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ARTIFICIAL REFORESTATION 



Chief Dangers. — The dangers to sown or planted seed arise mainly 

 from drought, mammals, insects, and birds. For rabbits, a source of 

 much damage in France, it is considered necessary to fence with wire 

 mesh usually 3 feet high, the barrier leaning away from area protected, 

 and sunk 8 to 12 inches under the ground. Mice and other small rodents 

 are killed with poisoned oats or barley. For birds poison is used, or 

 in the case of seed spots, a cover of wire mesh. To avoid damage from 

 drought, deep, large, well-prepared holes are used in planting, and the 

 young trees protected with flat stones; these holes or spots must often 

 be protected under especially unfavorable conditions by a layer of brush. 



FIELD SOWING 



Prepared and Unprepared Soil. — When sowing is attempted soil 

 preparation is usually necessary to give the young seedlings a start 

 against weeds and grass. The previous vegetation must often be re- 

 moved and the soil cultivated. This cultivation enables the soil to 

 absorb water, diminishes evaporation, and permits the rapid develop- 

 ment of the root system and reheves the young plants of competition 

 with weeds for water. Soil preparation, on the other hand, increases 

 the danger of the young plants being frozen or thrown, and in light soils, 

 especially on slopes, may result in erosion. Seed may be broadcasted, 

 as in ordinary agricultural practice, after the surface of the ground 

 is cleared. For broadcast sowing, cheap seed is a necessity. 



Sowing in patches is merely localized broadcast sowing. This method 

 is a convenient means of supplementing partial failures in natural re- 

 generation,- and is especially useful in introducing more valuable species 

 into a natural stand, which varies a great deal in quality, since it per- 

 mits the choice of the best spots and the adaptation of the proper soil. 

 Seed spots are considered economical, but there is always considerable 

 danger from mammals and from weeds. Sowing in continuous or brokeq 

 strips requires less seed than broadcasting, and there is less danger 

 from the uncleared areas. The sown strips are 20 to 40 inches in width 

 with 3 to 10 feet of uncultivated land between the strips. On level 

 ground or gentle slopes, it is the custom to run the lines east and west, 

 but always horizontally on slopes above 7 or 8 per cent. Where there 

 is danger of water collecting, the hues must be broken, even on hori- 

 zontal strips. There will then be 16 to 20 feet of sown strip separated 

 by 5 to 10 feet of unsown strip. 



