The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-05-03
ANcHoRING OF SAND DUNES
They Were Covered with Vegetation
to Prevent Them from Engulf-
ing Arabic Land.

So much attention has been directed
to the work that is being done in re-
claiming the arid and semi-arid lands OF
the west that the reclamation work along
the Atlantic coast is almost entirely
overlooked. The familiar sand dunes.
characteristic ofthe coast from Cape Cod
to Cape Fear. while perhaps artistic, con-
stltute a menace to adjacent cultivated
lands and are useless in themselves. Mas
sachusetts. at considerable expense, has
been endeavoring TO reclaim the sand
dunes that form SO large a part OF the
Province Lands" on Cape Cod
1t has been found that sand is readily
bound together by grass roots. and that
II sturdy varieties of grass. suitable for
sandy soils. are planted and cared for
while obtaining foothold and maturing.
they will gradually cover large areas.
transforming them from shifting worth
less lands into veritable fertile cultivable
fields. Many years Of forestry work in
Europe have shown that after the grasses
have made a start, trees can be success
fully raised on these erstwhile sand piles,
which may thus be made to yield a reve-
nue.. Some OF the most extensive and
mobile sand dunes In the United States,
however. are found in the west. and 1t is
the ambition of the bureau of forestry to
cover these with permanent forest
growths. Along the Columbia river In
Washington the sand is very light owing
| to the large proportion of mica II con-
tains. and consequently is easily blown
about by the winds.
In a part of the lower Columbia river
valley great orchards have been actually
| engulfed with the shifting sands. and the
| railroads have experienced great diff
| ficulty in maintaining their tracks In this
| district In passable condition. In order
| to make a practical test as to the best
| method OF treating these duns, a strip of
land on the Colombia river. between
| Willow creek and the John Day river.
has been set aside by the government for
extensive experiments based on the work
done In Massachusetts referred to above.
In the east. tree planting plans for own
ers of sandy tracts are being prepared.
this extending the scope OF the practical
cooperation begun by the bureau of
try.-Philadelphia Record.
High Price for an Orchid.
An adontoglossum crispin belonging
to f. A. Ashworth. a noted orchid
grower of Cheshire. England. was re-
Gently sold at auction fer sl.700. This
is believed to be the record price uI-
der the hammer.
Ine inconvenience of having toe
good a reputation 10 suggested by a
recent report Of the inspector OF the
poor of Glasgow. Scotland. The fame
of Glasgow's reforms and its many
philanthropic institutions has SC
spread abroad. he says. that the Inn
provident flock thither from all parts
Of the kingdom under the impression
that life is made easy for everybody.
The poorhouse cannot accommodate
them all. and the city is overrun with
people so lazy'-in the picturesque
language of the report-"that rather
than take their hands out Of their
pockets to turn the handle of a door
they lounge against and burst it ouen. "