It is more than folklore! There is something about the 4 stomachs of the cow that somehow does something to the seed but that's all I know about it. For sure I saw it happen many times when apple trees would pop up in pastures and remember it being explained to me when I was a young lad. I also remember a few years ago attending a seminar that was all about food plots and planting things that are good for deer. Apple trees got mentioned and many talked about them and how to get some growing. Quite naturally they talked at length about grafting until I mentioned the easiest way is to run some apples through a cow. The speaker had never heard about it but gave it some thought and I do remember him telling the audience that indeed that would be a great way and he was certain it would work wonders. I've often wondered if he tried it but don't know. Here on our place we no longer have cattle but have plenty of deer. They have the same system as cows do and that is why we have so many wild apple trees here and new ones coming up yearly. At one time I counted 60 apple trees on our place and we had planted none of those nor were they grafted.
Sounds like this would have been a good subject for that cable show “Myth-busters” But I think they ran out of ideas and the show is no longer on other than re-runs... oh well.
They will confirm it or bust it or say it’s plausible if they test it. I just doubt they tried it at all.
Yeah, that’s the worst part of this whole (hole) proposal. Putting ‘em in ain’t so bad —it’s the recovery process that makes me want to pass (no pun intended).
Just throw the cow chip seed bombs. Kind of like the chip throwing contests they have. Actually, the black locusts around here have no problems seeding themselves and spreading everwhere - probably birds, rodents and roots. And once in, they're in. Can't seem to get rid of them. Most of the locust fence posts put in in the 30s-40s here are gone. There are a few, mostly very weathered, and ready to go over.