The Collection of Lodgepole Pine Cones 33 



an inducement to interest local settlers in collecting cones. A 

 week after the work began, however, it was found that sixty- 

 five cents per bushel would yield a good day wage. In 1911 the 

 work was continued on a basis of only forty-five cents per bushel, 

 delivered at the cone house. The collectors were apparently sat- 

 isfied with this new contract price, as a total of 2,822 bushels was 

 delivered. More would have been received had not the appropri- 

 ation to the Forest been exhausted. In 1912, the first year the 

 Idlewild Seed Extraction Plant with its 3,000 bushel capacity 

 storage bins was ready for use, 2,906 bushels of cones were de- 

 livered at all the above mentioned points along the railroad at a 

 rate of forty cents and at the Plant at forty-five cents, when the 

 exhaustion of funds again made it necessary to suspend collect- 

 ing operations. The next season the Service was able to purchase 

 but 2,497 bushels at the same rates, although, as was the case 

 the previous year, most of the collectors were eager to deliver 

 many times the number of cones. 



The fall of 1914 was the "banner" season, and one not to 

 be forgotten by the enthusiastic collectors. In all, 7,476.75 bush- 

 els of clean cones were delivered at the Plant, yielding a net 

 return to the collectors of $3,165.61 and to the railroad and de- 

 liveryman of $342.52. 



FORECASTING THE CROP. 



The district rangers each year, in August, submit a report 

 for their district on the estimated amount of mature lodgepole 

 pine cones accessible for collection ; upon these reports the ap- 

 propriation for the work and the price to be paid per bushel are 

 based. These reports are merely approximations. But they are 

 sufficiently accurate for the purpose since they are based on the 

 careful observations of the cone production throughout the two 

 year period necessary for the maturity of the pine cone. The 

 production of pistillate flowers the first spring must be watched, 

 care being taken not to confuse the pistillate with the staminate 

 flowers of which there are at least ten times as many as pistillate ; 

 the formation of the cones during the first and second years must 

 l)e observed ; and the number of old cones left in the squirrel 

 hoards each spring must be noted as well. The old cones in the 

 squirrel hoards form an important part of each year's supply, 

 since cones of the three or four previous years, mixed in the 

 hoards, all yield their full share of seed. 



MEANS OF PUBLICITY. 



The public is advised of the number of bushels wanted, the 

 price to be paid, and the points at which delivery is to be made. 



