The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1915-04-29
THE SEEDING OF
BEAR WALLOW
How the Forest Service is Re-
fOresting the Burnt-oyer
Timber Lands.
By LEE O. MILES.


By LEE o. MILES.
We left Tom Corrigan's ranch il
Garden valley, ten of US, early on the
morning of March 5. Tom hauled u.
and our duffie to Servers ranch at the
upper end of the valley. Thence il
was necessary to pack our beds anc
clothing, together with two sleds, ur
the old Round Valley wagon road tc
snow line. From snow line we sleddeo
our equipment in to our destination
the Bear Wallow planting camp.
The journey in was hard. The pack
ing up to snow line was arduous be-
cause the slope was steep. The sled
ding was the more strenuous, how
ever. The snow was soft, wet ano
heavy. Most of the crew were moi
yet on good terms with their snow
shoes, and the snow was too deep to
permit of progress without the webs.
However, we reached the cabin about
8 in the evening.
The Bear Wallow cabin was con-
structed last fall, of a size to accom-
logs went into the walls, and green
yellow pine shakes into the roof. This
cabin was stocked with supplies for
10 men for 81 days. Two men with
a big six-horse pack string in six
days packed in from Servers ranch
these supplies and the $500 pounds Of
seed proposed to plant on the area.
This seed and grub were stored in
a bin across one end of the cabin, lined
with wire mosquito netting to keep
out mice, chipmunks and pack rats.
Baled hay was packed in for the hunks
in lieu of mattresses Perishable and
freezable vegetables were buried in a
pit in the floor of the cabin.
From this cabin as a base and with
these preparations already made, our
10-man crew began seeding Eighty
five hundred pounds of seed to be
sown at the rate of pounds per acre
meant covering an area of 1850 acres.
At the rate of 8 pounds of seed per
acre, this seed, which resembles bar
ley somewhat in size and shape, but
not otherwise, would be spread at the
rate of about 10000 seed per acre.
Tests of this seed showed that under
average conditions over half of it
would sprout. Of those which sprout,
a majority may be killed and still
sufficient be left for good stand of
timber.
The seed was sown by hand. The
crew moved in parallel strips across
the area planted, the men at intervals
of so feet, as experience showed it
possible for man to SOW this seed
25 feet on each side of him. The men
carried their seed in packs slung on
their shoulders.
For the first four hours following
daylight, the crust held and snowshoes
were unnecessary. For the next four
hours, webs were required. Inapti-
tude in the use thereof led to many
amusing accidents. One man in drag
ging a 90-pound sack of seed down a
steep slope got it tangled with his
shoes and both he and the sack of seed
fell off the hill, racing each other to
the bottom, where they landed, the
sack on top. In the soft snow no
damage was done, except to one tenn
per.
The one dangerous element encoun-
tered was light. The glare of the sun
on the snow not only burned faces and
ruined compilations, but it caused two
cases of snow blindness, which is pain
full but not permanent if proper care !
is exercised. The use of goggles |
would have prevented this, but some
of the older men, men who have al
ways been in the hills, would not be- !
lieve the danger real, failed to pro- s
vide themselves and were consequent i
ly unfortunate. Painting black rings {
about their eyes aided to some extent. {
The seeding of 1850 acres occupied $
20 days. The area was mapped as
work progressed so that by comparing 7
the seed sown to the area covered, the {
proper density of 8 pounds of seed
per acre could be maintained.
When the work was finished, the
area was surveyed, the boundaries c
marked and we returned to Garden f
Valley, thankful to get our feet again t
IN bare ground. t
For several years the Forest Ser l.
vice will watch this area CLOSELY, il
counting SEEDLINGS on sample areas to d
determine whether the experiment, for r
it is, justifies by the de- t
,ree of success it attains the treat t
nent Of other deforested areas in b