58 BULLETIN 13, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Sowing in Strips. 
Under the strip method strips 6 to 8 feet wide are sown, gridironing 
the tract with blank spaces from 6 to 8 feet wide between. This 
method is cheaper than broadcasting since less seed is required per 
acre. 
Sowing in Seed Spots. 
The method of sowing in seed spots consists in sowing the seed in 
prepared spots at regular intervals. The sod is removed from a 
small spot, commonly about a foot in diameter, and a seed bed pre- 
pared in which from 5 to 15 seeds are planted. The work. can be 
done with a hoe ; and the planters kept in line by flags. Spots where 
the seed fails to germinate should be filled in the following year by 
transplanting from spots which have produced groups of seedlings. 
Conditions favorable for seed-spot sowing are the same as those 
for planting two-year-old seedlings; namely, where there is a light 
ground cover, as on old pasture land. Under the shade of hardwood 
sprouts or on moist ground there is little chance for success. 
With the seed-spot method one man should sow an acre a day and 
use 1 pound of seed. With labor at $1.75 a day and seed at $2.25 
a pound, the initial cost will be $4 per acre, with a cost for filling in 
the gaps to be added later on. In New York State a careful record 
of the expenditures for seed-spot planting indicates that $10 per 
acre is the average cost. 1 
Protection from Rodents. 2 
A large source of loss when seed is planted directly in the field 
comes about through its destruction by small rodents. To prevent 
this, small amounts of grain soaked in a solution of strychnia should 
be deposited over the area in the spring, some time in advance of 
the sowing. A formula for poisoning chipmunks, recommended by 
the Biological Survey, which has given good results, is the following: 
Strychnia sulphate 1 ounce. 
Saccharin .1 teaspoonful. 
Gloss, or laundry starch . .- J cupful. 
Water 1 quart. 
Barley 20 pounds. 
Where mice as well as chipmunks are prevalent the following 
formula has proved effective: 
Strychnia (alkaloid or sulphate) 1 ounce. 
Saccharin 1 teaspoonful. 
Melted tallow 1 pint. 
Wheat 16 quarts. 
i C R. Pettis, Fifteenth Annual Report Forest, Fish, and Game Commission, State of New York. 
2 This subject is fully discussed in Biological Survey Circular 78, "Seed Eating Mammals in Relation to 
Reforestation," and in Forest Service Bulletin 98, "Reforestation on the National Forests." 
