RAILWAY, SCHOOL, AND RESTHOUSE GARDENS 459 



Climbers. Ornamental climbers can be used with charming 

 effect over bamboo or iron arches, twined round tree trunks or 

 trained in festoons between pillars. They may also serve useful 

 purposes in screening off an unsightly outhouse or shading an 

 exposed verandah. Climbers, however, may be injurious to buil- 

 dings if allowed to grow unchecked over the roof, and 'Should 

 therefore be kept within bounds. 



Lawns The beds or borders should be so arranged as to 

 leave plenty of working space between them, and this should, 

 whenever feasible, be laid in turf so as to afford all the lawn 

 possible. The latter forms the best setting, and if well kept will 

 not only increase the ornamental effect of the plants, but will in 

 itself always present a very attractive and pleasing appearance. A 

 lawn is easily produced, and when made entails less labour in up- 

 keep than the same area laid out in fanciful strips of paths and 

 borders. The ground should first be dug up and uniformly 

 levelled ; the surface may then be covered with turf, or, if this is 

 scarce, roots of grass may be dibbled in at three or four inches 

 apart, and the surface afterwards rolled. Seed of any good local 

 turf grass, as " Tutteri," if sown and covered with a sprinkling of 

 soil will soon form a green sward. Wet weather should, of course, 

 be chosen for any work of this nature. When th^ turf is well 

 established the grass should be kept short, which may easily be 

 done by an edged bamboo splint, if a small lawn mower is not 

 available. 



Upkeep. -However well a garden may be laid out and planted, 

 its usefulness and attractiveness will depend upon how the grounds 

 and general surroundings are looked after. As a rule it may be 

 accepted that the condition of a garden invariably reflects the 

 extent of personal interest of its owner or the person in charge. 

 Keeping the grass short and the turf uniformly level, the paths 

 clean- weeded with neatly cut edges, hedges neatly trimmed, weed- 

 ing, forking, and mulching the soil these are operations which 

 should never be neglected, and go far to make a perfect garden. 



Propagation. Simple propagation, as by cuttings, division of 

 roots or bulbs, etc., may easily be carried out in small gardens, as at 

 Railway stations, Resthouses, Schools, etc. Too often valuable 

 plants are allowed to run out of stock, and the Government Gardens 

 are expected to replace them when required. All that is necessary 

 is a bed of loose rich soil in a shady corner. This should be dug to 

 about 2 feet deep, so as to afford good drainage and encourage the 

 retention of moisture in the soil in drv weather. Remove anv 



