Farmers to Benefit
From Increased
AGP Fund Allotment
An additional $2,000 is avail
able for the 1955 Agricultural
Conservation program (ACP) in
Alaska, Chairman Philip R.
Johnson announced this week.
Palmer County with the largest
number of farms in the Territory,
receives $777 to bring the total
from $10,318 to $11,095. Alloca
tion of the $2,000 follows the or
iginal distribution system, John
son said. Fairbanks County now
has $10,670, an increase of $737,
and Homer County, $7,035 an in
crease of $486.
Alaska is divided into “coun
ties” for ACP purposes, Johnson
explained. Homer County in
cludes the Kenai Peninsula and
Kodiak Island. Fairbanks County
covers all the second and fourth
judicial divisions. Palmer Coun
ty encompasses all of the first
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SPENARD TO HAVE
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Plans for establishing a com
munity weekly newspaper serv
ing the Spenard area were an
nounced this week by a newly
organized Alaskan firm, Mt. Mc
Kinley Publishers, Inc. The new
publication has been named
'‘Spenard Life” Local news,
features and photos of Spenard
and its residents, organizations
and industries will be featured
in the newspaper. Officers of the
firm are Ed Baldwin, president;
Bob Knox, first vice president;
Roger Cremo second vice presi
dent; C. Joseph Clark, treasurer;
and Edna Atkinson, secretary.
The firm has taken over own
ership of the Alaska Quarterly
magazine, formerly owned by
Baldwin, and will continue to
publish the magazine in addition
to the Spenard newspaper.
and third judicial division with
the exception of land in Homer
County. The agricultural conser
vation program is administered
by county committees and a state
committee with offices on the
University of Alaska campus.
ACP practices in Alaska in
clude diversion ditches, perman
ent sod waterways, erosion con
trol through a grass or legume
cover crop, land clearing, facil
ities for sprinkler irrigation to
provide vegetative cover on rol
ling land, wells for livestock
farming systems, tree planting
for windbreak or erosion control,
open drainage systems, develop
ing springs and construction or
sealing of dams, pits or ponds
for livestock water. The govern
ment shares with individual
farmers the cost of soil and wat
er conservation practices.
Specialist Making
Studies in Area
A Rockefeller Foundation
grant has brought Dr. J. G.
Leach, an outstanding plant dis
ease specialist, to Alaska, Dr.
Ernest N. Patty, president of the
University of Alaska has announ
ced. The $3500 grant was made to
the University for use by the
Alaska Agricultural Experiment
Station.
Dr. Leach, a West Virginia
University scientist, arrived in
Palmer July 16 and was assigned
to the Experiment Station for
two months. He and Dr. Charles
E. Logsdon, station plant path
ologist, are surveying crops in
the Matanuska and Tanana Val
leys, the Kenai Peninsula and
the Juneau area.
Dr. Logsdon, outlining plans
for the visits to Alaska’s agri
cultural areas said,
“We have some disease pro
blems in Alaska potato fields.
They include ring rot, scab, black
leg, and some others. We plan to
study other plant diseases as well
and hope to identify some of the
rare ones that may be found only
in Alaska. We will look at some
of the wild plant diseases too,
for very little is known about
them or their effect on agricul
ture.”
“One of our efforts will be to
discover whether the nutrition
of micro-organisms in the soil
may be the key to some of these
potato diseases,” said Dr. Logs
don. “It is worth investigating if
we can save potato growers some
cf the thousands of dollars they
lose to plant diseases.”
Completes Surveys
Of Alaskan Hospitals
JUNEAU — Complying with
the federal Hill-Burton law re
uirements, surveys of seven hos
pitals in Alaska communities
have just been completed by Mrs.
Jane Igou, Alaska Department of
Health medical facilities director,
and S. H. Martin, acting pro
gram director for the U. S. Public
Health Service Regional Office
at San Francisco.
