THE HIGH TIDE OF JOY 77 



relative wildings, which we seek in the swamps and plant 

 in the marshy spots of our grounds. If one has reached 

 that stage of years when his consciousness warns him 

 that it is time to choose companionship to solace the hour 

 when the race is to the swift, a garden inclosure to shut 

 off the clamor of battle that tires the ears, then hunt for 

 a favored spot that will make a bower of green in June. 



Then with grave thought of what may fill your soul 

 in the glory of June, choose iris susiana, the great Turkey 

 fleur-de-lis, the mourning flower of the Japanese, "that 

 I think in the whole compasse of nature's store there is 

 not a more patheticall," writes quaint John Parkinson, 

 and to the queen susiana present the king loreteti, the 

 emblem of life and dawn in his brilliance and purity. 



As soon as the frost withdraws from the earth the 

 irises show the tips of their green blades, which advance 

 in regular order from the underworld until a solid 

 phalanx fills the space allotted to them. Nothing so 

 cleanly or shining or strong as this splendid bed of foli- 

 age, making ready for the culmination of its growing. 

 On the morning appointed it bursts upon the eye in a 

 splendor of purples, lavenders, violets, and yellows that 

 pales the sunshine. 



The honey scent once breathed is unforgotten among 

 the experiences enriching a lifetime, and as the iris 

 passion grows upon us, and more and more of the lovely 

 species from China, Japan, Italy, or the secluded vales 



