REINDEER IN ALASKA. 33 
grazing has taken place by herding away from the area until after 
seed maturity of the important forage plants; this can be helped 
eventually by salting (see p. 37) . For the range unit as a whole, de- 
ferred and rotation grazing can be accomplished to an important 
extent simply by alternating the plan of grazing over the allotment 
from year to year. 
EXISTING REGULATIONS AND RANGE CONTROL. 
Existing regulations governing the grazing of reindeer in Alaska 
apply essentially to the early stages of the native industry ; 13 as they 
were adopted prior to the building up of large herds under white 
ownership, they do not now fill the requirements. A new plan of 
regulation and control has become necessary to cover the herds under 
both native and white ownership and to correlate the two interests 
in such manner as to insure the protection of both classes. In fact 
such reorganization is a first essential toward building up the 
Alaskan reindeer industry. 
Improved methods of management are vastly important but faulty 
basic organization may offset all the good range management that 
may be effected. Such basic problems as determination of ownership, 
industrial relationship between the native, the Lapp, and the other 
white men, proper supervision and organization of herds, and rights 
to and control of range lands, all need early consideration. 
Jurisdiction over the range in Alaska does not at the present time 
come under any vested authority. The areas now allotted to indi- 
vidual reindeer herds of the Eskimos were established tentatively by 
the Bureau of Education. They are maintained by tolerance only and 
invasions of ranges are common. Legally there is no protection 
against encroachments upon individual allotments. Without right 
to control the range upon which to graze, reindeer-herd owners are 
much handicapped. Control of the range stands as a principal factor 
for consideration in handling the future reindeer industry in Alaska. 
HERD MANAGEMENT. 
Eeincleer handling in Alaska suffers greatly from lack of applica- 
tion of improved modern methods. The growth in the numbers of 
reindeer has been very rapid, but correspondingly improved general 
organization, and better methods of controlling parasites and dis- 
eases have failed to keep pace with it. Consequently the industry 
has developed to large proportions under conditions which urgently 
need improvement to insure continued healthy progress. Generally, 
13 Rules and Regulations Regarding the T7. S. Reindeer Service in Alaska : Bureau of 
Education, Alaska Reindeer Service, U. S. Dept. Int. Whole number 466, Dec. 7, 1911. 
105932°— 22 3 
