Mimeograph Circular 4

Over half of the farmers in the Railbelt area of Alaska located on their farms after World War II, Farming on the current scale is so new that it is in a constant state of flux. Changes frequently occur in farm practices and in farm ownership. Shortage of cropland and inadequate buildings place a temporary ceiling on expansion of major lines of farming in all agricultural areas. Liberal amounts of credit must become available for continuation of the rapid expansion experienced in the past. The major reason why various kinds of agricultural enterprises developed as they have in leading agricultural areas can be found in the history of agricultural settlement. The Matanuska Valley provided nearly half of the agricultural production in Alaska in 1952, More families were engaged in farming in this valley than in any other area in Alaska. Milk sales topped all others as a source of income and more full-time farmers had dairies than any other enterprise. Potatoes were second in importance with numerous part-time farmers growing varying acreages. Poultry and vegetable production both follow a similar pattern of numerous small producers and only a few specialized farms. The Tanana Valley was the second most important agricultural area in 1952, Most farmers relied on potatoes for their major source of farm income. Vegetables were grown as a minor enterprise on several farms. Few flocks of hens were found., Although interest in dairy farming has been strong in this area, only 3 farms produced milk in surplus quantities in 1952* Of these 3 farms, one was a public institution, one was exceptionally large,, and one was exceptionally s^iall. Lack of housing and domestic water have deterred both dairy and poultry farming,, Compared to the above areas, agricultural development on the Kenai Peninsula has been slow. Farmers have been greatly handicapped by lack of a source of borrowed capital and by distance from a si2able market. Livestock and poultry are the major enterprises. Even though 12 of the 19 farmers interviewed grew potatoes, acreages usually were small. Vegetable production is not great because most of the produce is sold locally and not much produce is demanded by this market. Shortages of equipment necessitate a great deal of hand work.In cooperation with the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUR

The end of the essay?

The essay has been called the 'default genre' in high school and university education. This paper examines the nature, history and function of the essay in this role, including feminist critiques of the genre. It explores in particular the dialogic or multi-voiced character of most academic essays, and suggests that it is through dialogic structuring that new forms of academic writing might be generated. Excerpts from five student essays, and other forms of coursework and examination work are studied. The paper suggests that the handing in of essays and their role in the assessment of student performance is an elaborate game that students and teachers/lecturers have to learn to play well in order for both sides to enjoy and gain from the experience; it also concludes that it is time to recognise more formally the diverse forms of student expression as valid contributions to the demonstration of emerging knowledge

Moffett and rhetoric

This examination of Moffett's contribution to a theory of school English concentrates on his understanding of rhetoric. It is suggested that the impetus for Teaching the Universe of Discourse is dialectical: he was running against currents in English teaching at the time that were literary and technical, as well as the specific practices of sentence combining and embedding. His introduction of rhetoric into debates about school English was a key move, as rhetoric had been seen by American contemporaries as related to higher education and public discourse (and drawing on classical models). Moffett's more generous notion of rhetoric as the ‘arts of discourse’ helped him chart a ‘larger rhetoric of behaviour’ and map out his curriculum and development model. It is a rhetoric that moves beyond the definition of the ‘art of persuasion’ to one based in drama, dialogue and dialectic

Mimeograph Circular 6

Nearly 150 rural families produced potatoes in the Railbelt area of Alaska during 1952, Only a small proportion of these families were specialized potato farm ers. Since potato production is readily adaptable to part-time farming, many of these families grew potatoes on a part-time basis or as a minor enterprise, Twenty-four of the 83 farmers interviewed in the Matanuska Valley specialized in potato production with an average of 11 acres per farm. Thirteen of the 18 farmers in the Tanana Valley grew potatoes as a major enterprise averaging 16 acres per farm. Virtually all of the potatoes on the Kenai Peninsula were grown as a minor enterprise or as a part-time venture. As a source of farm income to Alaskan farm ers, potatoes ranked second only to dairy, A major portion of the money spent by potato farmers in both the Matanuska and Tanana Valleys was for improving service buildings and increasing equipment inventories in 1952, The net returns on 24 Matanuska Valley potato farms ranged from a loss of $5, 489 to a net gain of$8, 958 and averaged $3, 446c Three farmers lost money in their farm operations. Yield was the major factor influencing income from potatoes in 1952, Farmers with the higher net return obtained 6,8 tons of U„ S. No, l's per acre as compared with 4,4 tons obtained by farmers realizing less from farming. Both groups had approximately the same acreage of potatoes. Farmers with the higher incomes grossed more and spent less in their business venture than did farmers with lower incomes. Savings were incurred on hired labor, feed, seed, machinery repairs, fuel and oil, and fertilizer. Farmers with the greatest acreage of potatoes netted only$300 more than those with fewer acres. The form er averaged 14 acres of potatoes per farm and the latter 8 acres per farm. Labor costs for farmers with greater acreages were 3 times greater than those for farmers with the lesser acreage. The difference was $1,171, The potato yield per acre on 48 Matanuska Valley farms ranged from 0 to 8,7 tons of U,, Sc No, l ’ s and averaged 5,6 tons. Twenty-eight of these farmers reported above average yields. Local variations occurred among general areas as to both yield and management practices. Average yield was higher in 1 of the 3 general areas and another area used more fertilizer and seed than the third. However, the rates of fertilizer and seed used per acre have been increasing in all areas in recent years. A frost in August severely cut average yield in the Tanana Valley. Some fields were a total loss. In spite of the frost, average net returns on 10 potato farms were$4,019 which was about $600 more than Matanuska Valley potato growers realized. Potato farmers on the Kenai Peninsula were severely handicapped by lack of equipment. Many planted and harvested by hand. Potatoes were a common cash crop; 12 of the 19 farmers interviewed produced small acreaged.In cooperation with the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUR

Farming in Alaska.

An analysis of commercial farming in Alaska has long been needed. This report may supply helpful information. It spans the yea rs from 1949 to 1954, a time of rapid development and growth. T he study analyzes detailed information supplied by 75 to 85 farmers in the Matanuska Valley and by 15 to 30 others in the Tanana Valley. In 1952, records were also obtained from 19 farmers in the Kenai Peninsula. These record s are estimated to cover about 60 per cent of all commercial farming activity in these particular areas during the period. Information on farming in areas outside the Kenai Peninsula and the Railbelt was gathered from mailed questionnaires supplemented by personal observations. Data for 1949 and 1950 were collected by Clarence A. Moore and were first summarized in his Mimeographed Circular 1, Alaska Farms : Organization and Practices in 1949, and Bulletin 14, Farming in the Matanuska and Tanana Valleys of A laska, both published by the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station. The authors are grateful to the farmers, agencies and others whose help made this work possible