THE RESEEDING OF DEPLETED GRAZING LANDS. , 19 



tion; and. second, because of the inability of the young plants to 

 compete successfully for moisture and light with the hardy,- well- 

 established, and deeply rooted native vegetation.. On such lands 

 reseeding will usually not pay. 



Effective cultural implements .--Owing to the character of the land 

 to be seeded, one instrument may be preferable in one locality and 

 another in a different situation. Accordingly, the means of con- 

 struction both of the brush and the A wooden-peg harrow is here 

 given. 



The brush harrow pictured in Plate I, figure 2, consists of five 

 saplings or tops of whitebark pine or any other available stiff- 

 leafed species, pines or spruces being preferable, cut into lengths of 

 about 6 feet and laid parallel to each other at intervals of about a 

 foot, depending upon the spread of the branches. These tops are 

 held together, as in a vise, between two 5-foot crosspieces, the 

 lighter of which is uppermost. The brush ends are usually trimmed 

 a little to* insure a tight fit all around. The crosspieces may either 

 be lashed together by wire or rope or secured by wooden pegs in- 

 serted through bored holes. The whole can be readily dragged over 

 the ground by a rope attached to the saddle horn. A swath of 5 to 

 6 feet is covered by this harrow. On denuded areas this crude 

 implement did such effective work that usually only one brushing 

 was necessary to cover the seeds, but where there was more or less 

 grass or other vegetation to bind the soil even repeated brushing 

 was not highly effective. On such lands, where the original vegeta- 

 tion is not so dense as to make reseeding impracticable, an A wooden- 

 peg harrow was found more effective. 



As shown in Plate I, figure 3, this is a simple device, the frame- 

 work of which is composed of three small logs, about 5 or 6 inches 

 in diameter, cut into lengths of about 5 feet. These are hewn down 

 with an ax in order to present a flat surface, and are fitted together 

 into the shape of a letter A, or of a triangle, and the ends secured 

 by spiking with wooden pegs or by wiring. With a brace and bit 

 holes of about 1 inch in diameter are made through the logs at inter- 

 vals of about 5 inches, and teeth, made from such branches as may 

 be available, cut into uniform lengths of about 6 or 7 inches, are 

 driven through. This harrow also may be readity dragged over 

 the ground by a rope attached from the apex to the horn of the 

 saddle. An ax and an inch auger are the only tools needed for its 

 construction. This implement takes about a 4-foot swath. 



The use of shsep in planting. — Sheep are found even more effica- 

 cious in working up partially vegetated and closely packed soils than 

 the A wooden-peg harrow. A band of sheep driven in a compact 

 body once or twice over an area after seeding was found to leave no 

 part of the surface soil unstirred. On bunch-grass lands, for example. 



