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



Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona and New Mexico 



Seeding on the Navajo Indian Reservation was done on two areas 

 in the Chuska Mountains — one in northwestern New Mexico and the 

 other in northeastern Arizona. Rainfall here is estimated to be be- 

 tween 20 and 28 inches annually. Elevation is approximately 8,000 

 feet. The seeded areas were timber interspersed with open parks and 

 dotted with small lakes. The timbered areas were either quaking 

 aspen, spruce, and fir; or open stands of ponderosa pine. The soil 

 was relatively deep. All things considered, these areas were favorable 

 seeding sites. 



Procedures 



Both areas were seeded by airplane with compressed earthen pellets 

 at the rate of one pellet per square foot on an unprepared seedbed. 

 The species used were crested wheatgrass, smooth brome, yellow 

 sweetclover, and timothy. The first area contained 23,708 acres 

 and was seeded between October 25 and December 14, 1947. The 

 second area contained 16,000 acres and was seeded during June and 

 July 1948. In addition, nonpelleted seed was broadcast on deep snow 

 on 810 acres from January 3 to 7, 1948. 



Results 



Seedlings occurred over both areas, especially where there was 

 soil disturbance and no native vegetation. Because of poor rooting 

 and competition from established plants, seedling mortality was high. 

 By 1961 there was little evidence of seeded plants, and the seedings 

 were classed as failures. 8 Broadcasting nonpelleted seed gave ap- 

 proximately the same seedling stands as broadcasting pelleted seed 

 (Wagner, 1949). 



Thorn Creek, Idaho 



The Thorn Creek seeding consisted of 20,952 acres on two areas: 

 Rattlesnake Butte and Thorn Creek. Rattlesnake Butte has an 

 elevation of from 4,000 to 4,600 feet and a precipitation of 10 inches. 

 Thorn Creek has an elevation of from 5,000 to 6,000 feet and a pre- 

 cipitation of 13 to 15 inches. Soils in both areas are shallow and 

 rocky and derived from basalt, rhyolite, and loessial deposits. 



Both areas once supported a stand of big sagebrush with a good 

 understory of grass. Thorn Creek supported some bitterbrush and 

 chokecherry. Many valuable forage species have disappeared as 

 the result of past use. Fire and past use have reduced Rattlesnake 

 Butte to cheatgrass, some Sandberg bluegrass and sunflower, and 

 other annual weeds. 



8 Unpublished data from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. 



