122 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 
grasps, and securely binds, thus building the vast 
sand-dunes. 
Grasses are by far the most important group 
of plants; for all grains, such as corn, barley, wheat, 
oats, rice, and sugar-cane, are only cultivated 
grasses. 
But one of the greatest services that grasses 
afford mankind is the binding down and retain- 
ing of lands. To what extent in this use grasses 
can be utilised, men have but begun to discover. 
To this end, about eighty years ago, the United 
States Government undertook to reclaim the sand- 
dunes of the Province of Cape Cod; but only since 
1895, after these lands had been placed under the 
control of the Board of Harbor and Land Com- 
missioners of Massachusetts, has the undertaking 
been conducted in such a manner as to produce good 
results. In a number of southern and western 
States, and especially on the Pacific coast, inter- 
esting experiments have been made in the same way. 
Oregon has been using sand-binding grasses not 
only on the coast, but inland along the railroad- 
tracks as well, where by means of these grasses the 
barren embankments are protected from wind and 
rain. 
Among the various species of grass used for pro- 
tecting and building up islands and sandy land, the 
