IXIA. 167 
come very fine distinctions were made by the specialist. 
The species are all of great beauty, producing flowers of 
many colors,—pink, rose, crimson, orange, yellow, 
cream-col_r, white and variegated. In many varieties 
these colors are strangely blended, but always clear, and 
the markings entirely distinct. They make splendid 
pot plants for the conservatory or greenhouse ; in fact, 
there are but few plants more showy. They should be 
potted, say twelve in a six inch pot, in rich, light soil, 
in October, and set aside until they commence to grow, 
when they should be brought into full light, in a moder- 
ately warm greenhouse. They will come into flower in 
midwinter, and remain objects of great beauty for some 
weeks. After flowering, and the bulbs have perfected 
their growth, they should be dried off, and kept dry and 
dark until the first of October, when they should be 
repotted. The offsets, which are produced freely, should 
be thrown away, as they do not flower until the second 
year, and the bulbs are so cheap that it does not pay to 
grow them. ‘These bulbs can also be grown in a cold 
frame, but they must be insured against both frost and 
excessive moisture. If grown in a frame, the bulbs 
should be planted two inches apart and three inches 
deep. Few of the species are in cultivation, the garden 
varieties having superseded them. The following, how- 
ever, are well worth growing: 
I. aulica.—Tall, pink, eighteen inches, or two feet 
high, flowering in April and May. 
I. conica.—An orange colored species, about a foot 
high, flowering in April and May. 
I. crispa.—A curled leaved blue sort, flowering in 
April and May. 
I. erecta.—White, about one and one-half feet 
high, flowering in May and June. There is also a flesh- 
colored (incarnata), and yellow (lutea) variety. 
I. incarnata.—Rich flesh-colored, flowering in 
June and July, nine inches high. 
