144 



ing has been amply demonstrated by 

 experiments and early administrative 

 experience the latter mostly prior to 

 1913 on the western national forests. 

 Most of those pre-1913 seedings failed, 

 however, which points up the highly 

 significant fact that lower operating 

 costs an acre mean little unless per- 

 centages of successful stocking by seed- 

 ing and by planting are consistently 

 about the same, or, if not, that the 

 costs for seeding are enough lower to 

 compensate for the larger margin of 

 failures. 



We have no cost records for the 

 more recently developed seeding tech- 

 niques that are sufficiently compre- 

 hensive in acreage and years to pro- 

 vide real comparisons with planting 

 in terms of successfully stocked acres. 

 We have only the evidence from rela- 

 tively small-scale experimental trials 

 which strongly indicates, but does not 

 conclusively demonstrate, that seeding 

 can be done on selected sites in various 

 sections of the country at lower, or at 

 least no higher, costs per successfully 

 stocked acre than planting. 



In the northern Rocky Mountain 

 tests before the war, seeding western 

 white pine, exclusive of poisoning, cost 

 approximately the same as planting 

 2-0 stock (about 1 man-day of labor 

 plus $3.34 for seed or $3.60 for stock 

 for an acre of 800 spots), and $3.86 

 less than for 2-2 stock, which is the 

 grade usually recommended for plant- 

 ing in that region. Prepoisoning, which 

 required 2 man-hours and 25 cents for 

 bait an acre, brought seeding charges 

 slightly above those for planting 20 

 stock, but still well below those for 2-2 

 stock. On suitable sites, fully as good 

 stocking usually was achieved with 

 seeding as with planting. The cost for 

 ponderosa pine seed, for 2-0 seedlings, 

 and for the usually preferred 1-2 trans- 

 plants were $3.64, $3.20, and $5.60, re- 

 spectively. Though this leaves a margin 

 in favor of seeding as compared with 

 transplant stock, it is an appreciably 

 narrower margin than for white pine. 

 Seeding costs for Engelmann spruce 

 and western redcedar, on the other 



Yearbook of Agriculture 1949 



hand, run far below planting costs be- 

 cause with these species nursery stock is 

 rather expensive to produce, whereas 

 seed costs are low on an acre basis be- 

 cause of the large number of seed to the 

 pound. C. S. Schopmeyer and A. E. 

 Helmers estimate costs for seed well 

 under 50 cents, while the nursery stock 

 would cost at least $7 or $8 an acre. 



Tests in Oregon, using the seeding 

 tool mentioned on a preceding page, 

 show that under favorable conditions 

 of weather, terrain, and accessibility, 

 burned-over Douglas-fir land can be 

 prepoisoned for rodents and then spot- 

 seeded at 1946 wage rates for about 

 $6 an acre, approximately $4 of which 

 is for labor. With less favorable con- 

 ditions, costs will run from $7 to $8 

 an acre. No direct comparisons with 

 planting have been reported ; however, 

 seeding (mostly with Douglas-fir) has 

 reportedly given good results on north- 

 ern slopes and some fair catches on 

 southern slopes. Planting the same type 

 of terrain undoubtedly would cost at 

 least twice as much perhaps more. 



In the sand plains of the Lake States, 

 on old fields in Ohio and the Atlantic 

 Piedmont region, and on depleted for- 

 est areas in the Missouri Ozarks, suc- 

 cessful seeding of pines has been done 

 for approximately half the usual costs 

 for planting in round numbers, about 

 $5 versus $10 an acre or per 1,000 

 spots. Those are the prewar figures ; at 

 present wage rates the costs would be 

 higher but the relationships probably 

 would be about the same. No rodent- 

 control measures were employed. The 

 above costs were based on use of a 

 mechanical seeder in furrows at the 

 Lake States and Piedmont locations, 

 and spot seeding in Ohio and the 

 Ozarks. Spot seeding in the Piedmont, 

 using mulch over the spots, cost about 

 the same as planting. Planting costs 

 are based on local practices, typically 

 1-0 or 2-0 stock, the species being 

 principally the jack pine in the Lake 

 States, loblolly pine in the Piedmont, 

 and shortleaf pine in Ohio and the 

 Ozarks. In all probability, seeding can 

 be done throughout much of the east- 



