. aaa 
SNe oy EES x 
As the path leads along up the creek we 
note a finely grown Willow with a pole 
standing upright in the centre of the main 
trunk, and showing some feet above where 
the tree begins to branch. It looks odd 
The explanation is that the tree was blown 
down when younger, and the gardener 
splinted the broken trunk with a piece of 
timber. It grew all right and quite 
strong, but with so many other calls upon 
his time, the tree surgeon had not time 
to remove the remaining splint. The 
same thing happened to what is now a 
well-grown specimen of Tibia Europa, and 
only the eye of an expert could detect: the 
place, about a foot above the ground, 
where it was broken off. 
We now reach a second shadehouse, ani 
as it is entered ‘the lovely specimens of 
tree ferns fascinate the eye. The house 
has a rockery setting at the back with a 
miniature waterfall dashing and splashing 
its little fury into an underground outlet 
to a large pond in front of the house. The 
waterworks of this place are ingenious. 
While on a rustically built resting place 
the visitor cannot be aware of the favt 
that he is sitting over a spring of water. 
Lifting the seat there is disclosed a little 
water barrel, which is set over the spring 
in such a way as to make the water escape 
only through a pipe leading underground 
to the other side of the house, there sup- 
plying a little rockery pool, and eventually 
flowing into the pond. This pond, with 
its five feet of depth, carries a good many 
thousands of gallons, and is edged round 
the top with rustically built rockwork. I 
had almost forgotten to mention that 
when the seat mentioned was raised there 
was also disclosed a contrivance that car- 
ried water tumblers wherewith to drink 
the pure refresher, not to mention spirits 
that, if not coming from the vasty deep 
below, are sometimes associated with the 
denizens of those regions. This shade- 
house is furnished with Draecenas, Asparar 
gus Ferns spreading and growing out on 
to the roof. Hydrangeas and a variely 
of pot plants all do well to furnish thie 
place. 
We now wind up the footways of the 
hillside opposite the dwelling house, and 
on the way notice that salt strewn upot 
the paths is more effective upon slugs and 
various pests than when it is thrown upon 
the flower beds. We come to a large ved 
of Rhododendrons, and are surprised to sec 
many of them in full bloom and bud at this 
time of the year. Forced no doubt by 
the unusual rains. The planting of the 
beds hereabout looks choice with the 
Boronias and small shrubs judiciously in- 
termingled with Copper Birches, Oaks, 
Prunus Pissardi, Pyrus Japonica, 
Magnolias, Camellias, Escallonias, and 
such-like ornamental growths. 
Still ascending the hill, we reach the 
target mentioned, but this now takes no 
prominence, for attention is directed to a 
rock building set into the hill. The 
architecture of this is of doubtful origin, 
although the material of River Murray 
water-worn rocks would lend itself to a de- 
sign much less formal, and, we are bound 
to say, more effective. White quartz pil- 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. — 
lars support a superstructure somewhat 
rudely constructed, without much apparent 
attempt at artistic design. The stones, 
however, are interesting in themselves, 
with their fossils of sea-born life and fan- 
tastic shapes, moulded by decades of water 
wearing 
Turning away down the hill, we come 
to the Rosary and Carnation beds. We 
note a good selection of Roses, amongst 
them being such favorites as the Prince de 
Sagan, Bridesmaid, Countess of Caledon, 
Mad. Verrur Cochet, Sunset, Mad. de 
Chatenay, Mad. Jules Grolez, Mad. George 
Bouland, Helena Gambire, Mad. Eugene 
Verdier, Rubens, Golden Gate, Jouis 
XIII.,. and Souvenir de laurent Guillot. 
The Carnations, too, are all named yarie- 
ties of good selection. 
Thus we come to the end of our visit to 
Berkeley Vale, and, after climbing to the 
house again, and, taking another view of 
the surroundings, conclude that Mr. Stock 
has spared neither time, labor, nor money, 
and a very considerable portion of each, to 
make his hills residence a place yielding 
much pleasure and delightful rest to a busy 
city gentleman. L 
CQRNATIONS. 
CARNATIONS FROM CUTTINGS. 
E. H. [si1na, 
Vice-President Carnation Society, South 
Australia. 
