20 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



in this way to compress the soil as much as is possible. 

 Before we have done with it the whole interior of a 

 frame is as hard and solid as a rock, and any roots which 

 make their way in it are in no danger of being shifted 

 about they have as firm an anchorage as could be 

 desired. And this is just what these creatures like, 

 and no one should think that mere fussiness has been at 

 work in the effort. I say again and again they are only 

 to be conquered by attention to little things, and they 

 must have all their desires fulfilled. Let any one who 

 doubts about what I say make experiments with two 

 Oncocyclus Irises and plant one in loose pliable soil 

 and plant another in some rock-like substance which 

 has been prepared after the manner set forth above, 

 and then note how the plants will behave. My gardener 

 and I hold it as a sort of axiom in their cultivation that 

 very firm planting must be adopted. Nor let it be for- 

 gotten while planting is under review that the rhizomes 

 should never be deeply covered up. No Iris that I 

 know anything about likes to be very deeply buried 

 and Oncocyclus Irises are all apiece with the others in 

 this respect they must be sufficiently protected from 

 the frost, and no more should be thought of. 



V. I come now to a very important consideration indeed 

 in fact, it is the turning-point of everything but, 

 strangely enough, until quite lately, it has been left out 

 of sight and very small attention was paid to it. I may 

 say for myself that I thought the question of soil was in 

 this case of very trifling moment, and that if other things, 

 such as I have described, were attended to, the rest 

 would be well ; or, at any rate, I supposed that the soil 

 had not much to do with the matter either one way or 

 the other. If I may speak of things in this very small 

 relation which are of transcendent and universal import- 

 ance, I may add that I have somewhere read that a slip, 

 which was an obiter dictum of the great philosopher, Sir 



