NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL GRAZING. 75 



after the seed has matured, one-fifth of the entire range allotment 

 may be set aside for natural seeding each season. 



After the seed has ripened the reserved area may be grazed in the 

 usual manner in order that the seed may be tramped into the ground. 

 It is advisable to make the same reservation the following year in 

 order to give the seedlings a chance to develop a strong root system. 



On ranges so severely overgrazed that the desirable forage species 

 Artificial reseedin nave been almost entirely destroyed and the lands are 

 '' denuded, it is evident that artificial reseeding must 

 be resorted to. When such work is undertaken tw T o points must be 

 remembered in selecting species for planting. First, the soil and 

 moisture requirements of the plant itself, and second, the soil and cli- 

 matic conditions of the area to be seeded. Red top for example, 

 should never be sown in dry soils, or even on meadows which may 

 become dry in the latter part of the season. Smooth brome grass, 

 which is one of the most drought-resistant species known, would in all 

 probability not succeed in a moist locality. 



In reseeding with forage species which make a quick height growth 



choice of areas or a neav J s d> care should be taken to insure against 



competition with the reproduction of tree species, 



where forest reproduction is possible. Therefore in such cases a 



species like orchard grass, which forms tussocks, may be used. Such 



grasses leave a portion of the soil exposed where the tree seed may 



start. 



The areas selected for seeding experiments need not be large. For 

 a single species an acre, or even half an acre, is ample. It is essen- 

 tial, however, that the area selected should be representative of the 

 general conditions on the range in need of reseeding. In order to 

 obtain reliable results, experiments will necessarily extend over a 



Eeriod of years. To insure a fair test the experimental plot, or at 

 iast a portion of it, should be fenced. A detailed record of the 

 work should be kept by the officer responsible for the experiment 

 and progress reports submitted at the close of each growing season. 

 The accompanying Blank A will be filled out when the experiment is 

 started, and Blank B used for progress reports 



Blank A.] [To be made in duplicate. 



REPORT ON 



GRASS SEEDING STATION 



NATIONAL FOREST. 



Area 



Strip No '. 



(Designation on location post.) 



Established 191. .. 



Location 



(By section, township, and range, if possible.) 



