POSSIBLE MEASURES OP" AMELIORATION. 157 



inland drift of sand to a large extent, if not completely, but the ridge 

 so formed would be an eyesore, and make Clifton no longer a desirable 

 place of resort, and therefore would stultify the policy, and render 

 useless the expense, of the works undertaken. 



But if complete prevention is unattainable, or attainable only at 

 the cost of what makes success undesirable, palliation is possible and 

 inexpensive. Some attempts have been made at planting the sandhills 

 in front of Clifton with a plant locally called goat's-foot creeper — 

 Ipomcea biloba., Forsk., — but this is not the most suitable plant to use. 

 It is an exotic and not a true des;rt plant, though almost one ; in years 

 of some rainfall it spreads rapidly over the surface of the ground, and 

 I am informed that, up to three years ago, it spread over the sandy parts 

 of Manora island and completely bound the sands there. During the 

 last three years Karachi has had practically no rainfall and the creeper 

 has died off the ground, leaving scattered root stocks which evidently 

 preserve their vitality and are ready to sprout again when the climatic 

 conditions become more favourable. Meanwhile the binding effect of 

 the creeper has been lost, just when it would be most valuable. 



Instead of incurring the expense of planting this exotic, a greater 



effect would be attained, at a less cost, by encouraging the growth of 



local grasses ; these send out long suckers, which send down roots from 



every joint, and so bind the soil together. The effect of the grass 



is very visible on the new land at Clifton, for every clump of grass is 



the centre of a low hillock of sand, heaped up round it and retained 



by the binding action of its roots. In the past these grasses have been 



kept down by heavy grazing, but this has been stopped, the grass is 



now spreading, and if some of the water given to the goat's-foot 



creeper were devoted to these grass-clumps they would spread with 



greater rapidity than the creeper does, and more effectually bind the 



sand. Once a fairly continuous cover of grass was established on the 



sand, the greater part of the additions blown up from the shore would 



be stopped by it, the growth of the sandhdls inland would be delayed, 



and, at a small expense, the amenities of Clifton preserved for many 



years to come. 



( 25 ) 



