34 Forest Club Annual 



This is effected through the local papers, placards posted in pub- 

 lic places, and by the Forest officers. These means of publicity 

 are hardly necessary, however, for long before the season opens 

 the Supervisor and all Forest officers are besought with inquiries 

 from the local population concerning the collection of cones. 



STATISTICS CONCERNING CONES. 



The average bushel of matured air-dried lodgepole cones 

 weighs 34 pounds and contains approximately 2071 cones. The 

 first year it was found that 65 per cent of all cones received were 

 brown cones, or those of the current season's crop or one year 

 old, while 35 per cent were gray, or those more than one year old. 

 In 1914 the percentage of gray cones had dropped to about 21 

 per cent which shows that the supply of old cones is gradually dis- 

 appearing in the most frequented collecting places and that for 

 future collections the current season's crop will have to be largely 

 depended upon. 



The number of open cones in a bushel average 1,585, or in 

 other words, they increase approximately 25 per cent in bulk 

 when opened. The normal cone yields about 59 seeds. 



METHOD OF COLLECTION. 



The two methods of cone collecting are : collecting from 

 squirrel hoards, and pulling the cones from the trees. The latter 

 method usually occurs where down trees are found in logging 

 operations. Not over 3 per cent of the cones purchased by the 

 Forest Service from the local settlers are collected from logged 

 over areas. This method is not only slow and tedious, but the 

 pulling of the cones from the trees is extremely hard on the 

 hands and quickly wears out gloves. In contrast to the above 

 method, collecting from squirrel hoards is easier and more profit- 

 able. The first year, Forest officers made a test to ascertain the 

 relative number of cones obtainable per day from cutting and 

 from squirrel hoards. Under average conditions it was found 

 that three bushels pulled from felled trees on logged over areas 

 was an extremely good average for eight hours, while from 5.5 to 

 7 bushels could be obtained in the same time and with less effort 

 from squirrel hoards. 



SQURREL HOARDING. 



After the ripening of the lodgepole pine cones each fall the 

 gray pine squirrel starts collecting cones for his winter food sup- 



