THE IRIS 145 



a black flower as I have seen. But it is the warm 

 blackness of Indian ink, and, like others of this sort, 

 has a touch of gold on the fall above the signal spot. 

 Its spathe valves were beautifully and regularly reticu- 

 lated with brown inside. Haynei is another new iris 

 declared to be exceedingly beautiful ; and Eggeri is 

 yet another, though this has been in catalogues for 

 some time. These are of the brown and gold char- 

 acter ; but sofarana and Bismarkiana, both from the 

 Lebanon mountains, are harmonies in purple. For 

 the culture of these treasures you must go to Mr. 

 Lynch, who chronicles many brilliant successes ; but 

 do not think a light task lies before you. Nothing 

 in gardening is much more difficult, and a large 

 patience under disappointments manifold will be 

 necessary. Take this, however, for your comfort : 

 Oncocyclus irises are exceedingly cheap. They must 

 flourish abundantly somewhere, and increase at a 

 generous rate. As to where you should go for them, 

 that is a delicate question and not my business, yet 

 I shall venture to name Mr. Robert Wallace of the v 

 far-famed Kilnfield Gardens, Colchester, in this con- 

 nection, and advise you to start with the strong, ripe, 

 and healthy rhizomes he can supply. Many of the 

 Dutchmen also provide excellent material. 



The Regelia group is small and select. It has been 

 crossed successfully with Oncocyclus, and is certainly 

 easier to grow. My plants also from Kilnfield 

 flowered in their first year, and that abundantly. The 

 superb Korolkowi is a Turkestan iris, and was first 



sent to his native country by the Russian General 



K 



