E.— GEOGRAPHY. 91 



the Arctic, V. Stefansson has drawn a glowing picture of the future of 

 the Arctic prairies. 12 His statements have met with some criticism, not 

 invariably by men who know the Arctic. It may be well to examine 

 his arguments in some detail, since this matter touches the future of the 

 Arctic and its possible contribution to the material welfare of man. 



Experiments in reindeer breeding in Alaska were begun in 1891 with 

 the introduction of a small herd of sixteen deer from Siberia. Next year 

 167 more were introduced. This was an attempt by the United States 

 Government to give a new means of livelihood to the Alaskan Eskimo, 

 who were in dire straits because game was exhausted. The experiment 

 was entirely successful. The herds have been doubling themselves every 

 three years, and the 1,280 deer introduced before 1902 have now increased 

 to about 500,000. The United States Department of Agriculture calculate 

 that the grazing grounds of Alaska can support over three million reindeer 

 at a low estimate. At present the deer are a small variety, but it is hoped 

 to increase their size by interbreeding with wild caribou. This, however, 

 must be done carefully lest the herds become unmanageable. 



There can be no doubt of the success of the experiment in Alaska, and 

 the forecast of an Alaskan production for the market, in less than twenty 

 years, of over a million carcases of reindeer a year is probably no exaggera- 

 tion. This is the equivalent of nearly three million sheep, and so would 

 be no small accession to the meat resources of the United States. 



It has been suggested that the Alaskan success shows what can be 

 done in Arctic Canada, the Barren Lands and islands, and possibly also in 

 parts of Greenland. Undoubtedly there are wide grazing grounds that 

 are now practically unoccupied, but it is easy to exaggerate their 

 potentiality. Estimates of productivity based on the number of species 

 of plants here and there or per square yard have little value. Many of the 

 plants are of no use to grazing animals and others are rare. It must never 

 be forgotten that most Arctic plants grow slowly and have poor means of 

 reproduction, so that Arctic prairies can easily suffer from over-grazing. 

 One reason for the wandering of the caribou and musk-ox is their liability to 

 exhaust any but the richest grazing grounds to such an extent that a year 

 or two, or even more, are required for their recovery. 



Siberian reindeer in a wild state commonly migrate southward to the 

 forest edge in winter and even on the rich pastures of Lapland nomadism 

 is essential. The Lapps know well that the sites of the winter villages, 

 must be frequently changed in order to ensure enough lichen for the 

 herds. Intensive pasturage on confined areas is impossible. 



Six years ago the Hudson's Bay Company acquired from the Canadian 

 Government a lease of 100,000 square miles of tundra in southern Baffin 

 Island and imported five hundred reindeer from Norway to Amadjuak on 

 Hudson Strait. All the deer perished. Yet the failure of the experiment 

 must not be used as an argument against the possibility of reindeer 

 breeding in Arctic Canada. Siberian reindeer, for there are many varieties 

 of the reindeer, would probably have suited the conditions better than the 

 tamer and richer-feeding Norwegian variety. And furthermore Baffin 

 Island, as its small ice-fields bear witness, has a greater precipitation than 



12 V. Stefansson, The Northward Course of Empire (1922); The Friendly Arctic 

 (1921) ; 'Polar Pastures,' The Forum, Jan. 1926, and other articles. 



