17-.' 



HORTICULTURE 



IRIS TINGITANA HoIss niifl Itrut. 



February 6. 1915 



Iris tinoitana 



Iris tingitana is one of tlie Mediter- 

 ranean type of bulbous Iris, and in 

 spite of the fact that it was discovered 

 many years ago, it is still somewhat 

 rare under cultivation. It was first 

 flowered in cultivation somewhere 

 around 1884 in several gardens in Eu- 

 rope. I have not seen the bulbs of- 

 fered In any of the American bulb 

 catalogues, but they may be obtained 

 from several of the Dutch growers. 



It is an extremely handsome plant 

 as may be seen from the photograph 

 ot specimens growing in the Brooklyn 

 Botanic Garden. The stems attain a 

 height ot about 2 feet, each bearing 

 from one to three flowers. The flowers 

 are from four to five inches across 

 and have extremely delicate coloring. 

 The standards are slaty blue with 

 dark blue veins, the style arms are 

 dark blue tinged with reddish purple 

 having a metallic sheen. The falls 

 have a broad lip, with a golden yel- 



low bluuh. oil a while ground, which 

 merges gradually into a bluish edg- 

 ing similar in color to that of the 

 standards. 



The fact that it grows wild round 

 about Tangiers, in Morocco, gives 

 some indication of the kind of treat- 

 ment it requires under cultivation. It 

 will grow out-of-doors in sections 

 where the temperature does not fall 

 below 20° Fahr. A sunbaked situa- 

 tion, with well drained, porous, rich 

 soil is required in order to produce 

 bulbs that will give flowers the follow- 

 ing spring. As growth takes place in 

 early spring a position should be 

 chosen where it will be possible to 

 give protection in case ot late spring 

 frosts. 



It is, however, as a pjant tor forcing 

 that this Iris is likely to be most valu 

 able. For connoisseurs, desiring a 

 plant which is somewhat different 

 from the ordinary run of forced stock. 



Ibis tingitana. 



and one that will come into flower 

 early. Iris tingitana is likely to be em- 

 inently desirable. 



.The plants from which the photo- 

 graph was made were potted up in th'- 

 fall in a Cinch pot and plunged in 

 ashes out-of-doors. After the lirsi 

 light frosts they were brought indoors, 

 and grown along gradually in a cool 

 house, in which a night temperature 

 of about 50° was maintained. I'nder 

 this treatment the plants came into 

 flower on January 18. By giving a 

 slightly warmer temperature, it should 

 be possible to have them in flower 

 much earlier than this. I am hoping 

 that, as a result of generous feeding 

 with concentrated fertilizers, it will 

 be possible to produce bulbs in pots 

 that will bloom the following year. 



M. Free, 



Head Gardener Botanic Garden, Brook- 

 lyn, N. Y. 



BEAUTIFYING HOME GROUNDS. 



Valuable hints on the planning and 

 planting of gardens and numerous 

 other ways for improving grounds 

 around the home were told by mem- 

 bers of the teaching staff of the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College under 

 the auspices ot the Massachusetts Hor- 

 ticultural Society in Horticultural Hall, 

 last Saturday. 



A. S. Thurston, who spoke in the 

 afternoon ou "Herbaceous Annuals and 

 Perennials," said, "The golden rod 

 should be in every garden, but a great 

 many people think it too common be- 

 cause they see it growing by the road- 

 side and in the fields. 



"Yet in most conservatories where 

 they go and buy there are plants that 

 are just as common in foreign coun- 

 tries as golden rod is here. If we go 

 abroad, we see golden rod from Amer- 

 ica grown In the finest private gar- 

 dens." 



Fine stereoptlcon views of gardens 

 with the different varieties of plants 

 growing in them were shown and their 

 beauties described by Mr. Thurston. 



Professor A. H. Nehrling also gave 

 an instructive address on "Practical 

 .Management of the Home Garden." 



During the morning there were talks 

 on trees and shrubs by Professor A. K. 

 Harrison: garden planning by P. H. 

 Elwood, Jr., and garden furnishings by 

 Professor F. A. Waugh. Professor Har- 

 rison urged the advantage of further 

 study of the adaptation of trees and 

 shrubs to landscape effects on the 

 home grounds. 



It was the intention of the Florists' 

 and Gardeners' Club of R. I. to install 

 the officers and hold a banquet at their 

 January meeting, but because ot the 

 inclement weather many were unable 

 to attend and it was voted that the 

 event be postponed until the February 

 meeting. 



OBITUARY. 



William R. Keay. 



William R. Keay, florist, of Low- 

 ville, N. Y., died on January 22 of con- 

 gestion of the brain. Mr. Keay was 

 born in Scotland 51 years ago, and 

 came to this country 26 years ago. He 

 had been a resident ot Lowville 16 

 years and was highly respected by all 

 who knew him. He is survived by his 

 wife, three sons, David, who is in the 

 United States navy, and John and Wil- 

 liam, four daughters, Mrs. Jerry 

 Roland, Herkimer, and the Misses 

 .\nna. Genie and Agnes. 



It has been announced by the De- 

 partment ot Special Events, of the 

 Panama-Pacific Exposition, that June 

 4, 1915, has been oflicially designated 

 as American Sweet Pea Society Day. 



