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of the Irises. By seme they have..been compared -to 
Orchids, and those who delight in beautiful combinations 
of color, and to whom the pleasures of greenhouses are 
denied, will find a good substitute in the cultivation: of 
a selection of these beautiful plants. They have all the 
beauty of the finest tropical fiowers without their cost, 
and will repay the trouble of first arranging and planting 
them, so that their beauty may be seen to the best advan- 
‘tage. Plutarch says the word Iris is from the Egyptian, 
and means ‘‘The Eye of Heaven.’’? The Greeks named 
this plant from the rainbow, which they called Iris, in 
allusion to the mingling of brilliant colors in its blossom. 
Tris was also the goddess of the rainbow and the fair mes- 
senger of Juno; the latter being the goddess of the sky 
and clouds and of the powers and phenomena of the air. 
Tris was sent to earth, bearing messages of peace to the 
children of men; she filled the clouds with water from 
the lakes and sea, and poured in gentle showers again 
upon the fertile ground, and she it was who bordered 
every retreating storm cloud with the gorgeous fringe of 
the rainbow, a symbol of peace. ‘The hirtorical im- 
portance of the Iris,’’ says Mr. Thomas Mehan, “is due 
to the fact that it became the national flower of France. 
As such it has acquired a world-wide reputation under 
the name of Fleur de Lis, which is nothing but a corrup- 
tion of Fleur de Louis. The Iris was adopted as the 
national emblem by King Louis VII.’’ The Iris has 
many different varieties, of which we give a few. 
IRIS SIBERICA. 
This is a distinct group, distinguishable at a glance, 
their long grass like foliage, two to three feet in height, 
forming dense erect tufts, and numerous slender hollow 
stems, bearing an abundance of flowers of various shades. _ 
