Don't cover seed too deeply . On prepared seedbeds more grass seed is 

 wasted by seeding too deeply than too shallowly, especially when drill- 

 ing on loose soil. Seed can be covered too deeply by broadcasting soon 

 after deep disking or plowing that leaves the soil very loose or rough. 

 Sometimes dragging or allowing tine for some settling before broadcasting 

 is advisable. Try not to cover more deeply than 1 inch. 



Don't 3dr.it failure and plow under or renlant too soon . Pe re nn ia 1 

 grasses often don't make much of a showing the first year or two, espe- 

 cially if competition is fairly severe, and it may be the second or third 

 growing season before results are evident. 



Don't allow livestock to concentrate unduly on reseeded areas . They 

 frequently tend to do this because of the fact that the grasses used are 

 often more palatable than the natives on surrounding areas. It may be 

 necessary in some cases to take special precautions to keep from killing 

 out the seeding by this type of selective grazing. 



Seeding nurse crops with grass is not recommended for dry land , even 

 though this practice is sometimes successful. 



III. RZCCI.:3LD^TI0N3 FOR RS55EDING PIT TYPICAL SITUATIONS . 



It is impractical to give individual instructions for reseeding every 

 variation of site that may need it. Situations on and near the national 

 forests of iIontan3 in need of range reseeding have been divided into a 

 few groups for each of which rather specific practices can be recommended. 

 One or a few important factors, such as available moisture, presence of 

 sagebrush, accessibility, former plowing, etc., dominate each of these 

 groups and tend to determine the methods and species most likely to succeed. 



The mixtures suggested in the following recommendations are not inflex- 

 ible and, especially on the better sites, there is leeway for adjusting 

 proportions or for substituting other proved species as dictated by seed 

 cost and availability. These mixtures are not based on comparative tests, 

 but on adaptation to site, forage value, general availability and cost 

 of seed in recent years, and an effort to got some sod formers, some quick 

 starters, and some long-lived species into each mixture. 



HIGH IDUNTAIN GRASSI^IIDS All) 



High mountain range lands are characterized by a short growing season and 

 plentiful moisture (20-fO inches), except for about 3 to 6 weeks of dry 

 weather in late summer. They are often remote from headquarters and are 

 frequently inaccessible to wheeled equipment. Soils are extremely variable 

 and patchy. Recks are common, even on some areas with deep fertile soil. 

 Vegetative types are usually broken and intermingled. Extensive grassland 

 areas are broken by timber along the streams and on northerly facing slopes, 

 while in forested areas the grassy parks occur mainly on ridges and south 

 or west facing slopes. Sagebrush is common, especially on the drier sites. 

 For suggestions on reseeding where sagebrush is a major problem, see page 14. 



