22 EXPERIMENTS IN PLANTING SAND-HILLS. 



cost of this plantation has been remarkably small, while upwards 

 of £1000 have already been realised. 



2. Natural Wood. 



The natural grown Avood extends from the planted ground sea- 

 ward, and at some places runs near the sand-hills of Culbin, covers 

 an area of about 600 acres, and stands from 10 to 20 feet in 

 height. 



It grows entirely on sand. Its success had been greatly aided 

 in its early stage by the protection of heath and bent. A great 

 part of the ground is covered in winter with water to a depth of 

 about 2 feet, and would be much improved by a leading drain 

 made along the centre of the wood running out to the sea at the 

 west end, and discharged through a self-acting sluice, which would 

 keep back the tide, and at low water discharge its contents from 

 the wood. 



This wood, as far as practicable, has been thinned, and about 

 .£200 realised. Much of the brushwood was used for covering 

 the sand-hills between this and the sea, with a view to prevent 

 the drifting of the sand, which I now proceed to describe. 



3. Culbin Sand-hills. 



In 1869 I commenced to cover one of these sand-hills, with the 

 view of trying an experiment for planting them, so that these 

 barren wastes might be made to yield something useful. 



There were ample proofs of sufficient nutriment in the sand to 

 grow useful timber, as in certain hollows which had lain for many 

 years undisturbed trees were growing luxuriantly ; but the great 

 risk lay in the drifting of the sand, and the desideratum was to 

 fall upon an inexpensive and effectual mode of preventing it from 

 moving. 



The hill operated upon was partly covered with growing bent, 

 the greater part was destitute of any vegetation or covering ; and 

 to prevent the sand rising with the wind, I carted a large quantity 

 of the small trees thinned out of the woods, and pulled a great 

 many loads of heather from the natural woods, and spread it on 

 the surface thinly, then laying on the brush and young trees like 

 thatch. The following was the mode of procedure : — One party 

 sowed as much broom seed as could be covered in a day, another 

 followed with the brush and young trees, while a third was em- 

 ployed in the wood providing brushwood, and pulling heather, to 



