ML PORCUPINE—-WHAT
; CORNER DOES HE FILL IN
THE HOUSE OP NATURE?
Shall we kill the por.cupine?
Porky end I have been neighbors
for over fifty years, and we generally
get along peaceably, each of us at
tending to his own business.
But at times-our interests clash.
Nearly nil genuine sourdough Alas
kans have- met. Porky, but compara
tavey few of uz'become intimate with
1 first met .him in the orchard,
where he .was cutting off the limbs of
the sweet, apple, trees and dropping
them to.4 th? ground, apples and all,
1 used, to climb the trees and knock
them.down,.finishing on the ground.
Later .1 used, my father’s old brass
handed, musket, loaded with black
powdex.and. beans. I used to get right
op cloaa-and, as they generally came
at night, 1 could see the fire reach
from..the muzzle of the gun to Porky
Iiuparts of Alaska they are plenti
ful; imother pats common or are, and
over js^prge part of the Territory they
- sore not found. .Many Alaska natives
have never seen .a porcupine.
Here in Alaska they seemed harm
less at first, and at timss they were
handy to have around. If one is lost
in a. wild country, without , a gun, and
finds Porky he can kill him with a
stick, ook him on a stick, and dinner
is ready. Better still, if he has a lard
pail or tin can along, he can boil the
. meat.
Porky arathis best in lato summer
. and fall. If you wil.dry: one baked or
boiled with aa onion.and potato, you
will have a feed kings do not often
. get
I have kaowuimrohwrinea to kill and
<tat porcupine,. leaving the written de
tails of .that tragedy of -the wild*
vritten iniJhe show as plainly as I
isii put it. op. paper:
I'orky cannot evade his* enemies fey
- aming away* Hiasight-seems to be
ifery poor, and hia hearing and sense
v; mell not- keen- 41«rS»«y try to
;jet to some kind of cover or climb a
tree .<when- danger threatens, or he
wnay prepare, to defend himself on the
. spot.
: His. first-linei of itefeiiserris those
■ quills. Jie turns his jhead away,
; arches hiaback.-andwwaitsjthe attack
with head lowered or hidden partly
under him'* When he Teels a to reh he
i strikes with Ms taiL
The ■ touch, should fill theomonth of
* any foolish aggressor, andisthe slap
: from the tail fill the body, and then
- each -should travel a different course.
A hungry and determined' animal
may kill and -devour >hini, but1* this
will act as a check on -his enemies, for
the quils .are - not digested, but punc
v tare the mouth, stomach and intes
tines, eventually, finding . their way
Tfumasr ,‘rtiswaarvr.a.».i ■ .. ■— •«—
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Fresh Emits
Candies
Tobaccos
I'Pipes
Cigarettes
Soft Drinks
Cigarette Holders
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Geo. Mutchler
Proprietor
through the skin or lodging in vari
ous parts of the body, or causing
deoth.
Hut what corner does he till in the
house of nature?
Is he a carrier of disease germs?
Has he enemies among the wild-folks
that are bold and powerful enough to
kil and devour him? What are the
checks that hold him within* Jbounds
and keep him from further increase?
1 know some Alaska Indiana—who
hunt him for food, and it is-consid
ered a.day. well spent when, lha huntar
can bring home one porky, to his
family.
I have found quills of porcupine ia
the mouth,i throat and intestines el*
grizzly bear,, evidence that those
nears .eat them and prcda^bly kill
them.
Reindeer. sometimes run .ufoul - of;
Porky and strike him with their -feet,
getting plgnty of quills in both .tfcg
feet and leg. Such deer are generally
killed aa.aoon as we find them.
Sometimes it is an old female rein
deer, anxious for the safety of her
fawn, and at other times it stay be
an adult-male or inquisitive fawn.
Is he the. carrier of disease germs ?
I suspect he is, for fair intestines gen
erally contain an unbelievable num
ber of tape worms. And I once found
a species of. immature tape worm in
the lung of Porky that was new to
science. . It. j belonged to the family
Tanea.
Has he/enemies among the wild
folks bold.and -powerful enough to
kill him?..He has some, as I have
stated, Ibiiblrl know of none that can
play with him with impunity.
