FOREST SERVICE. 



375 



been secured. The cost of both in last year's work, planting particu- 

 larly, was high because of (1) the inclusion of a large number of small 

 experimental areas at a liigh unit cost and (2) the necessity of doing 

 a portion of the work with high-priced ranger labor after the funds 

 specifically appropriated for reforestation had been exhausted. It 

 is probable that the cost of the two methods, seeding and planting, 

 under similar conditions as to labor and scale of work is in the ratio 

 of 1 to 2^ or 3. 



The following table summarizes the seeding and planting opera- 

 tions of the year by States: 



state or Territory. 



Arizona . . . 

 Arkansas . . 

 California.. 

 Colorado . . 



Florida 



Idaho 



Kansas 



Michigan.. 

 Minnesota. 

 Montana.. 

 Nebraska.. 



State or Territory. 



Nevada 



New Mexico . . . 

 North Dakota. 



Oklahoma 



Oregon 



South Dakota. 



Utah 



Washington. .. 

 Wyoming 



Total. 



Area 

 seeded. 



Acres. 



342.94 

 159. 00 



6, 485. 61 



2,322.60 



64.82 



3,249.00 



900.30 



23,235.04 



Area 

 planted. 



Acres. 



12.01 



56.57 



28.00 



4.00 



6.43 



511.22 

 91.50 



1,995.47 



THE DIRECT SEEDING WORK AND PROBLEMS. 



Three distinct problems are confronted in the prosecution of direct 

 seeding: Seed supply, rodent injury, and cheap cultivation. 



The problem of seed supply has been met by organized seed col- 

 lecting and extracting operations conducted by the Service directly, 

 by purchases from local dealers or under special contract, and by 

 purchases of European seed of species apparently suited to the con- 

 ditions on certain Forests. During the year, 52,798.45 pounds of 

 seed of coniferous species were collected by the Forest Service at an 

 average cost of $1.24 per pound, and 10,632 pounds of seed of hard- 

 wood species at an average cost of 11.6 cents per pound; while 26,734 

 pounds of conifer seed were purchased at an average cost of 78 cents 

 per pound, and 28,162.5 pounds of hardwood seed at an average cost 

 of 3.6 cents. The total amount of seed secured during the fiscal year 

 was 118,326.95 pounds, at a cost of $88,616.60. 



The cheapest method of collection, and the one most extensively 

 employed, is by the purchase of cones at advertised rates upon deliv- 

 ery at ranger stations or points of shipment to extracting plants. In 

 favorable seed years cones of the more common western trees can 

 usually be obtained at prices ranging from 25 to 75 cents per bushel. 

 Where this method can not be used either because there is no one to 

 undertake the work or because there are no funds available for the 

 purchase of cones, seed is collected by forest officers by stripping 

 cones directly from standing trees or from those felled in logging 

 operations, or by gathering from the vast stores assembled by squirrels. 



Seed extraction can usually be done most economically by experi- 

 enced forest officers. It requires drying by exposure to natural or 

 artificial lieat, to open the cones; threshing, to separate the seed from 

 the scales and woody portions of the cone; and cleaning or fanning, to 

 remove chaff and dirt. Much of the extraction has hitherto been 



