1 8 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



all this is indisputably true, and should govern any 

 measures that may be taken on their behalf. The 

 Irises have a much better chance of braving success- 

 fully the rigours and the disagreeableness of an English 

 winter, if they are well established in the ground long 

 before it begins, than ever could be the case if they have 

 only a very slight foothold in it and a precarious tenure. 

 But then all this necessitates their being grown in frames, 

 and, at all events, they must have some shelter over their 

 heads in summer. It is not to be supposed that they will 

 ever do quite well in the open all the year round, as so 

 many of their congeners do their nature, their habits, 

 their way of growing are peculiarly their own and in 

 our artificial way of treating them we must find some 

 method of enforcing on them rest for a sufficient length 

 of time. 



III. Another point of primary significance, if they be 

 grown in frames, is that the drainage should be good, 

 and ample ventilation be afforded at all times. Any- 

 thing like a stuffy or confined mode of treatment is sure 

 to be fatal to them. I do my best to keep them quite 

 dry for a sufficient length of time after flowering, but 

 I never by any chance shut them up closely or deprive 

 them of a full current of air the sides of my frames 

 are always left open and there are ventilators placed at 

 the back of them ; the plants are protected from any 

 torrents of rain, and besides this and a covering over- 

 head, nothing is done to them. 



But drainage is very carefully considered, and if there 

 were any flaw on this head it would invalidate every- 

 thing. These Oncocyclus Irises can never bear to be 

 water-logged they simply perish offhand if they have 

 any standing water about them. On this account when 

 my frames were constructed, some rather elaborate steps 

 were taken to make sure that the water could run 

 quickly away broken brickbats and large stones 



