REINDEER AND MUSK-OX 



In this connection it is worthy of note that Doctor Nelson does not do the 

 original reindeer full justice, inasmuch as only one hundred and seventy-one 

 were actually imported twenty-eight years ago, the remainder having come in 

 in small detachments during the ten years following, it being 1902 before the total 

 figure of 1,280 was reached. 



It will be seen that the United States proposes to utilize the woodland 

 caribou in the improvement and development of the existing reindeer herds, 

 Dr. Nelson's evidence on this point before the Committee on Appropriations at 

 Washington, being as follows: — 



"We have an expert up there now investigating the wild caribou 

 herds of Alaska. There are big herds of caribou in the interior on the 

 headwaters of the Kuskokwin river, about the Mount McKinley region, 

 and elsewhere are large woodland caribou, some of the bulls of which 

 are reported to dress up to about 400 pounds each. We plan to locate 

 and capture some bulls of this stock and use them with one or two experi- 

 mental herds of reindeer cows for the purpose of building up a higher 

 grade of reindeer, having greater weight and increased hardiness. I 

 believe it will be practicable in less than ten years to have the reindeer 

 of Alaska running from 250 to 300 pounds to the carcass, instead of 

 150 pounds as at present. Suppose you add 100 pounds to the weight 

 of each reindeer steer for slaughter, you would have increased the value 

 of the fully developed Alaska reindeer industry enough to bring the 

 potential output around $60,000,000 at present values. That is more 

 than the fisheries of Alaska produce." 



42627—41 51 



