34 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



entered largely into the composition of the best borders 

 known to me. It is needless to say that a sheltered 

 position open to the full sun is indispensable, and if the 

 border backs against something solid in the shape of a 

 wall, so much the better. The cultivation of these Irises 

 must always be more or less experimental, for no one 

 has ever yet attained absolute success and command over 

 them. They are, however, well worth all the trouble 

 that can be bestowed upon them. 



Regarding the Palestine Oncocyclus Irises, Sir 

 Michael Foster writes in The Gardeners' Chronicle of 

 1892 as follows : I have come to the conclusion that 

 all these should be treated in this country by the 

 " taking-up" method at least until they have become 

 acclimatised, if ever they do. But one or two points 

 appear to be essential for success by this method. In 

 the first place they should be planted quite late say in 

 October or even November, according to climate ; this 

 prevents their making any growth of leaves before 

 winter comes on. In the second place they must be 

 protected during winter and early spring, so that the 

 young shoots receive no injury from frost. As soon as 

 the foliage, after flowering, begins to die down, they 

 should be taken up, well ripened in a sunny greenhouse, 

 and kept absolutely dry until it is time to plant them 

 again. The object of this treatment is to secure their 

 not making any very active growth until fairly warm 

 weather sets in, so that when they are hardest at work 

 they may be comforted by genial sunshine and not 

 buffeted by autumn rains and winter frost as they are 

 when they are left in the ground or planted in early 

 autumn. 



Elsewhere, in the same year of the Chronicle, Sir 

 Michael Foster, responding to a letter from Mr Van 

 Tubergen, explains his position. He says: "It is 

 undoubtedly a barbarous method i.e. that of the last 



