ECONOMIC USES OF LICHENS — LLANO 391 



contribute stability to an economy sustained by an expensive, tenuous, 

 supply line that is easily upset by the contingencies of military 

 priorities. 



The most useful species for grazing are the so-called reindeer lichens, 

 Cladonia rangiferiiia Web., CI. dlpestris Rabenh., and CI. sylvatica 

 Hoffm., though the last is sometimes said to be refused by reindeer. 

 Probably others, e. g., species of Cetraria^ Stereocaulon^ and Alectoria, 

 are accidentally or preferably taken, since they are found growing 

 with the former. The Cladoniaceae are the most important, for they 

 grow in carpetlike masses to a height of 6 inches. Their dependence 

 on the substratum is not clearly recognized, since they grow almost 

 equally well on all available areas, especially after fire, competing with 

 and preventing the development of certain seedlings. They may be 

 covered for long periods by snow, but the animals that are accustomed 

 to feed on them are capable of finding them under snow cover. The 

 use of lichens as accessory fodder has always received attention in 

 northern Europe in times of forage (wild or cultivated hay, grain, 

 etc.) scarcity, and in some regions the plants are regularly used for 

 this purpose. 



Lynge (13) presents his own and other investigations concerning 

 the food value, harvesting methods, and growing habits of lichens in 

 relation to the feeding habits of reindeer and cattle. He states that 

 in 1916 the large lichen fields of Finmai'ken maintained 100,000 head 

 of reindeer, resulting in a serious overgrazing problem. Smaller fields 

 in other Norwegian provinces supported 50,000 of these animals. To 

 remedy these conditions, regulations prohibiting reindeer pasturing 

 were put into effect where necessary until good growth was reestab- 

 lished. Under conditions of unrestricted grazing, lichen vegetation 

 may be seriously altered, while mere trampling by large herds in small 

 areas will destroy these plants. Under such a situation fields of CI. 

 alpestris may be invaded by less desirable Stereocaulon paschale Fr., 

 which produces full-grown thalli in 5 to 6 years after which CI. 

 alpestris again becomes dominant. 



In Lynge's account there is a list of Lapponian lichen terms indic- 

 ative of some of the peculiarities connected with reindeer husbandry. 

 The Lapps differentiate between lichens and mosses, since reindeer 

 never feed on the latter. "Jaegel'' refers to field lichens on which 

 reindeer fatten; ''Gadna" occurs on stones and trees and are eaten if 

 no other food is available ; "Lappo" are the beard forms growing on 

 trees for which the animals have great fondness. The Swedish Gov- 

 ernment permits the Lapps to cut down birches in winter emergencies 

 to enable the reindeer to get at this type of feed. The herders also 

 recognize the pasture cycle after fire with its successive lichen forma- 

 tions. Reindeer feed on the younger parts or tips of the plants. 



922758—51 26 



