THE IRIS 147 



scheme is purple changing into delicate brown. A 

 russet network covers every petal, but the effect is 

 pallid as a whole. The variety Vaga Leichtlini I find 

 a better thing, of much richer and finer colours. 

 Regelias ask for care and summer roasting ; but they 

 are easier to manage than the cushion irises, and give 

 you two flowers for their one. Thanks to Sir Michael 

 Foster and Herr Tubergen, many splendid hybrids 

 of Regelia and Oncocyclus are now in the market. 

 Many of these have the grandeur of the latter with 

 the twin flowers and comparatively strong constitu- 

 tion of Regelia. They are of course still costly. 



Now for another splendid and select little family : 

 that of Evansia. The subject is painful because it 

 reminds me of the perfidy of the Dutch. You will 

 remember their special little eccentricity in matters of 

 commerce, but one nurseryman he shall be name- 

 less arranged an ingenious variant of the rule. He 

 did not give me too little and ask too much ; but he 

 asked too little and gave me something different. 

 Observing this impostor's price for Iris cristata, I lost 

 no time in communicating with him. I think he 

 wanted but a penny a root for this| lovely crested iris 

 from Maryland and Kentucky. My stock of Ameri- 

 cans was pitifully low ; therefore the more greedily I 

 jumped at this attractive opportunity. You will guess 

 the sequel. Instead of cristata's noble and unique 

 lilac and gold, a mean and uninteresting hybrid of 

 Germanica appeared. My ignorance and cupidity 

 were well paid, for I ought to have suspected from 

 the first ; and I ought to have recognised the rhizones 



