The Nome nugget., 1920-11-13
SAYS REINDEER
 HERDS REDUCE
 COST 0F MEAT

inspection trip thorugh Alaska in con- nection with the federal work unde:' his administration. This includes tii, laws and regulations for the protec- tion of the land fur bearing animals of Alaska and those protecting the migration of wild fowl such as ducks and geese under q treaty with Grea. Britain to prevent the extermina.ion of v:llmble birds in the United States and Canada.
 One of the most important objects the purpose of establishing at Una lakleet a reindeer experimental sta tion for the purpose of helping devel- op this promising industry. The ex- perimental station and labEltory well equipped with modern appliances for study of the diseases and parasites of reindeer and for careful investiga- tion of the grazing problem which must be solved in order to work out IoE SfstLlIls TOT Iilc herds under different ownership The herds are already so numerous on the Seward Peninsula tha! the earliest possible allotment of grazing areas is needed. Twenty eight years ago the first reindeer were brought from Siberia and a total of only 1,2S0 were introduced druing the following ten years. Te descendants of .his small introduction now number somewhere from 150o00 to 100000 animals. With knowledge gained the government now plans to give the industry even the extra ordinary results already obtained may be eXcelled.
 There will be plenty of reindeer meat available, in the course of a very short time. to supply all the require- ments of Alaskans in the meat line In the opinion of Dr. Nelson, who pointed out that !he natural increase sufficient to encourage the belief that the future meat supply of the terri tory is assured There are in the ter ritory at the present time 100000 rein deer, in addition to which 100,0 900 have been killed. What the increase vii be during the next 20 years runs into big figures and Dr. Nelson is of the opinion that the animals will be so plentiful at the end of the next five years that Alaskans need not look elsewhere for meat. There will be plenty of reindeer meat and at price that will remove the temptation to kill moose and caribou for the local markets.
 One method of improving the herds will be to cross-breed them with the caribou of the interior by capturing and placing young caribou bulls with the reindeer. Dr. Nelsons assistant Mir. o. ' Nitric will make Fairbanks his headquarters for the coming year and will spend most of his time in- vestfgating the great caribou herds for which this region is famous. This will be for the purpose of getting information to be used in the bre .d ing experiments, 1Ee reindeer being killed s-- ehdpmert out of the country now dress about 15J pounds eacn and it is bell the weight can he brought uD to nearly or qui-e double that amount.
 The :4onien and Company t,i Nome now ov'- nearly 3o,G00 reindeer This company is building a cold sfcrago plan: at Golovin Ba, and another at Bgowik. a few miles from Unalakleet to prepare the carcasses for shipment to Seattle. Next season will see the beginning of regular exportation of meat from Alaska which within. few years will not only solve the mea. problem of this territory but will maks n notable addition 70 the food supply of the United States.
 In addition 70 being chief nf the biological survey. pr. Nelson is charged with the administration of the laws regulating the taking of fur bearing land animals and is also ir charge of the administration of game laws, of which, by the way, he says he has found evidence of onsiierable violation. particularly with regard ., the sale of meat out of season.
 This is not pr. Nelson's first visit to Alaska since he lived in St Mic i- aed from 1877 to 1881 from which point he made long trips into the In- .erior and along the coast as fer as Point Barrow. Ever since that time he has been keenly interested in the terttory and desires to do all that lies fR 6 lm