Nov. 16. 1914 



Revegetation of Range Lands 



113 



Table V. — Loss of forage seedlings during the dormant and winter period 



Number of each seedling species. 



80 Mountain bunch-grass. . . . 



I Western porcupine grass. 



244 Mountain bunch-grass. .. . 



4 Elk-grass 



58 Mountain bunch-grass. . . . 



1 Sickle sedge 



116 Mountain bunch-grass. .. . 



61 Western porcupine grass. 



7 Yarrow 



116 Western porcupine grass 

 17 Mountain bimch-grass . . . 

 30 Smootti wild rye 



7 Western porcupine grass. 

 27 Smooth wild rye 



2 Little bluegrass 



138 Little bluegrass 



9 Smooth wild rye 



6 Yarrow 



2 Mountain bunch-grass. . . . 



128 Smooth wild rye 



II Yarrow 



9 Crepis (sp.?) 



91 Western porcupine grass. 



Quad- 

 rat No. 



3 



5 



13 

 14 

 16 



31 



38 

 42 



44 

 55 



Slope and ex- 

 posure. 



25° west. . 



18° west . . 



16° west . . 



28.5° west. 



3° south. . 



fii° south- 

 \ east. 



i2°south.. 



U° south- 

 \ east. 



11.5° south 



4° south. 

 10° east. . 



Total number of 

 vigorous seedlings 

 remaining — 



Autumn 

 of 1909. 



81 

 248 



59 



n6 



68 



138 

 37 

 29 



155 



148 

 91 



Spring of 

 1910. 



71 



238 

 3 



55 

 o 



83 

 60 



7 

 92 



6 

 29 



5 



24 



o 



134 



126 

 10 



Loss. 



Per cent- 

 12.3 



2.8 



7.0 



2». 4 



1.4 



26.3 



8. I 



17.2 



3- 1 



2.7 

 10. 9 



On steep hillsides where the original vegetation and network of roots 

 had been seriously injured in the autumn by trampling, erosion carried 

 the seedlings away or exposed portions of the more superficial (lateral) 

 roots. Of the seedling loss during the resting period, 80 per cent was 

 brought about in this way, though even this was nominal, averaging in 

 the location studied only 7.3 per cent of the total stand. 



Low temperatures were apparently responsible for the loss not directly 

 due to gullying, but such loss was evident only in exposed situations. 

 Practically all of the mountain lands are covered with a heavy blanket 

 of snow before severe temperatures begin, which prevents excessive loss 

 of water through the plant tissues aboveground and eliminates loss due 

 to alternate freezing and thawing. No particular species appear to be 

 especially immune to loss during the winter months. The roots of little 

 bluegrass and sickle sedge seem to be exposed somewhat oftener than 

 those of mountain bunch-grass, porcupine grass, short-awned brome- 

 grass, and other species in the same situations. Mountain bunch-grass 

 seedlings developed a rather unusually elaborate root system during the 

 first year, which assisted in protecting them against adverse conditions. 



