ASEBST OF THE SAND. 41 



the same exposure, arranged in lines, and from 6 to 7 metres, (20 to 

 24 feet) apart. This cannot be done with seedlings in sandy soil, 

 as the soil would not cohere to the roots. When done quickly it 

 often succeeds well ; but with sundry disadvantages. 



The trees yield resin as well as the others, but they do not grow so 

 regularly as to yield equally useful wood. 



By Boitel it is intimated that it is well that the young pines which 

 grow in the vicinity of the sea should be numerous and closely grown, 

 as they can then resist with greater efficacy the shock of the winds 

 and storms, and, through the mutual support which they give, they are 

 less likely to bend and break under the load of snow cast upon them 

 in winter. 



The expense being greatly increased by the covering of branches, 

 to avoid this in many cases after the preliminary step of securing 

 shelter by an artificial dune, raised by clayonnage, they wait till the 

 sand is fixed by a spontaneous vegetation, or a plantation of gourbet 

 (calamagrogtis armaria), in spots a metre, or 40 inches apart ; and 

 when this has been done the grain is sown or planted ia accordance 

 with the method adopted on old inland sands. This is found to 

 do pretty well. 



When none of the measures described are practicable, the seed is 

 sown on the bare and mobile sand, and covered with branches of 

 pine obtained from the thinnings and prunings of the nearest pineries. 



In this case, the branches are disposed north and south ; along- 

 side of the first branch is laid a second ; along-side of the second a 

 third, and so on till the summit of the dune is reached. The 

 branches are cut of equal length, somewhere between 3 metres, or 

 3-50— or 10 and 12 feet. 



The first line of branches being formed, a second is laid down, and 

 a third, the one to the right, and the other to the left, in such a way 

 that the branches intercross. 



And to fix the whole, there is laid on the ends of the branches 

 a pine pole of about 8 centimetres, 3 or 4 inches in circumference, 

 ■ which is fixed in the ground at the end with small hooks of wood. 



If any part of the dune be firm, then this covering is dispensed 

 with. 



The expense of covering is great, but this need not be grudged, as 

 the drift sands, once covered with pines, produce vigorous forests, 

 which in a few years furnish wood and resins in abundance. And 

 thus have these drift sands been arrested, and kept from carrying 

 destruction to fields, and forests, and villages more remote, as may 



