'.."here there is a fair stand of desirable forage under the sagebrush, 

 either railing or controlled burning can be very effective in increas- 

 ing production without reseeding. Railing is highly effective on large, 

 mature sagebrush, but not on tough, young plants which may be bent over 

 but not broken off or pulled cut by it. Burning should not be attempted 

 on national forest lands without prior approval of the regional forester 

 or without careful study of USDa Farmer's Bulletin #1948 (9). Burning 

 on other lands should be attempted only in accordance with the principles 

 set forth therein. Be sure to comply with all local, state or federal 

 fire laws. 



When there is so little grass beneath the sagebrush that good recovery 

 cannot be expected following sagebrush destruction alone, reseeding is 

 necessary in order to retard erosion and to prevent sagebrush and other 

 undesirable plants from coming back thicker than ever on the seedbed 

 prepared. 



How to seed : Dense stands of sagebrush must be destroyed before grass 

 seeding can be effective. Various methods have been used, four of which 

 will be briefly described. All are adapted mainly to relatively level 

 araas. 



Plowing about 2 to 3 inches deep with a wheatland or cylinder 

 plow is the favored method where it can be used. The seed may 

 either be broadcast behind the plow as a separate operation, or 

 a seeder can be attached so that both plowing and seeding can 

 be done in one operation. 



Lighter equipment, such as the bog or cut-out disk-harrow, has 

 been used fairly effectively where the sage is net too heavy. 

 They have advantages over the wheatland plows for use on small 

 or rather inaccessible areas. 



Railing is best used for killing sagebrush where reseeding is 

 net needed, but it has also been fairly effective in preparing 

 a seedbed under certain conditions. It is sometimes worth- 

 while to rail in opposite directions. Seed may be broadcast 

 either before cr after railing. 



The self-clearing or pipe harrow is fairly satisfactory for 

 killing sagebrush and preparing a seedbed where the brush is 

 not too large. It can be used where the soil is too shallow 

 or rocky for wheatland plowing or ripping and on slopes where 

 burning might cause serious erosion. Seed may be broadcast 

 either before or after dragging. 



-15- 



