The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1910-07-30
Will RF-SFFD
NATIONAL FORESTS

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WASHINGTON, July 3O.-The U. s.
department of agriculture is using this
year ON the national forests over ten
tons of tree seed. Most of this seed
has already been planted or sown. Tbs
rest will be utilized later in the sea-
son, as favorable conditions are pro-
sented.
It takes a great many tree seeds to
make ten tons. Jack pine, the most
important tree for planting in the Ne
braska sand hills by the forest service,
will average something like 125,000 to
the pound. OF western yellow pine, the
tree most extensively planted through
out the national forests as a whole, 10,
600 seed will make a pound. Altogether
the ten tons of seed to be used this
year represent perhaps 800 million sim
gle seeds.
If every seed could be depended on
to produce 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 fe 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-planters, directly in .he
place where the trees are to stand.
Even when nursery stock is raised a
liberal allowance must be made for
loss. In the first place, considerable
percentage Of the seeds will be found
to be infertile. OF those which germi
nate. many will die before they leave
the nursery beds, and many more will
be lost in transplanting. If from a
pound of western yellow pine seed that
contains 10000 individual seeds, 1000
three -year-old transplants are avail
able for field planting, the department
OF agriculture has obtained satisfac-
tory results.
There are now twenty-four national
forest nurseries with an annual produc-
tive capacity of eight million seed.
lings. But there are many millions of
old burns on the national forests which
are waiting to be restocked. and some
quicker and cheaper method than thu
actual planting of nursery grown tree.
is urgently needed Therefore the for
esters are making experiments on q
large scale with different methods OF
direct sowing and planting. and most
of the seed gathered last year was OBJ
tanned for this use.
Broadcasting has already been found
to give good results in some regions
1t was first tried in the Black Hills OF
South Dakota, with an encoura pino
outcome. To broadcast an acre of land
with yellow pine seed about eight
pounds of seed is used. One Of the
most formidable drawbacks TO this
method is the extent to which the seed
may be consumed by birds and rodents.
If the season happens to be one in
which food for these animals is scarce,
the loss is very heavy. The problem
OF control of animal pests, such as field
mice, ground squirrels and gophers,
which eat the tree seeds, and also the
fruther problem of preventing the dep
relations of rabbits, which are alto
gather too fond of the little trees them
selves, whether nursery transplants or
field-grown seedlings. is receiving the
attention of the biological survey ex-
perts of the department Of agriculture.
In some localities the department has
to purchase seed, but most of that used
is gathered by forest service men them.
selves. The cost of gathering has
varied for the different regions from
thirty-fve cents to one dollar a pound.
AS a rule the seed is collected in the
field in the fall months, when most
conifers ripen their seed. Parties of
three or four men ordinarily work to-
gether. Where numbering is in progress
the collectors follow the sawyers and
take the cones directly from the felled
trees. In standing timber, the task ID
much more arduous. The men must Of.
ten climb tall pines and pull the cones
from the branches az best they can.
Where these are on the extremities and
beyond the reach of the hand, pruning
hears are used. The cones are drop.
ped to the ground and then gathered
into buckets and transferred to sacks
in which they are carried to a central
point for further treatment.
The extraction Of the seeds is tedious
rather than difficult. In some cases
the cones are spread out upon sheets in
the sun. when, after time, they open
and the seeds drop out; in other cases
it is necessary to resort to artificial
heat. This is applied by placing the
cones upon trays with screen bottoms
and raising the temperature Of The
room to the proper degree. The cones
open, the winged seeds fall out and The
seed is separated finally from wings
and dirt by a flaming mill. A good
many seeds have been removed from
the cone by hand, but this is sore
trial to the fingers of the pickers and
an exceedingly slow process.