EARLY WORK (>K SAND CONTROL. 2S 



th:it in 18<*.S the siiiii of $131,770.14: was expended in the construc- 

 tion of a dike across East nail)or for the purpose of protecting- the 

 reniainlno- portion of the harl)()r from the laro-e (juantities of sand 

 which wi're carried out 1)V each ebb tide. This dike oroatly facili- 

 tates the travel southward from Provincetown and is utilized by the 

 railway and Stiite road. The city of Provincctown was authorized 

 to levy taxes to cover the expenses incurred l)y its beach-j^rass com- 

 mittee, b\it an (examination of the general records failed to reveal 

 any <onsidera))le expenditures b}' the committee, which was nominall^'^ 

 continued until ISDM. The leoular anmial work on the part of the 

 inhabitants of Truro in tli(> ])lantin<4- of beach grass was probably a 

 potent factor in reducing the e\'il eti'ects of the shifting sand. The 

 independent work on the part of private citizens was on a ver}' small 

 scale. In one instance a number of cranberry gi-owers combined 

 efforts for the purpose of planting b(>ach grass to protect their bogs 

 from the encroaching sand. 



There are not sulHcient data at hand to render possil)le a just opinion 

 concerning the crt'ectiveness of thi^ early work of sand reclamation. 

 The devastation is nuich less than when reclamation i)rocesses were 

 connnenced, l)ut it is ditKcult to state to what extent the natui'al recla- 

 mation processes, unassisted save possibly by the restraining but 

 poorly enforced statutes, arc to be credited with the change in the 

 conditions. 



The grass plantations along th(> bulkheads, designed to accumulate 

 sand for the protection of tiic harbor from the sea, have, without 

 apparent exception, been successful. The plan'/mgs to restore the 

 breach caused by the sea !)reaking over into East Harbor resulted in 

 perhaps the greatest singled success of any of the earlier operations. 

 The fact that two-thirds of the nonforested areas were covered with 

 beach grass by the end of the last centur}' indicates that the early 

 plantings were probably more lasting in their effect than has been 

 supposed (PI. IV, iig. 2). 



One criticism made is to the effect that the planting was too much 

 contined to the high hills, where it was without protection and as a 

 result the grass was uprooted and destroyed. The statement concern- 

 ing uprooting indicates that possibly the plantings were too thin, 

 as the plantations recently made on the same exposed places have as 

 yet shown little tendenc}' to ])e lilown out. Perhaps the most just 

 criticism that can be made of the plan of operation is that the woody 

 plants were not introduced within the grass plantations. The life of 

 the beach grass on the areas not receiving regular accumulations of 

 sand seldom exceeds ten years, a period of time which, however, suf- 

 fices for the establishment of a self-protecting plantation of bushes 

 and ti'ee seedlings which require but little subseipient attention to 

 render the reclamation permanent. 



