PELLET SEEDING ON WESTERN RANGELANDS 



11 



Procedures 



Pellets were broadcast by airplane on 10,120 acres of unprepared 

 seedbed between April 25 and June 24, 1946. Lehmann lovegrass 

 and sand dropseed were used at a ratio of 2:1. The seeding rate 

 was one pellet per square foot with six to eight seeds per pellet. 



Results 



Good summer rains fell 10 days after seeding, and seedlings became 

 established in the native vegetation. Rains continued and though 

 moisture was slightly below normal, there was good growth of all 

 plants. In November 1947, there were only 75 plants of Lehmann 

 lovegrass per acre or 1 plant per 581 square feet. The seeding was 

 considered a failure (Wagner, 1949; Wagner and Kinkor, 1950). 

 In 1954 there were 83 plants per acre and in 1961 there were a few 

 plants left. 



Table 2. — Description of large-scale and experimental pellet seedings on 



western rangelands, 194-6-61 



COMPRESSED EARTHEN PELLETS 



Location and year seeded 



Papago Indian Reserva- 

 tion, Arizona, 1946. 



San Carlos Indian Reser- 

 vation, Arizona, 1946. 



Hopi Indian Reservation, 

 Arizona, 1946-47. 



Navajo Indian Reserva- 

 tion, Arizona and New 

 Mexico, 1947-48. 



Thorn Creek, Idaho, 1947- 

 48. 



Muskrat Creek, Wyoming, 

 1947-48. 



Golliher Mountain, Ne- 

 vada, 1948. 



Manti-LaSal National For- 

 est, Utah, 1948. 



Skull Valley, Utah, 1948___ 



Central Arizona, 1961 



Area seeded 



to pellets by 



airplane 



Acres 

 10, 120 



20, 000 



20, 000 

 39, 708 



1 20, 952 

 21,000 



15, 360 

 6, 443 



1 6. 000 



Comparative experimental seedings to pellets and 

 seedings to nonpelleted seed 



28 acres disked and drilled to pellet- 2 

 plots); 4 acres drilled to nonpelleted 

 seed (3 plots). 



810 acres airplane broadcast to non- 

 pelleted seed. 



Many sample plots established. 



Small area burned and drilled to non- 

 pelleted seed. 



1,284 acres airplane broadcast to n 

 pelleted seed. 73 acres divided into 

 24 plots. Seedbeds burned, plowed. 

 harrowed, dragged, or untreated. 



1.000 acres scarified before seeding, 500 

 after seeding. 60 acres scarified and 

 airplane broadcast to nonpelleted 

 seed. \{ acre to coated pellets; \{ 

 acre to extruded pellets. 



41S acres divided into 112 exDerimental 



plots; seedbeds chained, pitted, and 



not treated. Pelleted and nonpelleted 



seed airplane broadcast and drilled. 



1 1,600 acres flown twice; 800 acres flown 3 times. 



