212 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



The present tendency abroad is toward a smaller amount of 

 seed per unit of area and better protection and soil preparation. 

 Frombling, 1 however, warns against the use of too few seeds 

 and the consequent reduction in density of the young stand. 

 He contends that dense stands call more rarely for extensive 

 repairs; they cover the soil, furnish earlier intermediate harvest 

 and more valuable final harvest, and the saving at the start 

 prevents final waste. 



Full seeding has been practiced only to a limited extent in the 

 United States and with but few species. For the most part it 

 has been by broadcasting coniferous species on uncultivated sites. 

 Poor results have been due to four primary causes: 



a. The use of insufficient seed. 



6. The destruction of the seed by rodents. 



c. Poor germination due to adverse seedbeds. 



d. The death of the seedlings from summer drought. 



In 1911 the following amounts of seed per acre were used in 

 full seeding on some of the National Forests: 



Lbs. 



Douglas fir l|-3 



Western yellow pine 6-10 



Western red cedar -f 



Sitka spruce \-\ 



The following table is a summary of our present knowledge of 

 the average amount of fresh seed required per acre in full seeding 

 in the United States. Where data derived from experience in 

 this country are insufficient, the figures are based upon the experi- 

 ence of other countries. 



Lbs. Lbs. 



White pine 5-9 Red oak 400-600 



Red pine 4-6 White oak 600-800 



Western yellow pine 8-14 Chestnut 200-350 



Pitch pine 4-6 Beech 50-150 



Loblolly pine 4-6 Cherry birch 10-20 



Red spruce 4-8 Tulip 20-30 



Sitka spruce 3-6 Black cherry 10-25 



Eastern hemlock 3-6 Black locust 6-8 



Western hemlock 4-6 Sugar maple 15-25 



Douglas fir 6-12 Box elder 20-30 



White fir 20-35 White ash 15-25 



Western red cedar 1^-5 



1 Frombling, E. W.: Saat oder Pflanzung? (Forstw. Centralblatt, S. 

 253-271. 1910.) 



