FOREST TREE SEED AND SEED COLLECTING 143 



on the branches is shaken loose or otherwise dislodged. The fruit 

 is gathered from the ground, sacked, and taken to a road or trail 

 from where it can be easily transported to the site selected for 

 curing, extracting the seed, and preparing the same for storage or 

 market. 



The fruits of oak, hickory, and other species which are ordi- 

 narily gathered after they fall to the ground are often collected by 

 climbing and shaking them loose from the branches. Were one to 

 wait until the bulk of the crop had fallen, many of the best seeds 

 would be carried away by squirrels and other rodents. 



8. Collecting from Squirrel Hoards 



The fruit of many forest trees, particularly coniferous species, 

 can often be collected from the hoards of squirrels and other 

 rodents. Squirrels, chipmunks, and even mice store seed in caches 

 to be used later for food. 1 Squirrels indigenous to the coniferous 

 forests of western United States store seed in large quantities 

 and make the largest caches. These rodents store the cones as 

 soon as they begin to ripen and continue to do so as long as the 

 weather permits or until the seed has fallen. They often store 

 seed much in excess of their winter requirements, particularly in 

 the northern Rocky Mountain region. This is especially true of 

 Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, western yellow pine, lodgepole 

 pine, and western white pine. 



The caches are usually difficult to find, as they are carefully 

 concealed by covering with leaves and other forest litter. It 

 takes considerable experience on the part of the collector to locate 

 them. Moist sites are usually preferred, probably because the 

 cones are less subject to opening and exposing the seed. There- 

 fore, caches are often found in the water or mud along the 

 borders of small streams and springy swamps. When found on 

 upland, they are usually under a dense cover of low bushes or 

 other woody growth, along the sides of logs, or under the tops 

 of fallen trees. The movement of the squirrels themselves often 

 indicates the location of the hoards. The small trails to and 

 from the caches help to locate them. In collecting from squirrel 

 hoards, an experienced collector passes through the stand of tim- 

 ber locating the caches (Fig. 25) . He is followed by two or more 



1 Cox, W. T.: Reforestation on the national forests. (U. S. Forest Service, 

 Bui. 98, pp. 17-18. 1911.) 



