EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



403 



pletion. The private individual can not afford heavy expense where 

 there is no prospect of immediate returns. A system is therefore neces- 

 sary which reduces the initial expense and spreads the work over a 

 longer period. The labor problem also prevents the private owner from 

 securing planting material at the proper season. Planting stock is hard 

 to secure in quantities, especially beach grass. Effort to complete the 

 reclamation in one or two years often results in careless planting or in 

 leaving unplanted areas which soon develop bad blow conditions and 

 ruin the earlier work. These facts have been taken into consideration 

 in the following plan. 



The fact that the new sand first makes its appearance at the water 

 line or high water mark, establishes this as the point of first attack. 

 The first planting that is done amounts to a border planting using any 

 material capable of withstanding the rigors of exposure — rough seas 



Fig. 12. Wind erosion at Big Prairie. This cemetery lay in the path of a blow. Such 

 a condition as this might justify a heavy expenditure in the establishment of the Entire 

 Cover System of sand control. 



and ice conditions are often very severe on living woody growth. On tlie 

 fine sand beaches the use of beach grass, beach willows, sand pea and 

 other local plants that are easily secured is recommended. The im- 

 portant principle is the establishment of a vegetative belt parallel to the 

 water line and as near to it as plants will grow. In many places along 

 the Lake Michigan shore grass planting is not necessary because of the 

 firm holding condition of the surface near the water. This is due to 

 various compositions entering into the make up of the soil, principally 

 however to the coating of small pebbles or coarse gravel known as 

 shingle. These conditions furnish splendid ground for the planting, 

 the wind being the only factor working against the plants. Often it 

 has been possible to collect drift material enough to make a wind and 

 spray buffer between the high water line and the planting line. Logs, 

 stumps, sticks, barrels, boxes, etc., furnish a good protection to the low 

 growing first cover planting from the severe sweep of the ^nds. 



