1 Aprit, 1902.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 281 
Should the sand blow up against the growths mentioned, they will grow 
and conquer if only an inch is left above ground after being nearly covered by 
a sand or dust storm, and the nucleus of a long sand-hill is formed which will 
lie across the course of the prevailing wind; however it grows in height, the 
growth will appear above until it reaches a height to cause the drifting sand to 
he and rest on the windward side. A cross-section of the country would be 
rolling downs ultimately, with 5, 7, 8 miles of flats between, upon which the 
wind would not act, nor could not, because succulent growths would make 
themselves felt. After a time these long sand-dunes would carry acacias. 
Rolley polley against wire fences has done the above on a small scale. 
Possibly creeks would result along the flats from water out of the sand-hills. 
CopHam LAKke Horsge Pappockx.—Nettine FENcE CovreRED BY DRIFT-SAND, AND New ONE ABOVE. 
We here reproduce the Botany water supply. The cacti looked to for this result 
would not branch until in the free air, the portion covered up would throw out 
roots from the angles on its sides; but in free air there would be branches. 
They are not alone by any means in this; it is a trick well known to botanists 
as belonging to many a even our well-known Ficus, the Moreton Bay 
fig, like the banyan of India, sends roots down from their limbs in the air to 
seek moisture. Once beat the power of the wind, and there are many grasses 
and shrub growths which, given a start, will hold their own and spread over the 
face of the country, and hold the surface soil and sand. 
The nopal cactus (Opuntia cochinellifera) is the cochineal insect’s food- 
plant, but whether labour conditions in this State would enable its cultivation 
to be profitable is not for the writer of this paper to decide. They can all 
resist a dry atmosphere and powerful sunshine ; they occupy arid soils, or sand 
districts, and resist long droughts, because they dive down through the sand 
for moisture; have no pores, so waste no moisture (like the eland and desert 
animals generally, have no pores in their skins), and are spoken of as preparing 
the soil for other plants (see ‘‘ Cactacex,” Chambers’ Encyclopedia, or any 
other), which might be vegetation from the South American pampas, as many 
of them are great fodder plants. Here is a vast level country, the pampas, 
which only wants the harmony of Nature to be interfered with in the greed for 
wealth to become another great sand desert. 
For the Western districts Nature’s pas must be copied, and new methods 
panpted, or a very severe penalty will be meted out, and perhaps the proud 
gy ised (?) man will be conquered, instead of conquering, and be driven off 
the land. } 
