. THE IRIS. 227 



the iris fever so badly that nothing save a world's collection 

 would satisfy them. These are mostly from a different cli- 

 mate than ours, being natives of Mesopotamia, Persia, and 

 Africa. 



We would say incidentally that there are other sorts we 

 would not recommend though in themselves they may be very 

 fine. California irises have been pronounced a failure by 

 English experts. They are all right in their own habitat but 

 do not do well away from home. The most beautiful iris in 

 the world is called Oncocyclus from Palestine. Fortunes 

 have been spent on them. They are very particular and espe- 

 cially sensitive. They must have their native conditions. 

 They must be grown in frames, must be watered while flower- 

 ing, and as in the hot, dry climate they came from, they are 

 baked in the solid earth, they must have like conditions or 

 they will die. One writer says the beds must be very hard 

 and firm. "The Oncocyclus irises never grant any pardon for 

 an omission of duty regarding them, and we try to leave them 

 no excuse for being sulky on our hands. When the compost 

 for the irises has been prepared it is thrown into the frames 

 aiid then it is beaten down Avith spades with all the force at 

 our command, and lest this should not be enough the whole 

 surface of the beds is covered with boards and I get men to 

 stamp on them and in this way compress the soil as much as 

 possible." 



If you want to buy lots of trouble you can get these fussy, 

 tlilettante, particular flowers and exhaust yourself finding out 

 their caprices and whims. Of course they are supremely beau- 

 tiful, but it doesn't pay, and you would stand nine chances 

 out of ten for a failure. If one is raising flowers one of the 

 most important things is to learn what not to do and then not 

 do it. 



THE RHIZOMATOUS GROUP. 



These belong mostly to the German and allied fauiilies. 

 The rhizomes spread out Just under the surface something like 



