COVERING SAND DUNES ON THE SEA COAST. 175 



fields, converted into sand-wastes. The most remark- 

 able case known is the Tidswilde Hegn (forest) situated 

 at the north coast of the Danish island "Seeland." This 

 island is one of the most fertile spots on the earth, con- 

 taining a soil which produces the best grain and the 

 finest forests, composed of beeches and oaks. The north 

 coast of the island is exposed to strong winds, which carry 

 enormous masses of sea-sand to the coast, forming there 

 great hillocks. Up to four hundred years ago, forests of 

 f oliaged trees extended behind these hillocks, and arrested 

 the flying sand so that the fertile land lying behind 

 the forests were not exposed to the inroads of the sand. 

 But, since then, the woods, which formerly belonged to 

 the Government, came into private hands and were 

 ruined by excessive fellings so that, two hundred years 

 later, the blowing sand had moved several miles inland, 

 covering whole villages and towns with powdered quartz- 

 grains, to the depth of several feet. One hundred and 

 fifty years ago, the Danish Government, in order to pro- 

 tect this beautiful island from complete ruin, com- 

 menced operations to confine the shifting sand to the 

 north coast, and to cover its sandy surface with forest- 

 trees. This has been done so successfully that, at pres- 

 ent, fine beech and oak forests are grown where, two 

 hundred years ago, several feet of sand were piled up. 



However, we need not to go to Europe in order to see 

 the damages done by the shifting sands of the dunes, 

 when the natural protection of the coasts, the forest- 

 growth has disappeared. We have the same spectacle 

 before us on the coasts of Long Island and New Jersey. 

 At the south side of Long Island there were, some thirty 

 years ago, pine forests behind the dunes, which, with the 

 increasing improvements on Coney Island, Uockaway 

 Beach, etc., have been felled. Since that tin^e, the wind 

 commenced to carry the sea-sand into the interior of the 



