44 CIECULAE 17 8, tJ. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGEICULTURE 



meadows, moist parks, alluvial bottoms along streams, and the more 

 favorable slopes, where the average annual precipitation is 17 inches 

 or more, and where restoration of the native vegetation by range 

 management is unpractical. Artificial reseeding can not yet be 

 made to take the place, on any considerable scale, of judicious gTazing 

 that will result in natural revegetation of depleted range lands. 



In addition to the selection of the more favorable areas, the plants 

 adapted to them, and the probability of restoring the native vegeta- 

 tion, other important considerations include the possibility of re- 

 stricting grazing of the introduced species until they are well estab- 

 lished, and so grazing the reseeded range that the forage crop will be 

 maintained and the expense involved in reseeding will be offset 

 within a reasonable period by increased income. 



Whenever artificial reseeding is undertaken with a species hitherto 

 untried in any given locality, the operator, because of the many 

 factors which enter in, should begin the work on a small scale or trial 

 basis. 



Certain cultivated species such as common bromegrass, Kentucl^ 

 and Canada bluegrass, timothy, orchard grass, and redtop have 

 given ver}?' satisfactory results in reseeding. Some of the native 

 western grasses, including the big mountain bromegrasses and sev- 

 eral of the wheatgrasses, have given equally good results. Their use, 

 however, is limited by the fact that the seed of all except slender 

 wheatgrass may be procured only by collecting it on the range from 

 naturally grown plants. The species thus far found best adapted 

 to the various conditions on western range lands are given in Table 

 1, page 7. 



Methods of treating the land for planting include trampling in 

 the seed with sheep or cattle, harrowing the ground with a farm 

 harrow or a wooden-peg A harrow or brush drag constructed from 

 materials available on the ground, plowing furrows at 3 to 4 foot 

 intervals parallel to the contour of the land, and in some cases com- 

 plete tillage by plowing and harrowing. Ordinarily, however, con- 

 ditions will not justify an expenditure of more than $3.50 an acre 

 for the complete operation, including cost of the seed, and only under 

 exceptionally favorable conditions is an outlay of as much as $6 per 

 acre justified. This, on land of average productivity, excludes plow- 

 ing and usually more than one harrowing. 



The best time to seed varies with climatic conditions. The most 

 important consideration is that there should be an ample supply of 

 soil moisture from the time of germination of the seed until seedlings 

 have become well established and deeply enough rooted to withstand 

 drought periods which may occur during the months of favorable 

 growing temperatures. 



Where erosion of the soil is occurring as the result of depletion of 

 the plant cover by overgrazing, fire, or other causes, artificial reseed- 

 ing or planting to restore a plant cover will control the erosion. 

 The methods to employ are much the same as in artificial reseeding 

 to increase forage production, although a higher expense and a 

 greater use of seed per acre are usually justified because of the 

 greater values involved. 



Artificial reseeding, as a supplemental measure, sometimes lends 

 itself to temporary conversion of cut-over timberlands to grazing 



