UTILIZATION OK KEACH ORABS. 



25 



native rranlioriy boo-s. surroundod In' the characteristic low-growinj^ 

 vegetation. , As the l)are northoin slopes of the (hine ranges constituted 

 the source of the sand supply, the initial attempts involved the cover- 

 ing- of these areas witli vegetation. 



Extensive plantings of shrubs and tree seedlings were made upon 

 the outer range of dunes. The result was that the heavj' winter gales 

 of the tirst season huried, uprooted, or killed by the sand Idast so 

 great a portion of these plantings that some other method of proce- 

 dure was considered necessary. The next season the transplanting of 

 beach grass was commenced, as the experience of the preceding season 

 had demonstrated that some protection for the woody plants is neces.sarj^ 

 until they have made sufficient growth to be self-protecting (PI. V, tigs. 

 1 and 2). The beach gra.ss was selected for this purpose as it occurs 

 very abundantly in places innnediately adjacent to the areas which 

 required planting and had been extensively utilized in the early recla- 

 mation attempts. . 



UTILIZATION OF BEACH GRASS. 



Grass planting operations on each range commenced on the west 

 end and were extended eastward with more or less regularit}'. The 

 following table shows the salient points concerning the various plant- 

 ings, which aggregate 210 acres. The mortiility percentages were 

 calculated from a number of counts in several representative areas 

 within each season's planting. The mortalit}' appears to lia\'e been 

 less among the fall plantings. 



RELATIVE MERITS OF SPRING ANP FALL PLANTING. 



The early plantings on the Province lands and the Cape generall}'^ 

 were as a rule made in the spring, although many parties practiced 

 fall planting. The plantings incident to the recent work of reclama- 

 tion have l)een made for the greater part in the autumn. It is the 

 consensus of opinion that better results follow fall planting for the 

 following reasons: (1) In the fall the growth of the season is finished 



