14 BULLETIX 1423, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



hooks, one on each side of the corral, may, of course, be constructed, 

 but onl}' one is needed if the direction of niillin<r be known. It is 

 easy to drive the reindeer into a liook properly placed, but difficult 

 to drive them into a hook not opening' toward direction of the mill. 

 Of 25 herds observed in respect to millin<>-, 3 were found always to 

 mill counterclockwise and tlie i-emainder clockwise. 



HOLDING PASTURE 



A recent improvement for handling reindeer when the corral is 

 used at round-up time is a holding pasture adjoining the corral. 

 As the Alaska herds increase in size the use of a holding pasture will 

 become more and more necessary. It not only insures convenient 

 liolding of tlie herd at the round-ujo but makes it more possible to 

 handle a large herd at one time without starving the animals. The 

 main herd is confined in the pasture on feed and water, and, from 

 time to time as needed, bunches are cut out and driven into the 



Fi<;. 2. — r)iay:ram of corral <jf tlie pen l.vpo succi'ssl'iilly iixod at Kokriucs. AlasUa. The 

 ri'imlcci- arc liaiKilccl in the workint; iioii and the fawns ari' can.i^ht hy use of sheep 

 hooks 



corral foi' handling. Thus, except for the relatively brief time when 

 they are being put through the corral, the leindeer are abundantly 

 provided with feed and water in the holding pasture during the 

 round-up period. 



BRANDING 



Reindeer are mo-stly marked by cutting off the tip of one ear or 

 notching one or both of them. Some herd owners have u.sed a metal 

 ear tag or l)ut(on in achlition to cutting, but tliis kind of mai'king 

 is being al)an(h)ned as imsa( isfactoi-y. liecause of the nunicious 

 luai'ks r('(iuii'('(| to distinguish (lie many small owners, ear marking 

 also has its liuiilations. Conseciueutly, the organization of coopera- 

 tive herds under one mark oi- brand is now being urged, and brand- 

 ing with a hot iron supplemental to ear marking is being considered. 

 Kxperimental branding has been conducted in several herds and 

 where carefully performed has jjroved sufficiently satisfactory' to 