The natives have told me he goes
into the- den of the blacinbear and
takes possession, driving--'the owner
out. 1 have not proved this by ob
servations . -Often bold orimpudent, I
have found never him the aggressor
except when some inquisitive noses
wvuv ■ iiivji niivn jiuu ui
quills. 1 I have often seen-two, and
rarely three or four, in a single tree,
but they generally live a, solitary life
in'.this locality. TJrfeyTWBiTder far
during summer, feeding on-feeding on
various grasses and- - weeds. Thoir
wmter food is the berki-and small
twigs of the hemlock,, if. they can gef'
it. Otherwise, spruce or birch seems
to answer as well.
Porky, ranges north to ?the limit of
trees. IurSoutheasterri Alaska, where
I found him most plentiful,. I also
found hisuaost\powerful enemies most
plentiful. .
Porky hiss but one young, as a rule, |
born in May or June. TiVhy they are I
not more- abundant throughout their
ange has not been satisfactorily an
wered.
In localities where .Porky dues
arm, I s*y kill him,%and ih the wilds
tvhere he does no one harm let him
live.
A. H. TWITCHELL.
THE SMALL CITY ARRIVES.
According to the municipal experts
of various Icinds.cthe era ctf the small
city andvtown is arriving. It is now
seen :that a city earn actually grow
bigger than is good -for. it, and some
authorities are claiming that the
great metropolis will in time arrive
at the stage where it- win be impossi-'
ble physically to grow, in extent of
territory at least.
There are perhaps many . reasons
why the smaller community is coming
to its own. Perhaps the enoBt potent
of these is that the-smaller commun
ity is no longer what it used to be—is
in fact a great deal better.
The city or town with muddy
streets is Tardy found in this day of
good roads and automobiles. Civic'
pride has grown indie smaller a& .wejfr
as in the larger cities. Ramshackle!
buildings are being eliminated every
where,-tind/the smaller communities
now have fine public buildings, includ-;
dng adequate schools,^up-to-date hos
pitals, and so on. They are all coming
to have fine paries, too. Out in what
was one’fe the broad, open spaces they
dress just as well, if not better; ride
in asgood automobiles, .eat better food
and have the same books and general
entertainment thatt hey do in the big
cities. The time was when you could
jpot a stranger on Broadway or Mich
igan avenue by his general appear
ance... Try to do t today and see how
easily you can be fooled.
Wc hear a lot of talk about how the
radio, the telephone and the moving
picture have lessened the distance be
tween the big «pty, the smaller town
and the rural community. The great
est single factor in this development
of the smaller city ..and town is not
given proper credit, and that factor
is the home newspaper.
Just stop for ..a moment anil com
pare .our home newspapers with what
they were a dozen ox .so years ago.
Y.ou will find .that. the. .-.change is
astounding. Even in. the. .very small
cities the newspaper is. now generally
a thriving, up-to-date institution with
metropolitan airs. Through its out
side news connection it keeps-the peo
ple in touch .with the. very latest
thought and the latest customs
throughout the nation. Anri by its
TABLE OK DIRTANCES.BE
TWEEN NENANA AND FLAT
Miles
Nenena to Tavern . 17
Tavern to Knight’s. 24
©right's to IB Roadhouse_.... 19
l&Roadhousc to. Riffle Pole Road
Riffle Pale Roadhanse to Diamond 11
Diamond Roadhouse to.Roosevelt 13
Rooaevat to Lake Mhtchumina .25
Lako Minch am rrui -to Lone Star
Telida to Tout Roadhouse.. 10
Tent Roadhouse to SIowFerk . 6
SloSkPork to JCsst-Fork .. 22
East Fork to Nieoli . 10
Xicoli to Big Riiver.. *21
Big River Roadhouse to McGrath.. 25'
McGrath to Tokotna . ... ..Im
From Manana to. Tokotna_2S1
Tokotna to Bill .Goes’ Roadhouse... 12
Bill Goss’. Roadhouse tp.Qphir_10
Ophir to. Jerry’s. Roadhouse .22
erry’s to -Schermeyer&jRoedltojiae 27
Scherraeyer’s to JditflnB . M I
'ditarod to Flat .....
From Nenana to Fiat .......B8T!
