378 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of all of the western National Forests. During the year over 700 

 separate tests were made, on 114 National Forests, Twenty-four 

 native eonifers, 12 native hardwoods, and 12 foreign species were 

 tried. Seed was sown at the beginning of midsummer rains in the 

 Southwest, in the fall, in midwinter, and at various periods in the 

 spring up to June 1. 



Three general methods were enployed : 



(1) Broadcast sowing in the fall and spring and upon snow in 

 winter, both on unprepared ground and on soil which had been 

 scarified by rough brush drags, harrowing, disking, and partial or 

 complete plowing. 



(2) Seed-spot sowing, in which the seed is planted at regular 

 intervals in small spots where the soil is cleared of vegetation and 

 worked loose to a depth of 5 or 6 inches. 



(3) Corn planting, or dibbling, in which the seed is thrust into the 

 soil by a hand corn planter, or, in the case of large nuts, pressed into 

 holes made with pointed sticks. This method was combined on a 

 number of areas with the preparation of seed spots or the plowing of 

 single furrows in order to plant the seed in loose soil free from vege- 

 tation. 



On a large majority of the Forests broadcast seeding on unprepared 

 ground has not succeeded. As a rule, satisfactory stands have been 

 secured from broadcasting only after an expenditure for preliminary 

 cultivation which would be impracticable in extended operations 

 and which exceeds the cost of planting with nursery stock. Seeding 

 in spots or by corn planters, or by a combination of these methods, 

 has in the main proved far more successful. This method is also 

 most economical, since it requires a minimum amount of seed — ■ 

 approximately one-fourth of that used in broadcasting. Winter 

 and spring seeding has brought poorer results as a rule than fall 

 seeding. Fall-sown seed germinates from four to six weeks earlier 

 than that sown in the spring, and with many species germination 

 is far more uniform and complete. These factors are of vital im- 

 portance in carr}^ing a satisfactory stand of seedlings through the 

 first dry season, the most critical period of their entire life. 



Fall seeding, with the spot method of cultivation, is the general 

 method of future work indicated by the experience of the past year. 

 Another essential feature of future work, forcibly demonstrated by 

 the results of the past year, is concentration of seeding upon com- 

 paratively few Forests in the four northern districts. Large areas 

 where the most favorable soil and moisture conditions exist will be 

 carefully selected, mapped, and studied in detail with reference to all 

 factors afrecting success. Such areas will be systematically poisoned 

 and protective measures against grazing and other possible mjury 

 taken if necessary. Seeding operations will be concentrated upon 

 these areas, year after year, until the entire tract is successfully 

 reforested. Through such concentrated operations on a large scale 

 the best expert supervision can be given at minimum cost per acre, 

 while results obtained under different methods and seasonal condi- 

 tions and with different species can be closely compared. 



The largest areas were seeded in the main commercial timber belts 

 of the central West, Northwest, and Pacific slope: 2,578.38 acres with 

 Austrian and yellow pine in the National I^orests of the western 

 Dakotas and eastern Montana; 5,972.95 acres with yellow pine, 



