Show e g Depleted Range t to Cultivated Forage Plants By A ARTHUR T w W. W SAMPSON Director Great Basin Experiment Station tation Forest Service For For the past twelve years years years' experiments experiments experiments ex ex- have hav been under way vay to determine the practicability of seeding artificially areas on National National National Nat Nat- ional Forest range where the J natural vegetation has been destroyed destroyed destroyed de de- or has become relatively i unproductive During this period over trials have I been made in various parts of the West covering all important I conditions of soil climate exposure exposure exposure ex ex- and elevation More More than tl a 15 of the e n most ost t promising q ising hinds pf grasses grasses s es end and nd covers oyer q have v been included nc in rl 11 t the e tests Ow Owing ng to the difficulty of tr transporting farm machinery to remote high h gOll r mountain as well as the cost cost only enly relatively few of the areas seeded have been plowed plow plow- ed or otherwise intensively prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared for the reception of the seed In all cases however vever the seed has been well covered after scattering In some instances the seed has been worked into the ground by means means of of a bl brush ush h harrow harrow har har- r- r row or by dragging Bragging a wooden tooth or steel harrow once or twice over the ground g or indeed th the se seed d h has s b been eh trampled ed into the ground ground ground-by by herding a a ba band d of t. t I sheep in a compact body over the I area The res results obtained ed fr from m I these methods of planting have proven that working the seed in into into into in- in to the ground by the use of sheep is quite as satisfactory as s the themore themore themore more tedious an and expensive methods methods me me- of harrowing Of the various plants experimented experimented with timothy I has a giVen giyen the best best- results tr trials I all l a consid- consid I t e ed d Next t i in irl t of gf of suc- suc c r results are rei smooth or orI I- I Hungarian u ri Q br Ken- Ken t bluegrass orchard grass perennial ryegrass and redtop The best stand when seeding to a single plant have been procured pro- pro cured by scattering seed in the following amounts timothy 8 pounds smooth 20 Kentucky bluegrass 20 orchard gI grass ass 15 perennial rye ryegrass grass 20 and red redtop top 15 pounds Very few of the clovers have given results of eco economic value White clover clover- proved the most promising however but did well only where the soil oil was well above average in fertility and moisture conditions and where competition with t ni native e. e ve ef ion tion tion was was- practically 1 lacking The h time of t the year year the seed should l be S. S scatter scattered d proved to have haye a good goad OO deal deai to do ifo with with- the thet stand t obtained ined the vigor of the plants and their ability to withstand withstand withstand with with- stand drought during the first year of growth In the Intermountain Intermountain Inter- Inter mountain Region late spring or early summer summery summer summer-s say from about June 15 to July duly has 20 has 20 has given the best results In the Northwest on the other hand seeding in inthe inthe inthe the aut autumn mn proved considerably more satisfactory than at any other time spring and summer third Winter was I least satisfactory The reason for forthe forthe the dif difference rence in the results of season of seeding in the Intermountain Intermountain Intermountain Inter- Inter mountain Region and in the Northwest is entirely due ue to the difference in the time in the season sea seas son at which sufficiently heavy rains fa to stimulate growth The h forage returns from seeding seeding seeding seed seed- I ing cultivated plants w warrant Con Continued on page 5 5 Re g Depleted kan Kange a t to do Cultivated Forage Plants Continued from Page 1 seeding only where the soil and moisture conditions are of the very best and far above average on Forest ranges It is safe to say that more than Hian 90 of Forest Forest Fort For For- t est range lands are unsuited to the successful to cultivated cultivated cultivated forage plants either because because because be be- cause of inadequate moisture and unsuitable soil conditions or because be F cause caus of the inability of cultivated ed plants to compete successfully with the native vegetation In the Northwest regardless of favorable soil condition seeding seeding seeding seed seed- ing to cultivated forage plants plan should not be attempted above an elevation of about feet in the Intermountain Region experiments ex ex- m show that it does not pay to seed above an elevation of about feet Most cultivated i ed forage plants require a much longer growing season in which I to mature their seed reed than do most native plants accordingly Above the elevations stated cultivated cultivated cultivated cul cul- cul- cul plants seldom mature seeds and the original plants die out in a few years Because of the high cost of seeding feeding and the problematic results results results re re- it is necessary to 0 depend very largely upon the native native native na na- na- na tive vegetation for the range Seed from native plants collected and sown sown in strips which are protected from sto stock stockby stockby k kb b by fencing if properly loca located ed will yield results of much greater val value e than cultivated plants because because be be- cause caus of the large amount of fer fertile fertile fer I tile seed produced The seed of course is carried a considerable distance from the plot by wind I and in fn a afew few years adjoining areas of considerable size are again inI in I hi high h state of production |