Roadhouse ..
Lone Star to Tdlida
34
18
local efforts it encourages progres
and good citizenship at home. Give
therefore, the home newspaper, iti
share of credit for lessening the gaj
between the home town and the me
tropolis.
Yes, the ra of the mailer city has
arrived. Ours is one of them. It’i
one of the best places in America t<
live. Why not all pull together t<
make, it even better? If it’s goot
enough to rase our. children in, it’*
good enough to boost.—Exchange.
In the Probate Court, Kuskokwirr
Precinct, Fourth Division,.Alaska
hefore George W. Hoffman, Com
miesioner and ex-officio Probatt
(Judge.
In the matter of the- Estate ol
Thomas Anderson, deceased.
. Notice of Administrator’s Sale.
.. Notice is., hereby given -that undei
and in pursuance of an order made
and pntered by the above Probate
Court on the‘2nd day of. January,
1927, in the above matter, I will offei
for sale at public auction on Saturday,
the 12th day of February, 1927, at 1C
o’cock in the forenoon of said day, at
the Office of the United States Com
missioner at. Napamute, Alaska, the
following described property, to-wit:
...... An undivided one,quarter interest
in and to the certain pacer mining
claims known and described as the
Aider Associationand the Julian As
sociation, claim, each of said claims
being situated on Julian Creek, in
the. Kuskokwim.. Recording Pre
cinct,. Fourth Division, Territory oi
Alaska.
Said sale .will be for cash to the
highest bidder and subject to the ap
proval and confirmation of the above
entitled Court.
Dated January 2nd, 1927.
il. .M. HANSEN,
Administrator of the Estate of
Thomas Anderson, deceased.
FORFEITURE NOTICE.
To John H. Anderson, his heirs, ex
ecutors, assigns.and success ore in
interest:
Yw. and each pf. you, are Hereby
notiftedahat the undersigned, through
ro'ver' of attorney, from Frank E.
Johnson, has .expended . for annual
labor-and improvements the sum of
Oae Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per
.year for the years 1919, 1920, 1921,
1922, 1923. 1924. 1926 and 1926, a
t total of yun years, upon the foUow
ing described placer mining claims^ at
located n the Ruby Recording District,
Territory of Alaska:
' No. 3 Above Long Creek, oae-half
■ interest;
No. 3 Right Limit Beach, Lomg
i Creek .one-fourth interest;
Lone Pine Claim, Long Creek, one
1 half interest;
Keystone Association, Long-Creek,
, one-fourth interest.
That all of said work and improve
ments were required by law and
were put upon said claim in compli
ance therewith in order to hold the
same for each said year and there
after, all of-said work having been
performed by Jensen ft Wiklund.
And if within ninety (90.) days after
the publication of this notice you and
each of you do not contribute to the
undersigned your proportion of said
expenditure for each said claim for
each said year, your interest in- said
claims will become tbe property of
the undersigned,-according to .the pro
visions of Section 2324 Revised Stat
utes of the United-States.
U. JENSEN,
Attorney in East for
-Frank E. Johnson.
First publcation, January 1, 1927.
Last publication, April 9, 1927.
NOTICE OF FORFEITURE.
To Max Altman, his heirs, executors,
assigns and successors in in
terest:
You, and each of .yon, are hereby
notifitd that the undersigned has ex
pended for annual labor 'One Hun
dred Dollars ($100.00) per year for
the years 1915, 1916, 1917, 1920,1921,
1922, 1923, 1924 and-1925, upon the
following described mining claim, in
Ruby Recording District, Territory of
Alaska:
The SANDBAG ASSOCIATION
CLAIM, on Greenstone Creek, a trib
utary of Long Creek, In order teihold
said .claim under this provisions' of
law protecting annual labor on min
ing xlaima.
And if within ninety <90)'days after
the publication of this notice you; or
any of you, fail to pay yoUr portion
of the amount expended on tbe above
claim, your interest in said Claim Will
become forfeited to the undersigned
co-owner, according to tbe provisions
of Section 2324 Revised Statutes - of
the- United States.
DAN SUTHERLAND.
First publication, ^January 1, 1927
-v Last publication, April 9, 1927.
IFOR
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