18 



BULLETIN 4, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



On Stanley Range the plots were all trampled in, and consequently 

 seedling counts were made only in the large pasture. Here the stand 

 was not as good as on the plots just discussed. This area was much 

 drier during the early part of the summer than the area on Sturgill 

 Range, and a notably larger percentage of the seedlings succumbed as 

 a result of insufficient moisture. However, in all situations the loss 

 of seedlings was greater and occurred earlier in the season where the 

 soil was not treated than where the planting was thorough. 



The relative merits of the cultural methods used and of no soil 

 treatment, as evinced by the density of the fully established forage 

 stand secured on uniform autumn-sown habitat, are shown in Table 4. 



Table 4. — Relation of forage yield to cultural methods. 



Species. 



Timothy 



Redtop 



Kentucky blue grass 



Soil treatment. 



Brushed 



Trampled 



No treatment 



Brushed 



Trampled.... 

 No treatment 



Brushed 



Trampled 



No treatment 



Forage 



cover (10 



maximum). 



4 to 6 



2 to 7 

 0to4 

 1 to 4. 

 lto4 

 0to2 

 4 to 7 



3 to 4. 

 lto2 



Table 4 shows markedly that in the case of all three species the 

 best stand was secured on the brushed plots, the areas trampled by 

 sheep after sowing being second. (See PL III, figs. 1 and 2.) These 

 results are doubtless accounted for by the fact that the seed on the 

 brushed plots is more uniformly and not too deeply covered. On the 

 plots given no soil culture whatever the density of stand secured was 

 very inferior. 



Both harrowing or brushing and trampling the seed in by the 

 sharp-cutting hoofs of sheep have special advantages. On densely 

 packed and stiff soils brushing or even running over the surface 

 with the A wooden-peg harrow is not nearly so effective as trampling 

 by sheep. On the other hand, using sheep as harrows will not bring 

 about the good results that brushing will, other things being equal, 

 on denuded areas, where there is no vegetation to bind the surface, 

 and where the soil is friable. 



Other conditions being the same, it is evident that better returns 

 from reseeding are ordinarily obtained on denuded lands than on 

 areas where the soil is tightly bound by roots. While lands that 

 support a dense stand of vegetation indicate a fertile soil and usually 

 good conditions for growth, it is often difficult to get cultivated 

 plants started on such areas, first, because of the difficulty of thor- 

 oughly working the seed into the ground without thorough cultiva- 



