HOW TO BIND SHIFTING SAND ON MOUNTAINS. 205 



and below the surface that, in the course of time, tree 

 planting may be begun. 



The kind of grasses to be principally used for binding 

 the mobile sand and keeping it in its place are : creep- 

 ing soft grass, tall oat grass, broom grass, tall meadow 

 oat grass, fescue grass, quack grass, wood poa, pimpi- 

 nella, knotted hair grass, amophila, lyme grass, reed 

 grass or bur-reed. In the lower Alps of France sain- 

 foin has been used for this purpose with great success. 



In seeding these grasses the soil, being too mobile, 

 should not be touched either by plow or harrow, and 

 the seeding should be done broadcast by hand, using 

 about twenty pounds of seed to the acre. The only 

 tool to be used in this operation is the hand-rake, for 

 slightly covering the seeds. After the elapse of some 

 years, during which the reclaimed lands should remain 

 entirely undisturbed, there will, through the decay of 

 the old grasses and the spontaneous growth of the young 

 ones, be formed a sward thick enough to allow the rais- 

 ing of some shrubs and arborescent plants, the root sys- 

 tem of which qualifying them especially to keep the 

 scanty poor soil together. For this purpose are recom- 

 mended: juniper, hazel, sallow-thorn or sea-buckthorn, 

 barberry, bladder-senna or bastard-senna, locust or 

 acacia, rosin weed, asp or trembling poplar, white alder, 

 blackthorn, mountain ash, poplar, birch, dwarf moun- 

 tain and especially the "American " laurel (Kalmia.) It 

 has no economic value, however, it is hardy and will 

 maintain a foothold where other shrubs would perish. 

 Its presence has saved in Ulster and Sullivan Counties, 

 N. Y., many a mountain side from the appearance of 

 total denundation. 



In order to avoid unnecessary disturbance of the soil, 

 when sowing and cultivating the shrubs and small trees, 

 it_is advisable to sow the former together with the grass 



