DIRECT SEEDING. 31 



seedlings will get the greatest possible supply of moisture. Fall 

 sowing has been successful more often than either spring or summer 

 sowing, and appears to be advisable in Colorado, Utah, southern 

 Idaho, California, western Montana, Washington, and Oregon. Ex- 

 cept in the high mountains, the climate of Utah and southern Idaho, 

 where considerable sowing has been done, is semiarid. The major 

 part of the precipitation comes in the winter in the form of snow, 

 while after its disappearance in the spring a hot, dry period of sev- 

 eral months usually follows. In this region seed sown in the spring 

 has often failed to germinate, or if it has germinated, the seedlings 

 have soon dried up. Except in a few localities, therefore, and with 

 species the seeds of which germinate quickly, spring sowing in Utah 

 and southern Idaho offers little prospect of success. With fall sowing 

 the chances are better, since the seed germinate early in the spring, 

 enabling the plants to become more firmly established before drought 

 begins. Early spring sowing has given good results in South 

 Dakota, Wyoming, eastern Montana, and the Lake States. Summer 

 sowing, just before the short rainy season, may be successful in 

 Arizona and New Mexico, though spring sowing has also given good 

 results. In Florida sowing should probably be done in the late winter. 



Sowing on the snow in late winter and early spring gives satis- 

 factory results under certain conditions. The seed is washed down 

 into the mineral soil by the melting snow and is ready for germina- 

 tion when the snow disappears. This enables the young seedlings 

 to take advantage of the spring rains, except in regions where spring 

 is a season of severe drought, in which case spring germination may 

 be a positive disadvantage. With seeds that need considerable soak- 

 ing before germination will take place winter sowing is an advantage, 

 while with seeds that are easily perishable it is a disadvantage. Seeds 

 when first sown on snow are very conspicuous and are likely to be 

 eaten by birds, though after a day or two of sunshine they disappear. 

 Broadcasting is, of course, the only method of sowing practicable 

 during winter. 



Spring sowing has the advantage of not exposing the seed to un- 

 favorable weather conditions or to destruction by birds and rodents 

 longer than is necessary. Unlike winter sowing, it does not restrict 

 the choice of methods, and the seed can be sown either broadcast or 

 in seed spots, on either prepared or unprepared soil. 



The seed of certain species like white oak, the cedars, and spruces 

 is difficult to keep over winter, so that for them the time of sowing 

 is in most cases restricted to the fall. Red oak acorns sown in the 

 spring require from five to six weeks for germination. White oak 

 and chestnut oak acorns sown in the fall often sprout before Christ- 

 mas. White oak acorns are eaten greedily by squirrels, mice, turkeys, 

 and hogs, and spring planting would be profitable if it were not so 



