22 



BULLETIN 4, XT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



found locally at wide altitudinal range. The lands were seeded 

 simultaneously with seed from the same source, and the soil was 

 given identical treatment. The results are presented in the following 

 table : 



Table 5. — Relation of altitude to reseeding. 





Height 



Density of 



stand based 



on scale of 



10 at— 







Time of— 



Viability of 



Species. 



growth 

 at— 



yield at— 



Flower stalk pro- 

 duction at— 



Seed maturity at— 



seed crop 

 at— 





7,800 

 feet. 



4,800 

 feet. 



7,800 

 feet. 



4,800 

 feet. 



7,800 

 feet. 



4,800 

 feet. 



7,800 

 feet. 



4,800 

 feet. 



7,800 

 feet. 



4,800 

 feet. 



7,800 

 feet. 



4,800 

 feet. 



Timothy... 



Kentuc k y 



blue grass. 



Redtop .... 



In. 



15 



9 

 11 



In. 

 39.0 



15.5 

 23.0 



4 



3 

 2 



9 

 5 



Tons. 



\ 



A 



•nr 



Tons. 



2 



i 



Aug. 5-20 



Aug. 1-20 

 Aug. 10-28 



July 1-15 



June 20- 



July 5. 



July io-30 



Sept. 1 to 

 end of 

 season. 



...do.... 



Sept. 10 

 to end 

 of sea- 

 son. 



Aug. 1-15 



July 15- 



Aug. 10. 



Aug. 10-25 



P.ct. 

 12.0 



9.5 



8.0 



P.ct. 

 86.0 



36.5 

 74.0 



A glance at Table 5 shows that there is a striking difference in the 

 forage yield in the two situations, the ratio being approximately 4 

 to 1 for all three species. 



This wide contrast in production is due to the difference in the 

 density of the stand and in the height growth. The density bears the 

 relation of 7 to 3 at 4,800 feet and 7,800 feet, respectively, while the 

 height attained by the different species at 7,800 feet is over 100 per 

 cent less than that produced at an elevation of 4,800 feet. This con- 

 trast in growth is further shown in Plates V and VI by natural-size 

 photographs of average stands of timothy at 3 years of age, at which 

 time full development has been attained. 



Wide differences, of high importance from the standpoint of 

 natural reseeding of the introduced plants, exist in the production 

 and viability of the seed. It will be observed, for example, that the 

 flower-stalk and the seed-maturing periods begin five weeks and five 

 and one-half weeks earlier, respectively, in the situation of lower ele- 

 vation. The lateness at which the seed crop matures at 7,800 feet 

 makes it impossible, except for the individual plants which put forth 

 the flower stalks unusually early, to produce viable seed. This ac- 

 counts in part for the fact that the average germination of the three 

 species in the higher elevation is 9.8 per cent, as opposed to 64.8 

 per cent in the lower habitat. 



Owing to the low yield, due to the sparseness of the stand and to 

 the poor height growth made, and the small amount of viable seed 

 produced at an elevation of 7,800 feet, it is evident that this is the 

 maximum elevation at which reseeding should be attempted in the 

 Wallowa region. 



