CHAPTER X 



PRELIMINARY TREATMENT OF SEEDING AND 

 PLANTING SITES 



INSUFFICIENT attention is given to the treatment of seeding 

 and planting sites in the United States before regeneration is 

 begun. Many of our failures in artificial regeneration can be 

 traced to this cause alone. The conditions of different sites are so 

 variable that instructions regarding their preparation for the re- 

 ception of seed or young plants can be given only in a general 

 way. When the site is such that it is impracticable, on account 

 of the cost, to bring it into suitable condition for direct seeding, it 

 is best to forego seeding altogether and plant. 



The treatment of the site prior to seeding and planting relates 

 to: 



a. The soil. 



b. The vegetation. 



1. TREATMENT OF THE SOIL 



Soils unfavorable for artificial regeneration result from natural 

 conditions or deterioration from misuse. An unfavorable soil is 

 always amenable to improvement. It may call for the reclamation 

 of land unfit for the production of timber or the tillage of the soil 

 prior to seeding and planting. 



2. The Reclamation of the Soil 



The cost of soil reclamation in the United States is usually ex- 

 cessive and is seldom justified in forestry except under special 

 conditions. The cost of draining overwet places, breaking up an 

 impervious substratum, and the fixation of shifting sand is neces- 

 sarily dependent upon the circumstances surrounding each case. 

 The more important conditions that call for soil reclamation prior 

 to artificial regeneration are as follows: 



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