28 BULLETIN 55, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



FREQUENCY OF SEED YEARS. 



An investigation of the ages of seedlings on several reproduction 

 plots in tlie Adirondacks revealed the fact that of the total number 

 counted the per cent of ages from 1 to 11 3^ears was as follows: 



Per cent. 



1 year old (1902) 46. 1 



2 years old 



3 years old 2 



4 years old 1. 2 



5 years old (1898) 51. 1 



6 years old 1 



7 years old 1 



8 years old 5 



9 years old 2 



10 years old , 3 



11 years old 2 



The large representation of seedlings 1 and 5 years old serves to 

 indicate an occurrence of plentiful seed years in the Adirondacks at 

 intervals of four years. 



Other seed years can not be readily deternuned by this study, 

 since the seedlings after reaching an age of 6 years do not stand the 

 dense shade very well, and few survive. In. Maine a similar study 

 has shown the occurrence of good seed years every other year. In 

 one instance the seed years were traced back to 1882, all of them 

 occurring in the even years. In New Hampshire good seed years 

 were found to occur every tliird year. 



QUANTITY AND QUALITY OP SEED. 



As determined by the Forest Service, the number of seed per pound 

 averages about 36,000; the weight of a thousand seeds, 0.39 ounce 

 (12.4 grams); and the germination per cent, from 20 to 30. 



• GERMINATION. 



Since the seeds are scattered late in the fall, when frosts have 

 already occurred, they lie dormant through the winter and come up 

 the next spring. Hardwood leaf Utter, duff, moss, mineral soil, 

 rotten logs — all present an equally good germinating bed, if moist. 

 Balsam differs from spruce in this respect, requiring more moisture, 

 as may be inferred from the fact that spruce seedlings are found iii 

 drier situations, both on logs and on the ground. A rather dry and 

 high log will have plenty of spruce seedlings and very few balsam, 

 while a well-rotted moist log wdll have a great number of balsam 

 seedlings. The same is true of stumps. 



The number of seedUngs that come up on the acre varies with the 

 type of forest. Thus on the hardwood slopes in the Adirondacks, 



