Rockery and Alpine Garden. 
287 
from a stoneyard, though small, are very useful, and can be cemented 
together to form large blocks, presenting a nice rough serrated surface. Such 
material is often cheap, and always good for our purpose. The burrs from 
the base of brick kilns are useful, if old and very rough and irregular in 
outline; indeed, the older and rougher the better for our purpose, and it 
often happens that a load or two of old moss-grown burrs may be obtained at 
a cheaper rate on that very account, whereas they are really worth more than 
new ones. If, however, new ones are the more readily obtainable, they may 
be vastly improved by a cement wash, as described below, or a fairly lasting 
effect may be produced by a properly made limewash, applied, of course, in 
both cases some time before being used in building the rock garden. 
This will not only minimise the bad effect of new burrs upon plant life, but 
will give the rock masses the appearance of a grey limestone, which is more 
pleasing in every way than that of the burrs, for they always proclaim the 
fact that they are simply distorted bricks, and therefore unnatural in con¬ 
structing a miniature mountain pass. 
We will now suppose that no real rock or even burrs are obtainable; it is 
still possible to make a very good substitute for rock, and that, too, at a very 
small cost. Brick rubbish, composed mainly of damaged bricks (that is, not 
absolutely rubble, although even that can be used), is obtained almost any¬ 
where, and, except for foundations of roadways or paths, has a low value ; 
indeed, it is sometimes a material to be got rid of. After getting as much 
of this as may be required, make a mortar of good fresh cement (one part) to 
from two to four parts of gritty sand or fine coal ashes. The proportion of 
four parts to one will stand fairly well under ordinary circumstances, but the 
mixture of two parts to one will make a rock mass, if properly done, that will 
last like granite. The brick fragments, which should of course be wetted, 
may be built together in the form and size required with the mortar, and must 
on no account be exposed to frost until well set and dried; the washing may 
be done at time of making, or at any time afterwards. It is a good plan to 
procure a certain quantity of cement, such as may be requisite for the other 
materials on hand, and use it at one time, as nothing is so disappointing as 
to find one’s work all wasted on account of “ perished ” cement. 
Of course, useful blocks of material can be made of almost any refuse, and 
even flints, but they would cost too much in cement. Good blocks of old 
refuse concrete are by no means to be despised, and a very pretty rock 
garden indeed may be made of this material, resembling as it does the 
