The following is my translation of an article called: Renntierfarmen von J Eltz. It appeared in a German popular science magazine, Kosmos Handweiser für Naturfreunde 1924, Heft 7, Seiten 200-203. The ever so beautiful illustrations have been omitted. I'm not aware of any previous translation.
Trevor Dykes.

Reindeer farming by J Eltz
In prehistoric times, the reindeer (Illustration 1) ranged across wide areas of Europe, but now it is only found in the most northerly countries. The many depictions of reindeer in caves by prehistoric people are enough to show that it must also have been common in our areas; whether it was an animal for the hunt or in a tamed condition is still a matter for debate. Eduard Hahn* even doubts that tamed reindeer existed in historical antiquity. Recently, some believe it possible to conclude from the cave drawings, that the reindeer was tamed as early as the dog and earlier than the horse.

(* Die Haustiere in ihren Beziehungen zur Wirtschaft des Menschen, Leipzig 1896, page 263. 'Domestic animals in their relevance to the economy of people'.

Hahn thinks that one of the migrationary tribes pressed into an inhospitable region of Northeast Asia, and lost their milk cows and animals of burden due to the unfavourable climate and tried, with success, to tame the reindeer. Mainly, the economic value of this animal is not its meat or fur, and not even the milk; but as an animal of burden it is essential.

When Brehm states, that he knows: "no second animal in which the burden of the labourers, the curse of slavery, are so sharply pronounced as with the reindeer", so this summary appears understandable for the travelling researcher who has hunted the wild form, and seen their poorly fed progeny on the sparse pastures. On the other hand, one must also have respect for this animal, upon whose shoulders alone rests the existence of people in wide areas of the north. It unites, if not completely, the services of all other hoofed domestic animals in itself. The peculiar migrationary life of the North Pole nomad is built around its instincts and qualities, and in areas where that is the only from of human life possible. The Norwegian Fjeldlapps, the Siberian Ostjake and Samojede, could not survive if it were not for the powerful stages that draw their sleds, transporting their families and few possessions along with the constantly wandering herds; the Tungusen even ride the reindeer. All reindeer nomads are dressed from head to foot in the furs of their domestic animals, drink its milk, only very little which is given by each animal, eat its flesh, and use its horns and sinews for making all possible weapons and tools.

Then again, the Indians in the northwest of the peninsular of Alaska are constantly subject to emergency, as they have almost driven the endemic wild reindeer to extinction for far inland, and have not wished to train into being shepherds and carers of tame Siberian reindeer, which the government has tried for years to introduce for their wellbeing. One has not let these failed efforts stop further attempts, especially as it is hoped that, with the help of a regular reindeer postal service, gold resources in inner areas could be profitably exploited.

Hatton and Harwey** were the first to suggest, at the beginning of the 1880s, that European reindeer should be introduced into North America in order to use them as domestic animals. Experiments were attempted and they were repeated later***. While they were viewed rather doubtfully in Europe, they did not lose courage in America, and finally attained a measure of success.

(** New Foundland, London, 1883, p.172.)
(*** The Nature, Vol. 46(2), June 1892, p.109.)

With the taming of the caribou, the endemic reindeer of North America, one enjoyed no such fortune. These animals are larger than reindeer from Northern Europe, but they are also much wilder and shyer. Some tamers in Alaska consequently, and at great expense, caused Siberian reindeer to be introduced, and they settled in very well and quickly reproduced. Raising reindeer is now one of the most significant and profitable businesses in Northwest America.

Naturally, the thing has been done there, in true American style, on a very grand scale, and not with the primitive rearing methods that suffice, for example, with the Laplanders. As with the huge oxen- and mutton pastures, one has set up enormous reindeer farms in which breeding is systematically pursued on a large scale (Illustration 2). Various subspecies have been raised, with their qualities particularly developed in accordance with whether one lays value mainly on the meat, the pelt or the strength of pulling.

This form of breeding has produced useful results. The reindeer farms already supply Chicago slaughter houses with thousands of tons of meat, which is always prized in the United States. It is excellent for conserving, and has already taken an important place alongside of the corned beef. The skins are also used for many purposes, and their production costs are much lower than if poor trappers or hard pressed hunters had to kill off the few remaining caribou.

The capacity of reindeer as draught animals has also been greatly increased. The team pictured (Illustration 3 (Additional note: with four reindeer and a sled)) managed a stretch of 10 miles (about 16km) in 27 minutes 20 seconds, and thus produced a speed which few horses attain (excepting for genuine race horses). That is naturally of significant worth in those areas where means of transport are sometimes unavailable, or meet great difficulties. Through such means it will be possible to open up huge areas of North America for culture which, previously, were barren and sparsely inhabited by only a few Indian tribes. Economic activity has already been so increased, that the Indian wigwam of recent times has been left in order to find work in large cities+.

(+ Sciences et Voyages, Nr. 234, p.234.)

How the old Brehm would have been pleased, if he were able to visit the great reindeer farms of today in Alaska! One of his pet ideas was to encourage the wider spread of the reindeer as a domestic animal. Indeed, he even suggested introducing the animal into poor and empty highland areas of Germany, where reindeer moss is already plentiful. L Heck++ also believed: "the thought is certainly more rational than has been said up till now, and it would be well worth making an attempt", but he feared it would fail due to the incomplete domestication of the reindeer in the sense as understood by cultured people; then the most impoverished of mountain dwellers would prefer their scrappy goats, who quietly graze harnessed in their stalls, to a number of disruptive reindeer they would have to spend their whole day running around behind. The Americans have approached this is a very different manner; but they have done so in conditions which are incomparable to those of our poor mountain areas.

(++ Das Tierreich, Neudamm 1897, Bd.2, S.890.)

An index of more of my translations of old Kosmos articles can be found at:

Kosmos Translations Archive

A number of Mesozoic (and post-Mesozoic) location summaries can be found at Localities.