ARTIFICIAL EESEEDING ON WESTERN MOUNTAIN RANGE LANDS 41 



other grasses of value as first aid. Seed of these plants is seldom 

 available on the market but may be harvested at a reasonable cost 

 wherever the species thrive. 



The time required for the sown species to become effective in 

 checking erosion depends upon the condition of the ground, the 

 frequency of heavy run-off, and the species used. Where erosion 

 is not of long standing or where extensive and torrential rains do 

 not occur on an average of more than once in two or three years, 

 perennial plants should be effective in two to five years. The more 

 serious the erosion and the greater the frequency of run-off, the 

 longer it will take for the vegetation to occupy the surface. Quick- 

 growing annuals will give the earliest results, usually reaching a 

 maximum ground cover by the second year after sowing. 



METHOD OF SOWING 



With certain exceptions the methods used in seeding to check 

 erosion are the same as for seeding for forage production. Ordi- 

 narily it is advisable to use one and one-half to two times as much 

 seed to check erosion as for improvement of forage crop alone. 

 Harrowing; is the best method for planting the seed, although 

 sowing without tilling the soil gives good results where the seed 

 will be covered by soil that blows or rolls into the gullies. Plow- 

 ing is seldom advisable, since such treatment is not necessary for 

 quick-starting annuals and perennials do not start quickly enough 

 to prevent erosion of the plowed soil on slopes. Trampling the 

 seed in with sheep should not be employed where the land is 

 gullied, since the seed is covered too deeply by the excessive amount 

 of soil that is rolled into the depressions. Areas which accumulate 

 winter snow that melts rapidly in the spring should be sown im- 

 mediately after the snow goes. If jDlanting is done in the fall the 

 heavy spring run-off may cari^ away the seed that falls in the gul- 

 lies. The protection against wind and the accumulation of moisture 

 in the gullies from moderate rains will afford favorable conditions 

 for the growth of the seedlings, even though there is a fairly long- 

 dry spell following the melting of the snow. 



TERRACING BEFORE SEEDING OR PLANTING 



Terraces are used extensively for checking erosion on farm lands. 

 The preparation of these structures, followed by sowing or planting, 

 is an effective means of checking serious erosion on uncultivated lands 

 where immediate results are desired, where the heavy expense is 

 justified, and where sowing or planting without terracing will not 

 suffice. Badly eroding places on municipal watersheds and slopes 

 above home sites or other areas of special use are examples of lands 

 where terracing may be justified. The value of the resource or prop- 

 erty to be protected and the seriousness of the damage being done, 

 as measured against the cost of terracing in each case, will determine 

 whether terracing is economically justifiable. 



Information on the methods to employ and cost involved in the 

 construction of terraces on farm lands is given in the publications of 

 a number of the State agricultural colleges and in one of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture publications (26). Similar meth- 



