(28) 
“ The climate of the Aleutian Islands is moist and warm ; the 
greatest cold recorded in five years was zero of Fahrenheit, and 
this occurred only once. The greatest height of the mercury was 
77 0 F. The grasses in this climate, warmer than that of the Yu¬ 
kon district and drier than the Sitka district, attain an unwonted 
luxuriance. For example, Oonalaska abounds in grasses, with a 
climate better adapted for haying than that of the coast of Oregon. 
The cattle were remarkably fat, and the beef very tender and deli¬ 
cate, rarely surpassed by any well-fed stock. Milk was abundant. 
A remarkably rich and genial soil, arable and well suited for gar¬ 
den and root-crop culture, lies near the coast. It occurs to us that 
many choice sunny hillsides would produce crops under the 
thrifty hand of enterprise. They are already cleared for the plow. 
Where grain-like grasses grow and mature well, it seems fair to 
infer that oats and barley would thrive, provided they were fall- 
sown. Several of these grasses had already (September) ma¬ 
tured and cast their seed before we arrived, showing sufficient 
length of season. Russians affirm that potatoes are cultivated in 
almost every Aleutian village, and at one village the seed has been 
preserved for planting since the beginning of the century. The 
climate is as mild as that of the Highlands of Scotland, or the 
Orkneys, where stock has been successfully kept from time im¬ 
memorial.” 
u Summary : In the Aleutian district is situated the larger pro¬ 
portion of arable lands, and in this and the northern part of the 
Sitkan district the climatic conditions are the most favorable in the 
Territory. Oats and barley, probably wheat and rye, may suc¬ 
ceed on these islands. Their abundant capacity for producing 
root-crops of good quality, except possibly potatoes, may be con¬ 
sidered as settled. That cattle will do well there is no doubt, 
and the Pacific coast ?nay yet derive its best butter and cheese 
from the Aleutian and Northern Sitkan districts. Sheep, 
goats and swine have not been thoroughly tried as yet, but the in¬ 
ference is that they also would succeed.” 
14 The resources of the Sitkan district lie apparently in its lum¬ 
ber. To the northern part of this district the remarks on the 
Aleutian district will apply.” 
The capacity of Sitka to produce a variety of garden vegetables 
