562 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



December 



one-half the area of the strip and sep- 

 arated by openings running across the 

 slope. 



(4) Leave for seed, trees from 7 to 

 11 inches in diameter, inclusive, con- 

 sidering the ideal seed tree as a 10- 

 inch tree. Trees of 12 inches and over 

 are to be left for seed only when 

 smaller trees are lacking. 

 (5) Leave for seed sound trees so 

 far as possible, but remember that in- 

 jured lodgepole decays slowly, and 

 that it is far more important that the 

 groups should be full than that they 

 should consist of perfect trees. 



(6) To state Rule 5 differently, cut 

 from the groups everything that will 

 make lagging, converter poles, or 10- 

 inch stubs, except when the scarcity 

 of other material makes the leaving 

 of some stull trees necessary. 



(7) All trees to be thrown and brush 

 to be piled outside the groups. In no 

 case need refuse larger than 6 inches 

 in diameter be piled^for burning. 



Wherever possible, spruce should be 

 favored in the reproduction as against 

 lodgepole pine. 



The forest is mainly a pure stand of 

 lodgepole pine substantially even-aged 

 but of various diameters. These rules 

 do not apply to those portions of the 

 stand where old trees are standing in 

 the midst of even-aged younger 

 growth, or where the condition of the 

 forest makes scattered seed trees nec- 

 essary. 



A number of lumber 

 Dendrology companies which have 

 suffered heavy losses by 

 windfall of boxed trees and by reduc- 

 tion of grade through deep chipping 

 have abandoned turpentining their 

 pines before lumbering. The Kaul 

 Lumber Company, of Birmingham, 

 Ala., among others, is looking earnest- 

 ly to the possible application of the im- 

 proved method of chipping with which 

 the Service has been recently experi- 

 menting in Florida, and has applied to 

 the Service for information and ad- 

 vice. 



The Service herbarium now includes 

 specimens of most of the tree species 

 indigenous to the United States. In 



order, however, to make it complete 

 and of fullest use it is necessary to ob- 

 tain specimens of the species still un- 

 represented, as well as duplicate speci- 

 mens of the represented species from 

 different parts of their range, so that 

 as far as possible variant as well as 

 typical characters may be illustrated. 



The specimens on file have been 

 gathered almost entirely by members 

 of the Service. A circular of instruc- 

 tions and requests to field members of 

 the Service is shortly to be issued as 

 an aid to collecting specimens now 

 lacking. 



A structural study of wood from 

 "dead" trees has been undertaken for 

 the purpose of finding a practical 

 means of distinguishing such wood 

 from seasoned or partly dried wood 

 from live trees. Consumers of pole 

 and tie timber are having difficulty 

 in separating "dead" and "live" wood 

 stock which is purposely or otherwise 

 made up of dead and live timber. 

 Moreover, for many purposes, the 

 dead wood of some species is very in- 

 ferior in durability and strength to the 

 wood of live trees. 



The special influence which the pro- 

 tective covering of tree fruits and seeds 

 have upon the germination of seeds is 

 being carefully studied, microscopic- 

 ally and otherwise, in order that bet- 

 ter directions may be given in the stor- 

 age and planting of such seeds. Wide 

 variation exists in the time and per- 

 centage of germination of seeds of 

 the same species, though they have 

 similar coverings. A like variation ex- 

 ists between seeds of different species 

 but with similar coverings. Their be- 

 havior under the same storage condi- 

 tions is also strikingly variable, with- 

 out apparent reason. It is expected 

 that the investigation now under way 

 will throw light upon the many prac- 

 tical difficulties connected with the 

 handling and germination of tree 

 seeds. 



Reports on watershed 



Extension studies in the Elkhorn 



ind Helena reserves have 



been received from J. F. Bond. He 



fnds that forest planting will not be 



