THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
OcToBER I, 1903. 
LIFT UP THE BARK 
each side of the cut and push the bud in. 
If any part comes up above the cross cut 
let it be cut off level to it; then bind it in 
with matting. Everything should be ready 
so that the sap on either the stock or the 
bark of the bud does not get dry; if it does 
the bud will not grow, as the cells get 
clogged,so that the sap cannot pass through 
them, 
LUPINS. 
Some time ago we recommended Lupins 
as amongst some of the best of decorative 
border plants. The common field variety 
appears to be the only one known to 
gardeners in Australia. That assertion is 
perhaps a little too sweeping; but the 
thought arises from the fact that the best 
varieties are never seen in the suburban 
gardens. We recommended the beautiful 
yellow Menziesii, the white Termis, the 
rose Mutabilis, and the violet and rose 
Elegans. We give an illustration, sent to 
us from an unknown source, and we think 
our readers will agree that it is a plant 
worth cultivating. The name is derived 
from lupus, a wolf, owing to its predatory 
habits. 
atro-coccineus is crimson, tipped with white. 
Cruikshankii (or mutabilis versicolor) comes 
rom Peru ; its flowers are blue, white, and 
pink. 
Of the perennial varieties polyphyllus has 
bluish-purple flowers; nootkatansis, blue, 
purple, white, and yellow ; and arboreus, from 
California, yellow. This variety grows several 
feet high, lives for four or five years, and 
grows a pithy trunk as thick as a man’s 
arm. 
DAHLIAS. 
The absorbing passion that caught hold of 
gardeners some time ago for growing this 
delightful plant seems to have abated some- 
what. The introduction of the Cactus 
varieties created quite a spell of enthu- 
siasm ; but gardeners on the plains found 
that the favourable climatic conditions of 
more elevated regions were wanting, and 
hence the hills growers now have a com- 
parative monopoly of this beauty. They 
are, however, still very strongly favoured, 
and growers have their Dahlia beds already 
prepared, with the corms set out. But it 
is not too late. The tubers that have been 
stored and are showing shoots as an in- 
fallible sign that they require to be put into 
Lupins. 
Lupins belong to the Pea family, and in 
the South of Europe the common white 
annual variety is ploughed in for the sake of 
the nitrogen-separating tubercles found in its 
roots. On the Roman stage the seeds were 
used as representing money, hence Horace 
used the expression “quid distent aera 
lupinus,” “the difference between coins and 
counters.” 
The flowers are blue, pink, yellow, white, 
as noted in the seed catalogues. Hybridus- 
their beds should be attended to. They 
may be cut up like potatoes. If left till the 
shoots are three or four inches long they 
may be taken off and placed in pots and 
struck in heat. Single Dahlias may be 
easily raised from seed s»wn in Spring and 
planted out when the frosts are gone, which 
will be during this month, Dahlias are 
gross feeders and great drinkers. The 
ground should be made very rich by adding 
plenty of well rotted stable manure, and 
abundantly watered during the summer 
months. As soon as the shoots begin to 
attain a height by which they may be 
affected by the wind, they should be care- 
fully staked, as they are very brittle, and 
apt to get broken. A light mulch of strawy 
manure will materially help the plants in 
keeping the ground moist. ‘The application 
of liquid manure should be delayed until 
the plants are well forward, and then it will 
be found invaluable, particularly when the 
buds begin to show. ‘The list of varieties 
has grown to a great length in the show, 
pompom, cactus, dwarf, and tree sections, 
and almost any seedsman’s catalogue will 
gratify the most exacting choice. We 
must say, however, that no garden of any 
pretensions is complete without the variety 
known as Tree Dahlias. We know of 
nothing more beautiful than a cluster of 
these. They grow to a height of about 15 
feet, with a great profusion of bloom. ‘The 
white tinged with rose colored Imperialis 
is beautiful, and Maximiliana (mauve 
colour) is a delightful specimen of beauty 
when in full bloom in early autumn, 
CUTTINGS. 
Early in this month borders should be 
prepared for propagating cuttings, and a 
great deal of work is done for pot plants. 
One type of cutting will not suit all plants. 
The simplest form of cutting is that of 
those soft-wooded or fleshy-stemmed plants 
that throw out roots anywhere along their 
surfaces. The Coleus isa familiar type, cut- 
tings of which will root if made by cut- 
ting through the stem at any point. The 
majority of cuttings, however, have to be 
cut off just below a joint, in order to get 
them to root freely. If cut off midway 
between two joints the chances are the 
cutting would rot, or at least be much 
longer rooting. The reason is that the 
wood cells are closer together at the joints, 
causing the stem at that point to be firmer 
and more capable of forming that collection 
of cells which we call a callus, and from 
which roots ultimately spring. 
Some plants go yet a step fuather, and 
the young shoots of the current growth 
seem incapable of forming roots, and in 
order to get the cuttings of such to root 
successfully it is necessary to secure with 
each a portion of two-year-old wood. This 
portion constitutes the ‘‘heel,” or the ‘piece 
of old wood attached.” ‘There are several 
ways of securing this, according to the 
growth or habit of the plant. In many 
cases the shoots can be broken out of their 
sockets, or cut off close up to the stem, 
which is a type of cutting suited to many 
shrubby plants. Another method of getting 
cuttings with a heel, and which is applicable 
to many plants which are cut down in 
Spring in order to get a crop of young 
shoots wherewith to form cuttings, is to 
press them downwards and tear from the 
plant, the skinny ends being clipped or 
cut off. 
Yet another method is where the young 
current shoot is cut out of the branch as in 
the case of a rose or other bud for budding. 
Sometimes the branch may be cut into sec- 
tions, cutting close under the joints, and 
having two young shoots, one on either side, 
