ECONOMIC USES OF LICHENS — LLANO 389 



of herbivores in this area, further discussion of it will be omitted. 

 The extreme southern part of South America, Tierra del Fuego, and 

 lower Patagonia might also be included in this classification. San- 

 tesson of Uppsala, Sweden, has related to the author that when he was 

 botanizing in the Argentine during the late war, he was approached 

 by government officials requesting advice on tlie practicability of im- 

 porting reindeer into those regions for the use of the natives. San- 

 tesson's opinion, based on his thorough knowledge of lichen species 

 and of reindeer culture, indicated that the South American lichen 

 species of the area under consideration, although probably acceptable 

 to reindeer, were not abundant enough to sustain them. A news re- 

 port of October 20, 1947, however, stated that 20 reindeer had been 

 imported into Argentina for stocking the Tierra del Fuego area. 

 These were to provide food, clothing, and transportation to the 3,513 

 inhabitants of the archipelago, and were part of the Plan Quiquenal 

 "'which will make Tierro del Fuego a magnificent exponent of social 

 and economic progress . . ." 



in the development of the reindeer industry in Alaska, Eskimos were 

 used as herdsmen, and proved skillful in handling the herds. But stiff 

 competition from other branches of commercial animal husbandry and 

 the inimical attitude of allied companies restricted the normal outlets 

 for reindeer products. Finally the United States Government, and 

 later the Canadian Government, were called upon to assist the Eski- 

 mos in developing their own herds, as a means of establishing a more 

 stable source of food and clothing. This venture proved less success- 

 ful than anticipated, owing largely to the unwillingness of the settled 

 villagers to take up the nomadic life demanded by reindeer herding. 

 With the communal herds restricted to the proximity of the villages, 

 overgrazing, especially of winter lichen pastures, resulted. The seri- 

 ousness of this problem was brought out in a report of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture as early as 1929, when the reindeer 

 herds were on the decrease. 



The American caribou and the Old World reindeer have similar 

 habits, feeding on lichens in snow-free areas or pawing away the 

 snow cover to obtain better grazing. In summer they migrate to the 

 highlands or close to the coast, partly to avoid insect pests and partly 

 to feed in fresh pastures. The constant, natural rotation of caribou 

 during the winter period throughout their range, and migration dur- 

 ing the spring and summer from the lowlands to the highlands, 

 prevent overgrazing in any one part of the available range. In Lap- 

 land, where reindeer culture has developed through centuries, follow- 

 ing the migration of herds from lowlands to highlands, with continual 

 movement throughout the critical winter period, is a natural part of 

 the existence of the herd owners. The increase of northern European 

 reindeer populations has resulted in the development of local restric- 



