Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-08-12
ARE WE STOCKING
NATIONAL FOREST?


agriculture is. using this year on the
national forests over ten tons of tree
seed The rest will be utilized later
in the season, as favorable conditions
are presented.
1t takes a great many tree seeds to
make ten tons. Jack pine, the most
important tree for planting in the
Nebraska sand hills by the forest
service. will average something like
125,000 to the pound. OF western
yellow pine. the tree most extensive
ly planted throughout the national
forests as a whole, 10000 seed will
make a pound. Altogether the ten
tons of seed to be used this year
represent perhaps 800 million single
seeds.
If every seed could be depended
on to produce a young tree suitable
for planting, the result would be a
supply Of nursery stock sufficient to
plant three hundred thousand acres
of land, but no such result can be
looked for, because many seeds do
not germinate. Most of the seed
will be sown either broadcast or in
seed spots, or planted with corn
planter directly in the place where
the trees are to stand.
Even when nursery stock Is raised
liberal allowance must be made
for loss. In the first place. 6. con-
siderable percentage OF the seeds
will be found to be infertile. or
those which germinate, many will
die before they leave the nursery
beds, and many more will be lost
in transplanting. II from pound
Of western yellow pine seed that con
tains 10000 individual seeds 1000
three-year-old transplants are avail
able for field planting, the depart
ment OF agriculture has obtained
satisfactory results.
There are now twenty-four nation
al forests nurseries, with an annua
productive capacity of over eight mil
lion seedlings. But there are many
millions of old burns on the nationa
forests which are awaiting to be re
stocked, and some quicker ant
cheaper method than the actua
planting of nursery grown trees Il
urgently needed. Therefore, the for
esters are making experiments on {
large scale with different methods
of direct sowing and planting, ant
most of the seed gathered last yea
was obtained for this use.
Broadcasting has already beer
found to give results in some regions
1t was first tried in the Black Hill,
of South Dakota, with an encourag
ing outcome. To broadcast an acr,
of land with yellow pine seed abou
pounds of seed is used.
One of the most formidable draw
backs to this method is the extent tC
which the seed may be consumed b,
birds and rodents. If the season
happens to be one in which food fo
these animals is scarce, the loss IL
heavy The problem Of control o
animal pests, such as field mice
ground squirrels and gophers, which
eat the tre seeds. and also the fur
ther problem of preventing the dep
relations of rabbits, which are al
together too fond OF the little tree,
themselves, whether nursery trans
plants or field-grown seedlings, Is re
ceiving the attention of the biological
survey experts of the department
Of agriculture
In some localities the department
has had to purchase seed, but mos
Of that used is gathered by fores
service men themselves. The cost o
gathering has varied for the differ
ent regions from thirty-fiye cents +,
one dollar a pound As a rule III,
seed Is collected in the fall months
when most conifers ripen their seed
Parties Of three or four men ordin
arily work together Where lum
bering is in progress the collector
follow the sawyers and take the cone
directly from the feled trees II
standing timber the task is mucl
more arduous. The men must Otter
climb tall pines and pull the cone
from the branches as best they can
Where these are on the eXtrcmitie
and beyond the reach OF the hand
pruning shears are used. The cone
are dropped 10 the ground and thel
gathered into buckets and transfer
red to sacks, IN which they are car
ried 10 a central point for furthe