FOREST, FISH AXD GAME COMMISSIONER. 85 



permanent growth, and the superfluous ones pulled up and thrown away. 

 Of the latter, some will be tranplanted in the nearest blanks. 



It was noticed in our seed spot work that the spruces showed the 

 highest percentage of germination, contrasting favorably with the disap- 

 pointing behavior of these species in our plantations where only the best 

 nursery stock was used. This suggests that, while spruce seedlings of 

 natural growth will live and thrive in the shelter of our Adirondack forests, 

 they may net do so well when exposed to the bleak winds and severe frosts 

 that prevail on the open plains where we make our plantations. 



The seed-spot method of reforesting is used to a considerable extent 

 in Europe, especially in Saxon)'', and in our own work the indications thus 

 far are so favorable that we intend to continue it on a more extensive scale. 

 The cost for labor on a plantation made this way is substantially the same 

 as one in which seedlings or transplants are used ; but we avoid the expense 

 incurred in the maintenance of nurseries and propagation of stock. Fur- 

 thermore, there is such a vast area to be reforested, and the appropriations 

 for this purpose are so disproportionately small that we feci impelled, as 

 a matter of economy, to use this method so far as practicable. 



We did some broadcast sowing, also, in 1905, but it was confined to 

 comparatively small areas, and was undertaken as experimental work 

 rather than with an idea of getting satisfactory results. For this purpose 

 seeds of white and Scotch pine were used. Before sowing they were coated 

 with red lead or with a solution of blue vitriol to prevent the birds from 

 eating them. Xo birds were poisoned through this precaution, as they 

 evidently distinguished these seeds from uncoated ones and did not eat 

 them. 



Most of the pine sown broadcast near Paul Smith's did not sprout, 

 although they may come up later on; but an area of a few acres near Ray 

 Brook, which was also sown broadcast, was thickly covered with young 

 seedlings this summer. 



The results, thus far, from our broadcast sowing have not been such 

 as to encourage an attempt to do any extensive work of this kind. The 

 germination, for the most part, is too uncertain or uneven. It would, 

 undoubtedly, be highly successful if done on a field of freshly turned, well 

 harrowed earth ; but such a preparation of the ground would be more expen- 



