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The National Geographic Magazine 



Sand Dunes Controlled by a Covering of Sand Hedges, on the Kurische Nehrung, 



Northeastern Prussia 



ering used depends upon climatic condi- 

 tions and the availability and cost of 

 material. The aim is, when possible, to 

 produce a forest, as this is permanent, 

 and, moreover, if properly managed, 

 yields an income. However, a forest 

 can not be produced with certainty upon 

 a surface of drifting sand, and it is 

 therefore necessary to temporarily fix 

 the sand in some other manner. Al- 

 though any covering of inert material, 

 such as chips, gravel, brush, etc., would 

 answer the purpose, economic factors 

 have reduced the preliminary methods 

 of fixation to these: (i) transplanting 

 beach grass; (2 ) covering with heather; 

 (3) covering with a network of sand 

 hedges. 



(1) Many plants have been tried, but 

 the most satisfactory is beach grass 

 ( ' Ammophila arenaria Link) . This grass 

 grows naturally upon the sand dunes of 

 the north Atlantic coast of Europe as 



far south as Morocco, and of America 

 as far south as North Carolina, and also 

 along our Great Lakes. This is the 

 grass which was used in reclaiming the 

 land which is now Golden Gate Park in 

 San Francisco. It has also been im- 

 ported at various other points along the 

 Pacific coast. To fix the sand the grass 

 is transplanted in spring or fall and set 

 two or three feet apart in the sand. The 

 blowing sand is caught and held by the 

 grass, but it has the power to grow up 

 through the accumulated sand, and thus, 

 with care to replant where necessary, it 

 becomes a permanent covering. As a 

 forest can not be established close to the 

 ocean, a strip a few rods wide must be 

 permanently fixed in this 'manner. 



(2) In localities where heather is 

 abundant this is cut with brush scythes 

 and laid upon the surface of the sand. 

 It is held in place by a little sand thrown 

 over the edge of each layer. 