There are two ways of propagating Cai- 
nations—by layering, as it is called, and by 
striking cuttings. Seed, of course, is a third 
plan for increasing stock, but as seedlings 
never come true by any chance, the former 
metheds are the only ones that can be de- 
pended on. My object this evening is to 
say a few words as to method and soil. It 
is desirable to get your cuttings as early in 
the autumn. as possible; the earliest root- 
ed plants are established and make good 
root growth, and also make a fair amount 
of grass before the cold weather stops any 
rapid growth, as during the months from 
June to August they are almost dormant. 
It is, therefore, wise to, have your cuttings 
in at the earliest possible time. Cuttings 
should be taken as soon as the grass has 
grown long enough. The prevailing method 
was to cut off anywhere and plant out in 
the garden, but those who have studied 
the Carnation know that the side growth 
on the main stem is just the right growth 
if you want to have a reasonable amount 
of rooted plants from cuttings planted. 
Great stress is laid by some on the size of 
the cuttings, and where it is taken from. 
Given the conditions I have named, I do 
not mind whether the cutting be 3 in. or 
6 in. long; whether it comes from the 
ground level or from high on the old flower 
stem. A. cutting with a broad base has a 
much greater chance than one with a nar- 
row base. Not a few split the stem of the 
cutting. It is not necessary, and those who 
do so hardly realise, IT think, where the 
roots emerge from. New roots in the Car¥ 
nation cutting, in the case of one cut to a 
, 
4) 
joint, form immediately inside the epider- 
mis, hence the greater opportunities of a 
cutting with a broader base. The only pos- 
sible advantage of stem splitting would be 
in the case of a small cutting in assisting to 
expose its greatest possible basal surface. 
Iti is important, I think, to realise the prin- 
ciple of rooting in such plants, and to the 
careful it cannot fail to be an unerring 
guide. ‘ 
Sor..—The soil is a vital point, if you 
are courting success; failure overtakes us 
often enough without any seeking. It is, 
therefore, wise to be very careful in choos- 
ing the soil. I have found the greatest 
success when. using the following: One-half 
good sharp river sand, one-fourth each sea 
sand, and fairly sandy garden soil, all put 
through a fine sieve. and _ thoroughly 
mixed ; place prepared soil in boxes, or 10. 
or 12 in. pots. Four inches of this soil is 
about the right depth. This should be 
pressed down firmly, so as to make it fairly 
solid. After planting your cuttings, give a 
good watering, cover with glass, and put in 
a fairly shady place; see that they do-not 
get dry, and also see that: you do not oyer- 
water. If over-watered, your cuttings will 
soon rot off. The covering with glass is a 
very important condition in securing root- 
ed plants quickly and thoroughly. It is 
wise to give the glass a coat of whiting if 
the weather is very hot. As soon as you 
sea that the cuttings are making growth 
(and this should be in about five or six 
weeks) the glass should be gradually re- 
moved and plants exposed to all weathers, 
then pot off into 3-in. or 4-in. pots, and 
as soon as the roots show through soil to 
inside of pots, they may be planted to where 
you intend to grow them. For some years 
past I haye been in the. habit of propagat- 
ing from pipings, that: is the side growth 
on the main stem, and have had very good. 
results from the method herein advocated. 
Some growers are very strongly in favor 
of this method of propagating, and, again, 
others are strongly in favor of Jayering. It 
has been argued that whilst layered plants 
produce a large crop of grass more ar less 
thickly clustered at the base of the plant, 
while cuttings have an increasing tendency 
to produce long growing shoots in contra- 
distinction to the flowering shoots of the 
layer. 
CLASSIFICATION OF CARNATIONS. 
: F, Fairey, 
Hon. Treasurer Carnation Society, South 
Australia. : 
In dealing with this all-important 
branch of our society's work, this paper 
has been written in the lines of the clas- 
sification adopted by oun society. 
Of course, wé cannot extend our classes 
to the same as the English societies, as 
some of them are outside our realm, such 
as the Malmaisons, on account of the cli- 
matic conditions. This class seems to be 
going ahead in England, but cannoti be 
grown. without the best of glass houses, as 
most of those know who have tried to grow 
the old flesh colored Suvr. De La Malmai- 
gon, so that to some extent the classes of 
the Australian societies must necessarily be 
limited. 
The main. dividing line drawn, and which 
