76 OUR NATIONAL FORESTS 



to lie in the thorough poisoning by this method of 

 areas to be seeded, once or oftener in advance of 

 sowing. 



With successful germination assured by the col- 

 lection of good seed and the protection of it after 

 it has been sowed from rodents, the next problem 

 lies in cheap methods of cultivation and sowing. 

 This will enable the young seedling to develop its 

 root system early enough and rapidly enough to 

 withstand the first annual drought, the dominant 

 feature of the climate of all the western National 

 Forests. 



There are numerous methods used in sowing tree 

 seed on the National Forests. Three general 

 methods are used in most of the work. Broadcast 

 sowing is practiced in the fall and spring or upon 

 the snow in the winter, both on ground that has 

 not been prepared and on soil that has been scari- 

 fied by rough brush drags, harrowing, disking, or 

 partial or complete plowing. In seed-spot sowing 

 the seed is planted at regular intervals in small 

 spots where the soil is cleared of vegetation and 

 worked up loose to a depth of from 5 to 6 inches. 

 When corn planting or dibbling is practiced the 

 seed is thrust into the soil by a hand corn-planter. 



