22 MISC. PUBLICATION 9 9 2, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Dubois, Idaho 



The Dubois seeding is on a gentle south-facing slope north of 

 Dubois, Idaho. Elevation is 6,000 feet and annual precipitation is 

 15 inches. The soil is a loam with gravel and rocks throughout the 

 profile. Big sagebrush and three-tip sagebrush are dominant. 

 Sagebrush averaged about 44 plants per 100 square feet. The under- 

 story grasses were mainly streambank wheatgrass and bluebunch 

 wheatgrass. Dry farming and conventional range seedings with 

 crested and intermediate wheatgrasses near this site have been 

 successful. 



Procedures 



The area was burned on September 16, 1954. On November 9, 

 coated seed pellets of crested wheatgrass were broadcast by airplane 

 on 660 acres and nonpelleted seed on 60 acres. An adjacent 360-acre 

 area was burned and drilled, and another 120-acre area was plowed 

 and drilled. All seedings were at the rate of 6 pounds of seed per 

 acre (fig. 5). 



■ ■ 



*:-i* 





Figure 5. — Drilling seed was superior to broadcasting coated seed pellets by 

 airplane in the 1954 seedings at Dubois. En route from the area that was 

 burned and drilled, one drill strip was made through the area that was 

 burned and airplane broadcast to coated pellets. A good stand of crested 

 wheatgrass is plainly visible on the drill strip. There is practically no 

 crested wheatgrass in the pellet-seeded area on both sides; the sage- 

 brush has reinvaded and some native grasses are thickening up to make a 

 sparse understory. 



