236 



CASSELL'S POPULAR aAEDENING. 



frame, to insure perfectly natural ripening. The 

 better forms of Ashleaf are test adapted for this pur- 

 pose, and, owing to their excellence of flavour, these 

 alone should he used. Potatoes are often also forced 

 in pots, either in frames or Vineries, Peach-houses, 

 plant-houses, or other structures where a tempfera- 

 ture of from 55° to 60? may he commanded. Six- 

 inch pots are perhaps the most useful for this 

 purpose. The pots should be well drained, filled 

 with a mixture of equal parts loam and leaf -mould, 

 and a single set, already sprouted, placed in each. 



Concerning varieties or " sorts," it would not be 

 possible to refer to them fully in a work of this 

 character, intended for permanent use. Many re- 

 markable new varieties exist at the date when we 

 write, but as they are annually being added to by 

 others, each an improvement on the last, we anticipate 

 the popular varieties of each year wiU he speedily 

 forgotten in favour of successful compeers, which will 

 supersede them. All seed lists give, at least, a valu- 

 able epitome of the best current varieties. Potato- 

 seeds, or " sets," are best when chosen of medium 

 size, or one size less than medium, from the most pro- 

 ductive roots, and such as have produced in company 

 large and fine-formed tubers. It is necessary, when 

 small sets such as these are not procurable, to cut 

 large tubers into two or three for piu:poses of 

 planting. Large tubers possess too many eyes, which 

 growing so thickly together, enervate each other, to 

 the injury of all. Sets intended for planting do not 

 require to be kept from full air and light as do those 

 intended for cooking. They may even become green 

 with advantage. Keep them quite cool, spreading 

 them out as thinly as possible, to limit premature 

 growing, which greatly weakens them as parent 

 tubers. When' seed-tubers have only sprouted to 

 the extent of about half an inch at the time for 

 planting, always plant them with such uninjured if 

 it is possible to do so. This is preferable to break- 

 ing the sprouts off. Potatoes keep better properly 

 clamped on cool land and a cool aspect, with a 

 covering of straw between them and the soil with 

 which they are covered, than by any other means. 

 A good selection of Potatoes is as follows : — 

 White Kidney -shaped : — Alderman, Avalanche, 

 Covent Garden Perfection, Cosmopolitan, Interna- 

 tional, Magnum Bonum, Myatt's Ashleaf, "Woodstock 

 Kidney ,White Elephant — where an immense cropper 

 and immense-sized tubers are desii-able. Coloured 

 Kidneys : — American Purple, Beauty of Hebron, 

 Late Rose, Salmon Kidney, and Trophy. Round 

 Tubers ( White) : — Bedfont Prolific, Eenn's Standard, 

 Lady Truscott, Hector of Woodstock, Regent, and 

 Reading Hero. Mound Tubers [Coloured) : — Adiron- 

 dack, Beauty of Kent, Reading Russet, and Victor 

 of Laleham. 



CHOICE HAEDT BOEDEE 

 PLANTS. 



By Bichaks Deak. 



Iris. — This name is derived from iris, " the eye," 

 referring to the beauty of the flowers. It is also the 

 Heur-de-lis of the French, and being an old plant 

 much traditional lore has gathered about it. There 

 are several main groups to which we will briefly 

 advert. I. Oermamica includes all the broad-leaved 

 Irises which generally pass under the above name, 

 but which in reahty belong to several other groups. 

 Here are gathered together the varieties of several 

 reputed species, all resembling each other in foUage 

 and habit, yet totally distinct in flower, but when 

 taken as a whole they form a group imparaUeled in 

 beauty. They will thrive in almost any soil and 

 situation without any care whatever. So numerous 

 are the varieties included under the head of 'I. 

 germcmica that it would be invidious to give a 

 selection from them. Another group comes under 

 the head of I. lamgata, a, new group of Japanese ■ 

 Irises totally distinct in flower ±rom any other in- 

 cluded in the genus. They form in their habit of 

 growth strong tufts of green foliage three to four 

 feet in height, surmounted by large Clematis-like 

 flowers, both single and double, some of immense 

 size, and of almost any shade of colour — red, white, 

 blue, rose, crimson, striped, purple, &c. They 

 prefer sunny, moist situations ; should be planted in 

 peat and loam, where they soon become established, 

 and form striking and very ornamental objects. A 

 dozen of the best varieties will be found in Alexander 

 von Humboldt, Cordelia, Hemi von Siebold, Ida, 

 Jersey Belle, Krelagei, Macbeth, Othello, Portia, 

 Romeo, Souvenir, and Venus. 



Then there is the Crimean Iris, I. pumila, the 

 varieties forming a charming group of dwarf spring- 

 flowering forms, growing from four to eight inches 

 in height, producing an abundance of lovely flowers 

 from March to May. They are admirably adapted 

 for the decoration of the border, or edging plants, or 

 for bedding, and as they grow vigorously in almost 

 any soil, they cannot be too highly recommended 

 for spring decoration. This group comprises a score 

 or so of varieties. Then comes I. olbiensis, an early- 

 flowering section of dwarf Irises, growing about one 

 foot in height, immediately succeeding the pumila 

 section in time of flower. The flowers are large, the 

 colours varied, and produced in great profusion. 

 The group includes a few pretty varieties. There is, 

 in addition, a somewhat numerous group of species 

 and varieties of Iris, including aurea, cristata, fmti- 

 dissima, a British species, bearing small purple 

 flowers; the seed-vessels open and show coral-red 



