| OCR Text |
Show 18 Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters classification of ranqe-land sites shows that not far from 5 mil lion acres in Utah are suitable for reseedinq-s-about I million acres of abandoned crop land and 4 million acres covered with dense sagebrush or other woody cover in which there is little forage. Of this the mountains have considerable areas of aspen, mountain brush, elevated "flats," and hillsides in need of reseeding. Select ing the right places to reseed; determining what, when, and how tol reseed; and establishing how to manage newly reseeded areas are the principles requiring attention. Correct selection of sites is based on an examination to deter mine whether the as to original plant cover has been so ... justify the extra cost. damaged Sites with reasonably good soils aI?d re ... ceiving enough precipitation to promise success (11 inches or more) are givn first priority as they yield quickest and highest returns. A number of successes has been achieved on deep pro ductive soils where the precipitation is 9 or 10 inches, but re ... .... search has much yet to learn where the drought hazard is .this high. Mountainous areas also require further research. So long as great foothill and valley areas having good soil and moisture conditions stand in need of seeding, it is thought best to concen trate the seeding effort on these more favorable sites for which we now have enough information to set up a good program. Where poor sites are of critical importance for watersheds, an effort should be made at revegetation, even with only a general research basis. In the lower foothills and in the valleys, crested wheatgrass is the one species that has proved safe to plant; born somewhat below the first aspen, up through the aspen, zone, and in the open mountain basins above, smooth bromegrass, mountain brome, tall oatgrass, and slender wheatgrass all do well and outrank crested wheatgrass. Some orchard grass and timothy should be added to the seed mixture for the cooler, moister places. Because of varia tions in strains of these grasses seed should be obtained from localities with growing conditions rather similar to those where it is to be used. N 0 dependable legumes have yet been found. After trials, ample seeding rates are being recommended, that is, 6 to 10 pounds of crested wheatgrass and 10 to 15 pounds of the seeds recommended for higher elevations. Investigations have made clear that reseeding should precede the most dependable period of moist growing weather. In the valley and foothill zone this condition occurs for most years in the fall. Some winter killing is likely. to occur but usually loss from this cause is less than it would be from the hot, dry summer. At higher elevations where summer showers are frequent and the supply of summer moisture more ample, spring or early summer seedings have frequently been successful. Studies have made clear also that seed must be covered with soil to a depth of not more than an inch. Planting by disk drill on ... .... . |
