The Alaska daily empire., 1921-02-10
EXPERTS STUDY REINDEER HERDS
 AT UNALAKLEET
Dr. Nelson Says Important Information Gained as Re-
 suit of Investigation.

Experts or the Biological Survey | experiment station at Unalakleet, | studying the reindeer industry, have made already number of discover ies which indicate changes in pres | betterment Of the industry and les 1 sening of the death rate of the ! herds. according to a statement made ] recently by Dr. E. w Nelson. Chiar l of the Biological Survey, in an ar ticle contributed by him in late is sue of the Weekly News Letter published by the Department of Az riculture.
 The Unalakleet station was e3. tablished last season under the per sonal supervision of Dr. Nelson who spent several weeks in Alaska study ing the industry and Alaska game conditions He is confident that the reindeer industry in a short time will not only be an important factor in Alaskan development but will mean much to the United States
 The article mentioned above fol lows:
 During the last session of Congress the Biological Survey of the De partment of Agriculture was given an appropriation to assist in deyel oping the reindeer business in Al aska In order to carry out the ob jects of this appropriation, I secured experts and with them proceeded to Alaska in July, when the reindeer experiment station was established at Unalakleet on the coast of Boring Sea, for the purpose of studying the parasites and diseases of reindeer and working out remedies for their as well as to conduct an in vestigation into the grazing condi tions and requirements of the rein deer herds with a view to the fu- ture allotment of grazing areas to the herd owners and to determine improved methods for handling the herds.
 Since my return to Washington have received reports from the ex- perts in Alaska showing that they have already gained information sui ficient to indicate important changes for the bettermcnt of the industry and for reducing tho death rate of animals in the herds.
 Less than 30 years ago. 1,2S0 rein deer were introduced into Alaska from Siberia for the purpose of es- tablishing herds to assist the Eski mos in maintaining themselves, Ow ing to the disappearance of wild car ibou and the reduction in numbers of seals and other sea animals along the coast, endangering the future of the natives. The success of this experiment has been extraordinary. as the number of descendants of the original importation of reindeer into Alaska now are estimated at approximately 100000, of which about 5O,000 belong to white men and the remainder to EskimOs
 Resembles Meat of Young Beef
 Reindeer meat is juicy, tender, and practically without that gamy flavor which characteriZes so much other game. It most nearly resembles the meat of yearling beef The skins of reindeer are valuable for glove mak ing purposes. Tanned with their hair on, they are very light and robes made from the soft tanned skins of reindeer with the hair on are for weight by far the warmest covering known. These might become ex-
 remely useful for automobile robes for winter in the colder parts of the country.
 The Lomen Brothers, and their as sociates, Mr Jafct Lindeberg, of Nome, Alaska, are the largest owners of reindeer among the white men, having about 35,000 in their herds. During the past summer they i'm ported and erected on the shore of Boring Sea between Nome and the mouth of the Yuyon River two small refrigerating plants with the neces- sary concentration corrals. The rein deer steers to be killed for exporta tion will be driven to these places. where they will be slaughtered and their carcasses chilled for shipment to Seattle Experimental shipments during the past few years have dem onstrated that there is good demand for reindeer meat in the United States, which is now taking the place of native game which no long CT can legally be sold. The last