October 6, 1888.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



389 



PLANTING SANDHILLS. 



On p. 365 of your last issue, " Doubtful " inquires 

 what trees can be planted on sandhills composed 

 only of sand blown from the sea in the North-west 

 of England. Though the sandhills of the North- 

 west are unknown to me, I have had considerable 

 acquaintance with those thrown up on parts of the 

 coast of Norfolk, and perhaps may therefore be able 

 to impart a little useful information to " Doubtful " 

 and other of your readers who take an interest in the 

 subject. 



If the sand shifts its position during high winds, 

 the first thing to be done is to take steps to fix it, 

 and nothing answers this purpose better in the 

 most exposed parts than the planting of roots or 

 tufts of Marram-grass (Arundo arenaria). Other 

 good things in the same way, but rather more diffi- 

 cult to obtain in quantity, being Elymus glaucophyl- 

 lus and E. arenarius. The roots of these grasses 

 permeate the sand in all directions, and to great 

 depths, holding and binding it together, while those 

 parts of them which grow above ground protect the 

 surface from the wind. No manure is actually 

 necessary to be given towards the support of these 

 plants — Nature provides all that is requisite for their 

 sustenance. 



The shifting sands having been specially attended 

 to in the first instance, steps should next be taken 

 towards the establishing of a taller growing vegeta- 

 tion, and for this purpose Furze, Broom, Tamarisks, 

 Escallonias, Japan Euonymuses, Sea Buckthorn, 

 common Elder, Willows of many sorts, Fir trees, 

 such as the Austrian, Corsican, Maritime, and 

 Highland Pine; and inside these Elms, Ash, Thorns, 

 Beech, Birch, and almost any other trees that grow 

 freely in light land may be planted. A good cover- 

 ing for the ground between the trees and shrubs will 

 be found in the common St. John's Wort (Hyperi- 

 cum calycinum), and in the Periwinkles. 



To establish Furze and Broom, in some instances 

 scattering seed on the ground and roughly scratching 

 it in will suflice ; in others planting and immediately 

 afterwards cutting off the tops almost level with the 

 ground : and again in others it may be best to sow 

 seeds in pots — five or six seeds to a small pot — and 

 when grown planting out without breaking the ball 

 of earth ; hundreds or even thousands of pots may 

 be prepared at a trifling cost. Escallonias and ever- 

 green Oaks do not transplant freely in the usual 

 way, but by removing a great portion of their tops 

 and planting not much more than their roots success 

 is insured. They may also be turned out of pots 

 with safety, but the expense is much greater. The 

 Japan Euonymus transplants as easily as Privet, to 

 which it is nearly allied ; and of this, as well as of 

 Escallonias, it may truly be said that in the British 

 Isles the nearer the sea the better they thrive. Most 

 of these things will be much assisted by applications 

 of manure, and the economical manuring and soiling 

 of sand I purpose treating of later on. Tamarisks, 

 Elders, and Willows thrive nnder the influence of 

 • salt blasts, and may be established in this way : — The 

 plants having been obtained (whether small or large 

 matters little), should have their tops cut off close 

 to the roots and the stump then planted ; the tops, 

 then cut into lengths 18 to 24 inches long, should 

 next be inserted in the soil, about two-thirds or three- 

 quarters of their length being beneath, and one-third 

 or one quarter above ground. A large percentage of 

 them will strike root freely as the application of 

 manure will cause vigorous growth. When shelter 

 has been provided by these means and the site of the 

 gardens (if it be desired to form these for the choicer 

 products of horticultural skill), decided upon, the 

 next consideration is the formation of good garden 

 mould ; and this, if required to be done quicklv, will be 

 a more or less difficult work according to the dis- 

 trict. It is by no means necessary to wait till the 

 shelter trees have grown up before commencing to 

 form the garden, provided that all danger of sand 

 being blown over the site determined on has been 

 effectually prevented. 



Materials for forming a good garden soil on sand 



are, clay (this is indispensable), peat of some kind or 

 other, bog peat being perhaps the best for the pur- 

 pose, mud from ponds, rivers, &c. ; chalk such as 

 frost will pulverise, street and road scrapings, and 

 rotten rubbish of various kinds. Where materials 

 of this kind are difficult to obtain a good soil may be 

 formed (and a permanently good one if small quan- 

 tities of clay can be occasionally applied to the sur- 

 face during frosty weather), by sowing '.rass seeds on 

 the site where the garden is eventually to be, and 

 grazing cattle or sheep on it, feeding them at the same 

 time with oil-cake or other rich foods. Though this 

 plan may take some few years to carry out, it will in 

 most places be much cheaper than the other. 



