ARTIFICIAL EESEEDING ON WESTERN MOUNTAIN RANGE LANDS 6 



a return that will justify an expenditure of more than $3.50 an acre 

 for increasing the grazing capacity, and even the most economical 

 seeding operations will frequently equal that amount. Only in 

 exceptional cases with very favorable conditions is an outlay of as 

 much as $5 or $6 an acre warranted. Just how far the landowner 

 may go must be determined by local considerations. It is hoped, 

 however, that the suggestions offered will assist him in determining 

 what cost may be justified. 



CONSIDERATIONS PRELIMINARY TO RESEEDING 



CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH ARTIFICIAL RESEEDING IS PRACTICABLE 



NATURAI, REVEGETATION TO BE PREOFEKREJD 



The fact should be appreciated that in operations on any consider- 

 able scale, artificial reseeding of the range is not to be regarded as a 

 substitute for methods of range management that will improve and 

 maintain the crop of native forage plants through natural revegeta- 

 tion. Also where there is already a fair stand of palatable and nu- 

 tritious native vegetation it will not pay to attempt plant intro- 

 duction. Even where the native vegetation has been badly depleted 

 but a few seed plants remain, it is usually more economical to increase 

 the forage by so handling the range that it will improve naturally. 

 The indigenous species ordinarily are better adapted to the growing 

 conditions than are any of the plants available for introduction, and 

 the protection and management that would have to be given to estab- 

 lish introduced species will equally well enable the native species to 

 increase to the full productivity of the land. On areas where the 

 range has reached such a bad stage of depletion that practically no 

 palatable native plants remain to supply seed, the introduction of 

 new plants by artificial seeding is the only practicable means of 

 reclaiming the range. Only where the native forage is of inferior 

 quality and not abundant enough to prevent establishment of intro- 

 duced plants Avould much be gained if plants of higher forage value 

 were artificially introduced. 



CONTROL OF GRAZING IMPE31ATIVE 



Even on areas where there is little or no hope for natural re vegeta- 

 tion, artificial range reseeding should not be undertaken unless graz- 

 ing can be restricted long enough to allow the introduced vegetation 

 to become well established. Thereafter grazing should be regu- 

 lated to a degree that will make it possible to maintain the stand. 

 Disregard of this requirement may defeat the purpose of the work. 

 It is best to keep livestock off during the first season and until late 

 in the summer of the second year. During the first season the 

 seedlings produce but little forage, and severe injury is likely to 

 occur from trampling by the grazing animals. Some, damage may 

 occur if the area is grazed during the forepart of the second year, 

 but by later summer or early fall the seedlings have usually attained 

 a size and vigor that enable them to withstand light or moderate 



