XIII 



PLANTS THAT BUILD ISLANDS 



"Where the grey beach glimmering runs, as a belt of the 

 dawn." 



FEW men realise the tremendous value of plants 

 in protecting and building up land. Not only 

 do they build islands in the lakes and rivers, and 

 cover them with marvellous flowers and trees, thus 

 making homes for birds, insects, animals, and even 

 for mankind ; but by their love of the clean, whole- 

 some sand, they reclaim millions of acres of bar- 

 ren, desolate sand-dunes, not only along the sea- 

 shore but inland as well. 



On the west coast of France is found a good 

 illustration of this sand-reclaiming habit; here for 

 miles and miles the plant-life has reclaimed the 

 barren sand-dunes. Places once as void of trees 

 and grass as the desert of Sahara are now covered 

 with forests of pine, sea-holly, and various kinds 

 of shrubs and sand-loving grasses, all of which aid 

 in binding and tying the drifting sands together, 

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