126 MODERN FOREST ECONOMY. 



which had been almost entirely stript of vegetation, and 

 to fix the land in order that the small villages situate 

 there, and amongst others Polsk, might be made safe ; 

 and to maintain the land communication between Danzig 

 and Pillau, as well as to prevent a breaking through of 

 the sea into the Frische Haff,* lying behind these strand 

 dunes. In the first instance, Polsk had to be saved. 



' In November 1833 the fixing of the sand began in 

 very stormy weather. While this still continued, 

 many houses were covered up with the overwhelming 

 sand, and before these and others could be completely 

 protected, it was well nigh the middle of January 1834 ; 

 when a hard frost, and the money appropriated to the 

 enterprise, had so far advanced the work that the safety of 

 Polsk could be said to be secured. In point of fact, there 

 was only one house entirely, and a second half covered up ; 

 and by and bye the work was so far advanced that pretty 

 nearly the whole of the eastern dune district, well nigh 

 7000 jock, of open sands were fixed ; and in 1843 only 

 some 1500 required to be fixed. . . . 



' Krause, during the 35 years in which he conducted the 

 West Prussian Dunenbau, or engineering operations to 

 arrest and utilise the dunes, had altered the method of 

 operations introduced by Bioeru, as is described in his 

 Lehrbuch, or Manual of Instruction, and by which the 

 results following the operations conducted by him were 

 obtained. 



' In the first place he had recognised the necessity and im- 

 portance of making the Vorduneor sand-banks between the 

 sea and the dunes to be more immediately operated on, 

 whereby the whole strand, without interruption, is lined, 

 and of fixing these by the planting of them continuously 



* As has been intimated before, the Frische Haff is one of the extensive sand-formed 

 projections into the sea, parallel to the shore, characteristic of that district, and not 

 unknown on the coast of England. They present the appearance which we should 

 expect a bar of a river to take if it rose above the level of the sea, leaving an outlet, 

 not in the centre, but at one end. The enclosed basin is designated the ' Haff 'the 

 haven, gulf, or bay while the low-lying land enclosed is designated the ' Nehrung.' 

 A little further to the east is the Kurishe Haff, while further to the west a similar Haff 

 is found on the mouth of the Oder, upon which is situated the port of Stettin. 



