Wellington Philosophical Society. 377 
grow vigorously, unless the inerease of sand is so rapid as to cover them entirely, in 
which case they are unable to recover themselves, and appear no more 
In moderately-sheltered positions, however, where the sand is buy blowing slightly, 
the Ammophila can be planted out with very slight loss of plants. 
m the expense of enclosures it may be impossible, for years to come, to adopt the 
pine plantation system in many localities where the grasses may, in the meantime, prove 
very useful 
One great advantage of the Ammophila, as a sand-fixing grass, is the ease of 
transplantation, one plant of it broken up may give some hundreds to plant out. 
The New Zealand plants Cyperus ustulatus and Spinifex hirsutus are both excellent 
for fixing sand ; but, after repeated attempts, I have only succeeded in transplanting two 
or three of the former, and, I think, none of the latter plants. My attempts with seed 
have been equally ineffectual. 
Lawson, of Edinburgh, recommends the seeds of Ammophila and Elymus to be 
puddled up with wet clay and short pieces of straw rope before sowing. No doubt this 
is an excellent plan, giving the young plant something to hold on to until it gets its roots 
established. But the success of Ammophila, must, I think, mainly depend upon close 
attention to planting it out during the damp season. 
Newcastle, N.S.W., 15th July, 1867. Dear Sir—In attention to your request 
that I may give you any information I may possess on the best means of stopping 
sand-drifts, I may, in the first place, remind you of the fact that a great deal of money 
has been spent here at Newcastle in attempting to stop them, by sowing and planting 
grasses, and that all such attempts have failed. 
** T recommend, from personal observation and knowledge of the mode of stopping 
the march of the sand-dunes on the sea-board between Bordeaux and Bayonne, that the 
same means should be employed which have there been so uniformly successful, and are 
as follows :— 
** Spaces along the sea-board above high water mark are hurdled in with close hurdles, 
about 4 feet 6 inches in height, forming squares of not more than 10 yards each way. 
In these spaces the seed of the maritime pine is sown, so that the young plants come up 
almost as thick as wheat. As they grow in strength year by year, they are thinned out, 
and in their growth completely prevent the further onward march of the sand and break 
the strength of the well-known gales of the Bay of Biscay, and protect further 
ns inland. 
` plantations 
“Ву application to our Consul at Bayonne, Captain Graham, to whom I am well 
known, I am sure he would take the trouble to obtain a few boxes or hogsheads of the 
seed if the payment of the expense of so doing was assured to him, and, as we have 
frequent communication by ships from Bordeaux, Mr. Graham would send the seed to 
Bordeaux to be shipped for Sydney. 
** This pine at full growth yields the resin which serves for sealing the wine bottles 
of Bordeaux, and the planks from which the cases for packing wine and brandy are 
made ; also, abundant turpentine is distilled from the resin. The tree is, in fact, a 
profitable culture, and I recommend it as most certain of suce 
**We have plenty of the bent grass growing here on the North Shore, but it does not 
prevent the spread of the sand. 
“I can give you more es if they be desired, and remain, &е., WILLIAM 
Keenz.—To J. R. Pringle, 
F2 
