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} <br /> 21 <br /> Treatment 1 : 15 cm of topsoil + straw mulch <br /> Treatment 2: No topsoil + excelsior mulch <br /> Treatment 3: No topsoil + straw mulch <br /> All treatments were fertilized with 66 kg N per hectare and 220 kg P2O5 <br /> per hectare, which was raked into the soil . The plots were broadcast seeded <br /> at a rate of 43 kg of pure live seed per hectare (1450 PLS per m2) . The <br /> seeding mixture is included in Table 6. Seeding was performed in late <br /> October 1977. Mulch was applied as either straw or as excelsior mat. <br /> Straw was applied at 2240 kg/ha and secured in place with a woven wood <br /> matting. <br /> Results and Discussion <br /> Main Plot <br /> The vegetation of the Purgatoire River Valley surrounding the Allen <br /> i <br /> Mine is dominated by grasses in pastures and meadows. Within the Main <br /> Plot, grasses were found to be the principle component of the seeded vege- <br /> tation. Grasses comprised 70 percent of the total canopy cover, forbs <br /> accounted for 4.1 percent of the canopy cover, shrubs contributed less <br /> than one percent, and invading species totaled 1 .2 percent of the cover. <br /> Total cover for all species averaged 17.2 percent. The grasses, forbs , <br /> and shrubs showing the best growth are found in Table 7 . <br /> Mulched treatments were nigher in values for cover and density than <br /> the unmulched treatment and controls. Mulch appears to enhance the growth <br /> of seeded species by decreasing the evaporation of moisture from the soil <br /> surface, reducing randrop splash erosion, increasing water infiltration, <br /> hindering the growth of invading species and moderating surface tempera- <br /> tures. Treatment 7 (66 kg N/ha with straw mulch) provided vegetation with <br />