XII 
PLANTS THAT BUILD ISLANDS 
“Where the grey beach glimmering runs, as a belt of the 
dawn.” 
EW men realise the tremendous value of plants 
in protecting and building up land. Not only 
do they build islands in the lakes and rivers, and 
cover them with marvellous flowers and trees, thus 
making homes for birds, insects, animals, and even 
for mankind; but by their love of the clean, whole- 
some sand, they reclaim millions of acres of bar- 
ren, desolate sand-dunes, not only along the sea- 
shore but inland as well. 
On the west coast of France is found a good 
illustration of this sand-reclaiming habit; here for 
miles and miles the plant-life has reclaimed the 
barren sand-dunes. Places once as void of trees 
and grass as the desert of Sahara are now covered 
with forests of pine, sea-holly, and various kinds 
of shrubs and sand-loving grasses, all of which aid 
in binding and tying the drifting sands together. 
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