The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-31
Ten TONS OF TREE SEEDS
USED m THE GOVERN HENR
To RESTOCh ITS FORESTS.
Mostly % Western yellow Pine-Uslng
Nuryery Grown Trees Too Costly
thimais mat Threaten the Newly
SOWn Sced-How u j. Gathered.

soNn sced-How % j. Gathered.
! WASHINGTON. July N-The United
States department OF Agriculture L. using
this wear In the national forests over ten
} tons Of tree seed, Most IT this seed has
already been planted or sown The r~se
! will he utilized later in the season as favor
able conditions arr presented.
| II takes n great many tree seeds . mako
ten tons. Jack pine. the mos, important
tree for planting in the Nebraska sand.
hills 10y the forest service will average
something like I25 90 To- the pound OF
Western yellow pine. the tree most extern
sively planted throughout the NATIONAL
! forests as a whole. 10 an serds will mako a
! pound. Altogether tho ten tons 1T seed
% be used this wear represent I'erhlps
/ 80 Ooo go single seeds
II every seed could nc depended on 20
| produce a young tree suitable Tor planting
the result would hs n supply Of nursery
stock sufficient to plant SOo On acres of
land. but no such result can be looked for
because many seeds do not terminate.
Most Of the seed will he sown either bread
cast ar IN Sod spots or planted with n
corn planter directly IN th" place whore the
trees are to stand.
Even when nursery s;ocs il raised a
liberal allowance must hc made for loss.
In the hgSt place u considerable percent-
age ~ the seeds will bo found To- hc infer
THE. Ot thC,,' which germra;r many will
die before they havc the u,irpcrv beds
and many moro wtli Ia lost IN tran, slant
ing. II from a pound ot Western yellow
pine seed that contains 1000 individual
seeds I oSi three ycar Did transplants are
available for field planting the Department
OF Agriculture has obtained satisfactory
results.
There are now twsnty-four n ,ionAl
forest nurseries with an annual pro-
ductive capacity Of over SOOO.OoO ssssi-
lings. But there are many millions Il old
burns on the national forests which are
waiting To he restockcd and some quicker
and cheaper method than the actual
planting Of nursery grown trees u ur-
gently needed. Therefore the forestsrs
are making experiments on "A large scale
with different methods of direct sowing
and planting and most Of the seed gath
cred last year was obtained for this use
Broadcasting has already been found
TO give good results ia some regions.
IL was first tried In the Black Hills Of South
Dakota with an encouraging outcome.
To broadcast an acre OF land with yellow
pine seed about eight pounds of seed 10
used. One Of the most formidable draw
backs Of this method N the extent TO
birds and rodents. II the season h. opens
TO be one in which food for these animals
10 scarce the los- IL very heavy The
problem OF control OF animal pests. such
~ field mice. ground squirrels and
gophers. which eat the tree seeds. and
also the further problem Of preventing
the depredations OF rabbits. " hch are
altogether too fond of the httle trees
Themselves, whether nursery transplants
or fisld grown seedlings, s receiving the
attention OF the biological survey ex-
perts Of the Department Of Agriculture.
In some localities the Department has
had 70 purchase seed, but most OF that
used - gathered by Forest Service men
thenselyes The cost OF gathering has
vSfed for the different regions fnom Is
cents TO ~ pound As rule the seed H.
collected in the fall months, when most
conifers ripen their seed. Parties %
three or four men ordinarily work to-
gether. Where numbering IL in progress
the collectors follow the sawyers and taks
the cones directly from the felled trees
In standing timber the tnsk IL much more
arduous. The men must often climb
tall pines aud null the cones FROM the
are on the extremities and beyond the
reach OF the hand pruning shears are
usef The cones are dropped TO the
ground and then gathered into buckets
and transferred 20 sacks in which thew
arr carried 10 a central point for fur her
treatment
The extraction Of the seeds il tedious
rather than difficult In some cases the
cones are spread out upon sheets in the
sun, when after time they open and the
seed drops o;it. IN other cases IL - necNs-
saTy to resort TO artificial heat Th'y IL
applied by placing the cones upon trays
with screen bottoms and raising the tenn
perature Of the room to the proper de-
gree. The cones oDen. the winged seeds
fall out and the seed Is separated finally
from wings and dirt by n tanning mill 4
good many seeds have been removed from
the conc by hand. but this is a sore trial
TO the fingers OF the pickers and an ex-
e,Aadin0ly slow process