18 
BULLETIN 50, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
P. Lundeen has a 320-acre homestead across the river from Eagle. 
He writes, under date of July 26, 1912 : 
Although last season was unusually dry, I raised a fair crop of garden truck, 
such as cabbage, carrots, lettuce, peas, radishes, and turnips, but was unable 
to dispose of any of it, as the town of Eagle is now almost deserted since 
the abandonment of the Army post; and the freight rates to more flourishing 
towns farther down the river are so high that they are positively prohibitive. 
The merchants at Fairbanks, Tanana, Ruby, Iditarod, and other points can 
obtain special contract rates from the steamboat companies, which enable them 
to lay down all farm and garden products from the States cheaper than they 
can handle the Alaskan products. Until the matter of excessive local freight 
charges is remedied farming at a profit will be out of the question. We have 
had an abundance of rain so far this season, and my crops bid fair to excel 
anything I have had since I have been in this country. 
Fig. 7. — Home and flower garden in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photographed by Huey.) 
Circle is 100 miles or more downstream from Eagle, and within 
50 miles of the Arctic Circle. Xels Rasmussen has a 20-acre field 
adjoining the town devoted mainly to the raising of oat hay for his 
freighting teams. C. R. Rieger has a homestead a few miles out of 
town, on which he has a herd of cattle and a silo. 
At Tanana, which is at the confluence of the Yukon River and the 
Tanana, John Kehoe is growing a wide range of crops on his home- 
stead. 
Mention of Mr. Kehoe's method of getting rid of t}ie moss and 
putting the land in condition for cropping will indicate one of the 
difficulties of opening up an Alaskan farm. 