It should be remembered that there is nothing so 

 effectual as clay in correcting the deficiencies of a 

 sandy soil, but that to exert its influence in the highest 



degree it must be thoroughly pulverised and mixed with 

 the sand, and that nothing pulverises clay like frost, to 

 which, therefore, it should be as much exposed as pos- 

 sible before ploughing or digging it in. Usually it may 

 be obtained and applied during frosty weather most 

 cheaply, and certainly in a manner most likely to 

 be effectual. 



With regard to manuring these sandy tracts, there 

 are, of course, many methods ; and while some will 

 be best in some districts, others will be best in 

 others. Farmyard, stable, earth-closet, nightsoil, 

 seaweed, fish, and many other " complete " manures 

 (and by complete manures I mean those which con- 

 tain iu easily assimilable form all the essential 

 combinations necessary to add to the poorest soil), 

 may be best accordingly as the facilities for obtaining 

 them exist. Where these natural manures cannot 

 be reasonably obtained, complete artificial manures 

 will suffice ; they must contain in proper proportions, 



and in suitable combinations, nitrogen, phosphates, 

 potash, and lime, possibly also magnesia. If they 

 are applied in autumn these essentials need not be 

 in so soluble a condition as when applied in spring 

 or during a time of great root-activity. Sand has 

 no power to hold these soluble manurial constituents, 

 and therefore winter rains are apt to wash them 

 down and away from the roots ; but when roots are 

 in full activity they would seize on them as the rain 

 carried them in, and the above-ground portions of 

 the plant would quickly show the benefit derived. 

 In many places certain difficulties peculiar to the 

 locality may exist. If any such appear to exist in 

 " Doubtful's " locality, and he would mention them, 

 I would gladly endeavour to point out such ways 

 as seemed to me most desirable to adopt for over- 

 coming them. 



A hint as to the fertilisation of maritime sand-hills 

 may be taken from the guano islands, where sea- 

 birds are continually adding their dung to former 

 deposits thereof — their bodies after death also making 

 further additions to the accumulations. Sea-birds, 

 to a greater or less extent, perform the same func- 

 tions all round the coasts of Britain, but unless there 

 is vegetation to make use of the materials they 

 deposit, these are eventually dissolved and carried 

 awav bv rain. Where vegetation is present it seizes 

 on these materials by means of its roots, as they 

 become washed into the ground by rain, and it 

 profits immensely thereby. There are many berry- 

 bearing plants which will be found extremely useful 

 in sand-waste platting, and which will help greatly 

 to attract and sustain game. Some of these likely 

 to succeed well are Cotoneaster Simonsi and 

 other Cotoneasters.the common English Blackberry, 

 Privet, and Elder, Berberis of several kinds, the 

 Blackthorn or Sloe, Whitethorn, common Holly 

 and Snowberry ; the more animal [query rabbits ?] 

 and vegetable life (within reasonable limits) 

 that can be got to thrive together, the more 

 quickly will a rich surface mould be formed 

 from the decay of leaves, twigs, dung, &c. 

 This accumulation of mould will go on to some 

 extent without any aid from human art when once 

 started, but human art may do much to increase 

 the rapidity of the accumulation, and to retain 

 it in a useful condition after production. Though 

 " blowing " and shitting sandhills may be fixed by 

 vegetation, and luxuriant vegetation may be estab- 

 lished on these as well as on more level sandy wastes, 

 yet there are a few places of the kind where it might 

 not be advisable to attempt anything of the sort. I 

 know of one long stretch of sandbank on the coast of 

 Norfolk which, if it were once fixed by vegetation, 

 its destruction would in a few years be insured, and 

 disaster to the country now protected by it would 

 inevitably ensue. It is a most interesting spot, and 

 a description of it, the natural causes producing it, 

 and its effect, deserve treatment in a separate article. 

 With hardly an exception, however, I would under- 

 take to cover any sandbank above high-water mark 

 anywhere round the British Isles with more or less 

 luxuriant vegetation in the course of four years or 

 so, if the opportunity were given me ; and in some 

 cases I have no doubt but that the produce might be 

 made to pay expenses. J. E. E. 



PHALJENOPSIS STUAKTIANA. 



The accompanying sketch (fig. 54) shows the 

 formation of leaf-buds on the inflorescence of this 

 plant subsequent to the fall of the flowers — a fact 

 which will be more gratifying to the amateur than to 

 the nurseryman, as the buds afford a ready means of 

 propagation. Our sketch was taken by Mr. Weathers 

 from a plant in the Royal Gardens, Kew. 



Horticultural Club,— The first dinner and 



conversazione for the session 1S8S-1889 of the Horti- 

 cultural Club will take place at their new rooms, 

 Hotel Windsor. Victoria Street, Westminster, "on 

 Tuesday, 9th inst., at 6 p.m. The subject for dis- 

 cussion'will be "Peaches," to be opened by Mr. T. 

 Francis Rivers. 



