120 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



and the island is said to be fordable, but it was not so, 

 and our horses began to swim. 1 



' Crystal apples 2 I call the bullet-shaped stones, the 

 size of apples, that occasionally occur in chalk-hills. 

 These crystal apples are plentiful here in Oland. I have 

 also found them in Osmundsberge in Dalland. We saw 

 Boda Church lying a mile ' [Swedish] ' from Gaxa. The 

 minister here told us that the people were very dis- 

 quieted about our travels, and watched us narrowly, 

 having heard of our journey to BlSkulla. They took us 

 surely for spies. From Boda we took our way due north, 

 wishing to see the northernmost point of Oland. We 

 travelled through an extensive wood, reaching as far as 

 Sjotorp ; but the forest was only of small firs covered 

 with cones, and junipers growing no larger than 

 bushes. Sjotorp, a farmstead set in rich black earth, 

 ended our sandy way, at a mile ' [Swedish] ' from 

 Boda. 



'-June 18. From Sjotorp we journeyed to Gran- 

 kulla, the next village, lying nearer the coast. The whole 

 region between the village and the sea was covered with 

 sand-hills. The flying sand was driven by a strong 

 southerly wind. Arundo arenaria grew over these 

 sand-hills, binding the sand ; as the Dutch plant it on 

 their dunes to fasten and fatten the sand. Carex 

 arenaria likewise grew here. Thus Nature herself 

 teaches us to make use of this grass to check and 



1 He gives a long list of plants growing on this islet. 



2 JKtites jpomum crystallinum. 



