THE SAND DUNES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 52, 25 November 1919, Page 10

THE SAND DUNES

SCHEMES OF RECLAMATION

SIR JAMES WILSON'S

SUGGESTIONS

Tho reclamation of sand dunes is the subject of a letter addressed lo the Knitaia Cham'ber of Comnierco by Sir James Wilson, president of tho Board of Agriculture. The chamber has been interesting itself in the treatment of tho diifiing sand dunes of tho Kaitaia district.

In the south of France, south of Bordeaux, there is a large area of land v.-lifell goes under the name of "Landes" (writes Sir .lames Wilson). It is a pro\inee, but when the Landes district is spoken of, it means tho swampy district inside the sand dunes on the coast. On this country there lived a few rheumatic fowlers, and the sand dunes spread gradually inland. The Dutch people had previously shown that it was possible to stop the drift by marram grass, and had planted the area then stabilised with trees. Jn Aberdeenshire the same had happened, and one of the laws of George 111, I think, prohibits tho cutting of any of this turf. Coke, of Norfolk, has also shown what could be done by planting on the Wash in his county. Tho French authorities, therefore, determined lo stop tho moving sand by planting mnn'um grass. This was done, and when the grass had taken, the vind was planted with pinus pinarter, which seems to bo the 'tree which has stood the blasts from the sea best. This enabled the Governor of the Provinco to start a great drainage scheme, and the low, unhealthy places were so dried that tho land became very valuable. Meanwhile the trees grew up. Tlie unwisdom of the British people who had neglected forestry (tho French as a nation are great foresters), and therefore when the mines required props they could not bo procured in sufficient numbers, and a trade with tho French people of the Landes district sprang up and many thousands of the thinnings of tho forest on the sand dunes aro now holding up the roofs in tlio British mines. The district bceamo healthy and prosperous, instead of the very reverse. Wo have in New Zealand "somo 300,000 acres of sand dunes. Wo havo in the "Farmers' Advocate," been '-ersistently asking that these should be planted. They aro in the midst of settlement, and wo know grow valuable pines. On the Foxton line of railway there is a plantation—it is spoken of in Mr. HutcJiins's Wainoua Forest pamphlet— which is some 35 years ;ld, which was planted on a sand drift which was blow, ing acrofs tho road and r.aihvay. It is now a great forest of insignis trees with muricatas on tho outer edge. On sonio land my son has some distance abovo this, on pure sand tho trees havo done well. This is in the midst of the sandy coast. We got the Government to begin planting trees at tho Eangitikei Heads, but the war camp and it was given up. Tho trees, however, did well, but cattle have got in and destroyed many. We hopo to see this work begun again soon. Sir Francis Bell, who is at tho head of tlio Forestry Department, is a keen forester, and ho hopes to appoint a Director of Forestry soon. I hopo the above may be of advantage to you in your attempt to profit the district by reclaiming from waste some land which for ordinary production is useless, i.ut may be made for future generations more profitable than tho best of land."