They visited hospitals in Pal
mer, Sitka, Cordova, Anchorage,
Sr ward, Glenallen and Fair
banks. Meeting with community
representatives, such as Health
councils and City councils, Medi
cal Groups and Hospital Boards
they discussed the new 1954
amendment of the Hill-Burton
bill which provides for four new
classes of projects which may be
constructed under the matching
fund provisions. Definitions were
clarified of the four new facilit
ies which incude: Hospitals for
the chronically ill and impair
ed; nursing homes; diagnostic
centers, or diagnostic and treat
ment centers; and rehabilitation
facilities.
Also part of their work, Mrs.
Igou said, was evaluation of pre
sent hospitals and their financial
problems in order to offer them
better consultation service as re
quested. Mrs. Igou is responsible
for administration through the
Health department of Hill-Bur
ton funds allocated in Alaska
and also for licensing procedures
of all except federal hospitals in
the territory.
“I was very happy to find the
Alaska Hospital Association
planning an active and progres
sive program to improve patient
care in the Territory through ac
creditation of their hospitals, ec
onomical operation of their in
stitutions and improvement of
facilities where needed,” Mrs.
Igou stated upon return to Jun
eau this week from her first
field trip into interior Alaska.
She conferred in Cordova with
the Rev. Howard E. May, Jr.,
president of the Alaska Hospital
Association.
HINTS TO PROLONG
LIFE OF CUT FLOWERS
All woody stems, such as fruit
blossoms, dogwood and lilacs,
should have stems crushed with
a hammer. This increases the
area of water absorption.
Hydarangeas, poinsettes, dah
lias and poppies should have cut
ends of the stems seared by
flame or dipped in boiling water
immediately after cutting.
Stock blossoms last longer if
stems are crushed—also chry
santhemums.
Carnations, roses and other
flowers should be cut on a slant
with a sharp knife and immedi
ately place in cold water. If pos
sible, cut flowers in early morn
ing when they are full of water.
Some flowers, such as zinnias,
marigolds and stock create an of
fensive odor. A few drops of lis
terine will stop bacteria growth.
Watch for drafts. Change in
temperature will have a bad ef
fect.
Continuous handling and un
necessary changing of water do
more harm than good when you
seek to prolong the life of flow
Dr. G. D. Scarseth
To Work With Alaska
Farmers and Scientists
Dr. George D. Scarseth, a prin
cipal speaker at last February’s
All-Alaska Farm Forum in Pal
mer, will work with Alaskan
farmers and scientists this month
to investigate nutritional prob
lems of Alaskan crops.
Dr. Scarseth, an agricultural
consultant, wrote Arthur S. Bus
well, Extension Service associate
director, that he planned to
work with the farmers, Extension
Service staff and the research
men of the Alaska Agricultural
Experiment Station.
The undiagnosed nutritional
troubles of potatoes in the Tan
ana Valley will claim the bulk of
Scarseth’s three weeks in the
Territory. He will spend two
weeks in the Tanana Valley and
the third week will be divided
ed between the Matanuska Val
ley and the Kenai Peninsula.
The visiting extension special
ist will use fundamental infor
mation in diagnosing the situa
tion. New or revised cultural
practices will develop after diag
nosis. Scarseth will bring field
equipment for soils and tissue
testing.
ers. One half teaspoon of pep
permint extract added to one
quart of water will help preserve
many kinds of flowers and is
simpler than burning or boiling.
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
ALWAYS BRING RESULTS
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MORE SHIPS
*I
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FOR
BETTER SERVICE
m
... A report hy the A Jaska Steamship Company to its customers
and friends on the progress of plans to provide ever~better service
to a growing area.
Alaska Steamship Company’s purchase of two additional ships
within the past six months... a total of seven ships since World
War II... points up the Company’s expanding investment in
the future of Alaska. Six additional vessels under charter serve
in Alaska’s largest fleet to maintain the Alaska Line’s sixty year
tradition of serving Alaska best.
S. S. FORTUNA
EC-2 (Liberty-type), formerly “Volunteer State,”
10,500 tons, purchased from States Marine Corporation,
New York, for Alaska service.
M. V. GALENA
CI-MAV-I (Coastal freighter type), formerly “Levers
Bend,” 6,090 tons, purchased from Munargo Lines
Company, Weehawken, N. J., for Alaska service.
ALASKA STEAMSHIP COMPANY
THE MAIN LINE TO ALASKA')