GRASSES FOR MISCELLANEOUS PURPOSES 71 
planted which in time produce a forest, the dunes being 
thus permanently fixed. The waste land has now become 
productive, as the forest under proper care yields an 
income. The trees cannot be started on the shifting sand. 
93. Sand-binders——Except near the seashore the 
function of grass or of an inert covering is temporary, as 
the land is ultimately converted into forest. Along the 
seashore where a barrier dune is formed the action of the 
spray from the ocean prevents the growth of trees. On 
this barrier dune which protects the forest in the rear from. 
the aggressive action of the sand, the grass covering must 
remain indefinitely and must be kept in condition by con- 
stant attention after it is planted. 
A sand-binder must be a plant that will thrive in the 
sand, and that possesses an abundance of vigorous 
creeping rootstocks that will bind the sand and prevent 
its being blown by the wind. The best sand-binder is 
beach-grass, or marram-grass (Ammophila arenaria), a 
native of the sea beaches of Europe and of Atlantic North 
America as far south as North Carolina. It is also found 
along the shores of the Great Lakes. An important char- 
acter of beach-grass is that it thrives best where the sand 
is drifting. Here it continually rejuvenates and grows up 
through the sand as it is covered. A few other grasses have 
been tried but none give as good results. 
94. Fixing sand with beach-grass.—Beach-grass is 
propagated by transplanting and not from seed. The 
planting is best done in the fall between maturity, which is 
about September, and the time when the ground freezes. 
It can also be done in spring before growth starts. Plants 
for the purpose are chosen from a nearby plot where the 
grass is growing vigorously. Those chosen should be two 
years old and should have one or two nodes on the root- 
