1904 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



309 



of the splendid silver firs rightly named There can be nothing in the world 

 magnificent near the brink of the more beautiful that the Yosemite, its 

 wonderful Yosemite Valley . Next day groves of giant sequoias and redwoods, 

 we clambered down into it and at night- the Canon of the Colorado, the Canon 

 fall camped in its bottom, facing its of the Yellowstone, the three Tetons ; 

 giant cliffs over which the waterfalls and the representatives of the people 

 thundered. should see to it that they are preserved 

 Surely our people do nol understand for the people forever, with their ma- 

 even yet the rich heritage that is theirs, jestic beauty all unmarred. 



FOREST TREE SEED COLLECTING IN NEW 



MEXICO. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE METHODS FOLLOWED IN 

 GATHERING SEED FOR USE IN PLANTING ON 

 THE NEBRASKA SAND HILL FOREST RESERVES. 



BY 



WILLIAM H. MAST, 



BUREAU OF FORESTRY. 



I ARRIVED at Glorieta, New Mex- reach ten feet. The soil is a reddish 



ico, September 4, 1903. My object adobe, containing small boulders; also 



in going to the region was to investi- deposits of sandstone and limestone, 



gate the seed crop, find suitable places At this time special attention was 



for collecting, and to collect forest-tree given to pinon pine, as its cones ripen 



seeds, principally western yellow pine, earlier than those of most of the other 



A couple of days' riding was sufficient species. Diligent searching revealed 

 to show me that red cedar ( Juniperus that the crop was very light in that lo- 

 mrginiana), one-seed juniper (/unipcrns cality. The trees, which were bearing, 

 nwnospcrma), and pinon pine (Pimts had an extremely poor quality of cones. 

 edulis} are confined to the lower parts They were small, with only two or three 

 of the mountains, while the western seeds developed, and often these were 

 yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa), red fir infertile. Some cones had been infested 

 {Pseudotsuga taxi/olio), and white fir and destroyed by insects. The pine 

 (Abies concolor) occur at higher eleva- birds were beginning to take the better 

 tions, and the limber pine {Pinusflex- cones. The white fir, red fir, and west- 

 ilis) and blue spruce (Picea parryana) ern yellow pine cones were not ripe, so it 

 at still higher elevations near the timber was thought best to go to another local- 

 line, ity. Accordingly I went to Santa Fe. 



The altitude of Glorieta is nearly The low hills for several miles in 



7,500 feet. Immediately to the south every direction from Santa Fe are cov- 



a large mesa rises about 500 feet above ered with red cedar and one-seed juni- 



the town. This mesa is covered with per, with some pinon pine, while the 



pinon pine, interspersed with western higher mountain slopes have red fir and 



yellow pine. The Pecos River valley western yellow pine, with a great deal 



at the foot of the mesa has a scattered of white fir in the canyons and stream 



growth of pinon and red cedar, nearly beds. It was found that one-seeded 



all of which is low and shrubby. Only juniper seed could be obtained without 



a small per cent of these trees are more going far from Santa Fe, although only 



than fifteen feet high and many do not a small per cent of the trees were bear- 



