Seed Collect iii(i in Lodge pole Pine 31 



begin to collect as soon as the cones are mature and store up 

 great quantities for food during the winter. They cut the cones 

 from the trees by gnawing off small branches or the stem of the 

 cone. When all the desirable cones are cut from a tree, the 

 squirrels come to the ground and gather them in hoards. A 

 hoard is seldom one pile of cones but a number of small piles 

 gathered together over an area of perhaps 20 to 1000 feet in dia- 

 meter. Within this area they are carefully hidden away under 

 logs, stumps, bushes, stones and in little depressions or tunnels 

 under the ground. They are often found completely buried under 

 old piles of cone scales where squirrels have stored them for 

 years and left the scales after eating the seed. The hoards 

 contain from two or three quarts to ten or fifteen bushels of 

 cones. The latter is an especially large hoard. Where hoards are 

 plentiful a man can easily collect 10 to 15 bushels a day. 



The cones may also be collected by means of ladders, by 

 climbing trees or by following a lumbering operation. Climbing 

 trees or using ladders are slow and expensive methods since the 

 persistency of the cones makes it difficult to sever them from the 

 twig. Trees with low, short branches and a good crown should 

 be selected. Some sort of hook or club is necessary to remove the 

 cones. It is generally considered better to let the cones drop to 

 the ground and to pick them up later, but in some cases a bucket 

 or bag provided with a hook may be taken up into the tree and 

 the cones dropped in as they are picked. Following a lumbering 

 operation is much easier than collecting the cones directly from 

 standing trees. 



After the cones are collected, they are placed in sacks and 

 carried to the nearest road or trail where they may be left until 

 taken away on a pack horse or a wagon. The cones are so 

 heavy that it is not practical to carry them any distance. A pack 

 horse can carry from four to eight bushels with little difficulty. 

 Sacks should not be left in the woods any longer than necessary 

 for the squirrels will gnaw holes in them and carry off large 

 quantities of cones. It is a good plan to leave one sack open or 

 place a small pile of cones on the ground, for these will attract 

 the squirrels and so protect the other sacks. It is a better plan 

 to shoot a few squirrels and lay them on the sacks. This acts as 

 a scarecrow and helps to keep other squirrels away. Cones 

 should be taken directly from the woods to the drying quarters 

 where the seed are to be extracted and cleaned. These quarters 

 should be as near the place of collecting as possible for it is much 

 easier to transport the cleaned seed than to haul the cones long 

 distances. Before drying the cones they should be as free from 

 dirt and needles as possible for this debris will get into the seed 



