entirely of fish refuse. 



The prevailing conception of Alaska as a region wholly given 

 up to glaciers and mountains is strikingly at variance with the 

 facts. In 1894 the director of the Geological Survey estimated 

 the tillable land in southeastern and southwestern Alaska as 

 embracing between 4,000 and 5,000 square miles, or from 

 2,500,000 to 3,200,000 acres, an area about equal to that of the 

 State of Connecticut. If the. grazing lands be added to the 

 above estimate, the acreage would be greatly extended. 



The agriculturist of Alaska will have some serious problems 

 to consider. The more important are the clearing and draining 

 of the land, lack of markets, and transportation facilities. 



In southeastern Alaska, with the exception of the tide flats, 

 land must first be cleared of the dense forest growth, and in 

 some places the deep moss will also have to be removed. The 

 spruce stumps must be dug out, as they are very slow in rotting, 

 and not infrequently produce large second-growth timber. In 

 addition to clearing, the land must be thoroughly drained and 

 protected against seepage from above. This ditching and re- 

 moval of stumps is very laborious, and estimates of $200 per 

 acre were given as a probable cost of preparing the soil for cul- 

 tivation. This cost seems well nigh prohibitive for agricultural 

 purposes. However, the same process had to be followed else- 

 where. A report issued by the experiment station at Pullman, 

 Washington, states the cost of clearing muck lands of cedar and 

 alder stumps at the Puyallup substation to be $122.80 per acre. 

 No definite information has been obtainable as to the cost of 

 clearing farm land elsewhere, but wherever practiced the process 

 is expensive. In the southwestern portion of the country the 

 expense of clearing away the stumps will not be required, nor 

 is draining necessary to the same extent as in the other region. 



The agricultural possibilities of Alaska can be estimated only 

 from the rather meager evidence of limited experiment, and by 



