Tea VERS, — On the Redamation of Sand Dunes. 9S 



chance of again becoming clothed with a protective growth. The subject is 

 not one to be treated hghtly, seeing that the area of dunes on the West 

 Coast of this Provincial District alone cannot be less than 150,000 acres, 

 and that the prevalent winds are generally westerly, and, therefore, exactly 

 those which are likely to do serious mischief. 



As enquiries are frequently made on the subject, I think it well to add a 

 few words as to the mode in which forest trees are cultivated on dunes. 

 The principal tree so cultivated on the French dunes is the Pinus maritima, 

 which, besides being valuable for timber, yields a considerable annual 

 revenue from turpentine and resin. It is always grown from seed on the 

 spot which it is intended to occupy, the young shoots being protected for 

 several seasons by the branches of other trees either planted in rows, or 

 formed into wattled hedges, or staked down over the surface of the sand. 

 The sand grasses too are used for the purpose of shelter, and as the pine 

 does not thrive well close to the sea, these grasses (especially Avimophila 

 arundinacea and Elymus arenarius) are planted along the beach and for some 

 distance inland, and these when grown effectually prevent the sand from 

 overwhelming the young trees. 



It is found that under the shade of the pine, while still young, deciduous 

 trees and a great variety of herbaceous and shrubby plants thrive well, and 

 contribute to the rapid formation of a coating of vegetable mould. In fact, 

 so soon as the pine has become well estabhshed, the reclamation of the sand 

 waste may be looked upon as an accomplished fact. Turpentine is extracted 

 from these trees for several years before they are cut for timber, and 

 although this has a tendency to check the growth of the tree, it is found to 

 improve the quality of the timber. The trees commence yielding turpen- 

 tine at the age of about eighteen or twenty years, and have been found to 

 yield from that age, up to the age of eighty or a hundred years, an annual 

 return, independently of the value of the timber itself, of about ^1 an acre. 

 It may interest you to know that Ammophila arundinacea and Elymus 

 arenarius, as well as other foreign sand grasses, have been introduced and 

 successfully cultivated by Mr. Coutts Crawford at Mu-amar Peninsula, where 

 they have akeady been of great service in preventing the spread of the sand 

 over valuable pasture ground. 



The following is a list of the principal plants found upon the sand dunes 

 of New Zealand : — 



Of primary value for fixing the sands : 



Coprosma acerosa, A. Cunn. 



Convolvulus soldanella, Linn. 



Pimelea arenaria, A. Ctmn. 



Leptooarpus simples, A, Rich, 



Carex pumila, Thunh, 



