The Seward gateway., 1923-01-13

killing or those that have been in ser vice any length of time. The shock of the operation often causes the horns to fall off, but the following sea son they appear again. The animal is also more docile and tractable. The growth of the horns is so rapid that at times the animals show irrita- tion and even pain. It has been ob- served that they are constantly touch | ing them with their hind fetlocks. with gentle, rubbing motion. Evil -dently the horns at this stage are so tender that great care must be taken of them. Once the growth is com plete and the horns harden the animal uses them for offense and defense Norwegian reindeer imported into Alaska compare very unfayorable with the latter, as far as size and general appearance goes.
 The ownership of the reindeer herds in Alaska now is divided into three classes: Eskimo, white men married to Eskimos, and other white men, in- cluding Lapps. The ownership among the natives is not uniform some hay ing but two or three head and others many thousands. In the beginning 1t was necessary to exclude white men from ownership. but with the great start obtained there is sufficient room and grazing areas for both natives and whites
 The average fawn crop runs be- tween 50 and 50 per cent. While re- corded losses are incomplete, In the adults the losses are about 6.5 per cent, and in lawns about fifteen per cent, disease, predatory animals and parasites preying on them.
 Reindeer are of value principally for the production of meat for food and skins for clothing. In Alaska they have been used only to limited extent as beast of burden for pack ing in summer and drawing sleds in winter. They will later have an added value in the utilization Of the waste products.
 The skin is used chiefly for winter clothing and in the north fer sleeping bags. The meat is fine grained and the lat Is palatable and compares ia yorably with beef. The liver is not unlike calves liver and is or large size. The tongue and heart are both of good flavor and quality.
 Present regulations prohibit the slaughter of does The average life of reindeer is about 15 years. Full ma turity Is reached in about four or five years. A certain number of bucks are set aside for breeding purposes and the est are raised as steers to be butchered when about three years old.
 The dressed weight of full grown reindeer will range anywhere up to 200 pounds in the best handled herds. The average weight dressed, for g. year-old steer is about 15Q pounds. The weight of a fresh reindeer skin ifs estimated to be about ten per cent of the total weight of the dressed car cass.
 Modern siaughtering methods are not used in Alaska except in a very few herds Reindeer are killed at all seasons of the year, both in and out of season. At present each native goes out by himself at irregular periods to kill the animals by shooting on the open range. Under this method the herds are constantly disturbed and mistakes in ownership cause much friction. Furthermore, when the car cass is dressed on the open range the work is badly done. If the killing were done when the animals were in their prime and the carcasses placed in cooling rooms in the ice underground, after being solidly frozen with the hair on, they would keep for long pc riods and the objectionable features of killing be eliminated
 The method of killing employed by the Lapps in Alaska is to drive a knife thru the brisket into the heart and bleeding takes place into the chest cavity. This is done to save the blood which is used for food or given to the dogs. Cutting the throat of the animal after it is stunned is much better practice.
 In preparing the carcasses the skins are removed as are those of cattle. The skin is even easier than in the case of cattle, the hide being loosen,