REFORESTATION ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS. 53 



Fencing has been tried in southern California to protect planted 

 stock from rodents, but is quite expensive, and has not been found 

 efficient. It has been found impossible to rid the inclosed area of 

 them, and all destructive types of rodents, especially pack rats, can 

 not be kept out even by fencing. Rabbits have been successfully 

 combated on the Kansas National Forest by inserting a few grains 

 of strychnine in garden beets and placing these on small upright 

 stakes throughout the planted area. On the Wasatch National For- 

 est alfalfa, hay poisoned with a solution of strychnine and water 

 has proved effective. Rabbits can also be destroyed in early spring 

 by baiting with poisoned twigs cut from fruit trees or native brush. 

 The twigs should be scattered a few hours before sundown along the 

 rabbit trails or in openings on the plantations. 



In distributing any kind of poisoned grain it is important to put 

 it out of the reach of birds. Ordinarily this is not difficult. Cavi- 

 ties among shallow piles of stones or under roots or logs or burrows 

 of animals will be entered by rodents and ignored by birds. Lacking 

 these, cover made from pieces of bark, boards, or flat stones, with a 

 low runway left beneath, will fill the purpose. Barley is usually at- 

 tractive to rodents and is the grain least relished by birds. To cover 

 an area thoroughly requires 1 bushel of poisoned barley or oats to 

 every 40 acres, a pinch of the grain being dropped at intervals of 15 

 feet in rows 40 feet apart. 



Red lead has been tried in protecting acorns and nuts from rodents. 

 Its use delays germination only slightly, but the protection it gives 

 is not thorough. Sometimes it appears .even to attract birds and 

 certain rodents. It is applied by placing the wet nuts or acorns in 

 a bag containing red lead, and shaking thoroughly. Carbolic acid 

 solutions and petroleum injure seed and are of doubtful value as 

 protection from animals. 



SOWING OR PLANTING BY REGIONS. 



Selection of Sites. 



The selection of sowing or planting sites for operations on a large 

 scale is of great importance and should be governed to some extent 

 by the local economic development of the country, the accessibility 

 of the sites, the labor and transportation facilities, the need for re- 

 forestation, the protection which can be given from fire, and the 

 suitability of the sites for the operation. 



The suitability of the site for sowing or planting can best be 

 determined by experimental work, but in the absence of this by a 

 number of other factors. Among these are the natural growth on 

 the area, the precipitation, the exposure, the altitude, the length of 



