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pie flowers ; with yellow Sowers ; wfth blue ftandard pe- 

 tals and white falls ; witli blue ftandards and vcllow falls ; 

 with ftriped iiowers ; the broad-leaved with blue flowers ; 

 the broad-leaved purple ilowcred ; the fweet-lcented blue 

 flowered ; the fweet-fcented purple flowered, witli varie- 

 gated frteet-fceiited flowers, and tlic double flowered. 



The nineteenth fort, or Perfian iris, is greatly eileemed 

 for the beauty and extreme fweetnefs of its flowers, as well as 

 for its early appearance in the fpring, being generally in per- 

 fection in February or the beginning of the following month, 

 according to the llate of the feafou. And Martyu notices 

 that, " like the hyacinth and narcifliis, it will blow within 

 doors in a water-glafs, but llronger in a fmail pot of fand, 

 or fandy loam, and tliat a few flowers will fcent a whole 

 apartment." 



Method of CuUur;. — Moft of the forts may be readily in- 

 creafed by parting the roots, or feparating the o!F-fets from 

 the bulbs, and planting them out in the fituations where 

 they are to flower ; the fn-it fort in the autumn, or very 

 early in the fpring, and thi latter in the clofe of fiimmer, 

 when the loaves decay, managing them in the fame manner 

 as other bulbs'. As they increafe and fpread rapidly in their 

 roots, tliey fhould be divided and taken off" every two or 

 three years. 



New varieties of the different forts may be raifed from 

 feed, by fowing it in the autumn in a bed of light fandy 

 mould. The plants come uj) in the following fpring, and in 

 the autumn may be tranfpLuited wh.ere they are to grow. 

 They .flower a year or two afterwards in this climate. 

 • The bulbous-rooted forts fncceed bell in fuch foils as are 

 of the light, fandy, loamy kind ; but will fucceed in any 

 that are dry. 



The lall fort anfwers mo.1 perfe£l!y in fuch afpefts as are 

 towards the ejft, the roots being prevented from going too 

 deep in the ground. 



As the fecond fort is liable to be injured by fevere winter.'?, 

 a few fliould be planted in pots to have proteftion. This 

 fort is well fuited for forcing, in houfes for the purpofe. 



When planted in the open ground, it requires a rather 

 dry foil and fituation to fucceed in a proper manner. 



The Cape forts fhould be retained in the dry flove, and be 

 propagated and managed in the fame manner as other bul- 

 bous-rooted plants of the fame kind. 



All the forts are proper for affording variety in the bor- 

 ders, chimps, and other parts of p'eafure grounds ; and 

 fome of the more tender forts among potted plants of fimilar 

 growth and habits. 



Iris, in the Mattna Mcdka. The Jr'ts Jlarentlnn, Flo- 

 rentine orris, or iris, is a native of Italy, and flowers in 

 June ; it was cultivated in England by Gerard in 1596, and 

 is now conllantly propagated by the florills ; but the roots 

 wf the orris produced in 'his country have neither the odour, 

 nor the other qualities of thofe of the warmer climates ; fo 

 that for medicinal ufe they arc commonly imported from Leg- 

 horn. In its recent flate, the root is extremely acrid, and 

 when chewed, excites a pungent heat in the mouth, of feve- 

 ral hours' duration. When dried, this acrimony is almoft 

 wholly diflipated. Tiip ta'le is flightly bi-.tcr, and the fmell 

 is agreeable, approaching to that of violets. No effential 

 oil has been hitherto obtained from this root ; but fpirituous 

 tin£lure.5 of it contain more of its virtues than watery infu- 

 fioiis. The frefli root is a powerful cathartic, and for this 

 purpofe its juice has been employed in the dofe of a dram and 

 upwards in dropfies. It is now chiefly ufed in its dry ftale, 

 and rank' d is a pcftoral or expeftorant ; though there is no 

 evkkace of its expeftorant powers ; and therefore it is now 



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confidercd as valuable 0!ily for the pleafantnefs of the per- 

 fume, and the flavour which it communicates. 



The Ills pfirl-acorus, palujlris, or pahflris Inter,, Acarjs 

 adulterimis, yellow water-flag, or yellov.- water flower-de- 

 luce, is common in marflies, and on thcbruiksof rivers, and 

 rendered very confpicuous by its large yellow flowers, which 

 appear in the beginning of July. It had formerly a place 

 in the Lond. Pharni. under the name of " Gladio'us luteu?." 

 The root has no fmell, but an acrid fliyptic taite, and its 

 juice, fnuffed up the Boftrils, produces a burning heat in the 

 nofe and mouth, accompanied with a copious dlfcharge from 

 thefe organs ; and hence it is recommended both as an err- 

 hine and fialagogiie. This root is fuch a powerful aflringent, 

 that it has been ufed inlhead of galls in the making of ink, 

 particularly in Scotland. For this pui-pofe the common 

 people cut fome of the roots into thin jliLC?, and either boil 

 or infufe them in water till the liquor is highly tinged whh 

 blue ; they then pour it clear off : and putting into it the 

 blade of a knife, or any other piece of iron, they rub it hard 

 with a rough white pebble, common there, and by degrees 

 the hquor becomes black : they continue rubbing it till it is as 

 deep a black as they require, and it is a tolerable good ink. 

 (Phil. Tranf. N^ 117.) This root has alfo been ufed for 

 the purpofe of dyeing black ; and from this quality it has 

 been fdccefsftilly employed as a medicine for the cure of 

 diarrhoeas. When given with this intention, the root 

 is to be well dried ; for the frefli root and its juice 

 are ftrcngly cathartic, infomuch that eighty drops of 

 the latter produced repeated evacuations, after jalap, 

 gamboge, &c. had failed, and by continuing its ufe in 

 an increafed dofe, it cured an inveterate dropfy. He:ice 

 Bergius favs, " virtus recent, hydragoga, pungens : Ji^- 

 cat. adflringens." The exprefied juice is likewife laid 

 to be an ufeful apphcation to ferpi:;inous eruptions 

 and fcrophulous tumours. (Woodv. Med. Bot.) The 

 root of this plant is recommended by Brookes as a remedy 

 for the tooth-ache. 



lui.s, Rahtbow, in Phyfiohgy. The word is Greek, ifr?, fup- 

 pofed by fome t« be derived from uiu, J fpcak, I tell, as beii g 

 a meteor, that is fuppofcd to foretel, or rather to declare, 

 rain. See Rainbow. 



Ini.s is alio applied to thofe changeable colours which 

 fometimea appear in the glafles of telefcopes, microfcopes, 

 i<c. fo called from their fimiiitude to a rainbow. The fame 

 appellation is alfo given to that coloured fpeclrimi, which a 

 triangular prifmatic glafs wi 1 projeft on a wail, when placed 

 at a due angle in the fun-beams. 



Iris is aUo a name given by fome authors to a peculiar fpe- 

 cies of fprig cry Hal, remarkable for its giving the rainbow 

 colours in refleftion. This, however, being a property more 

 or lefs found in all the kinds of fprig cryftal, and thefe much 

 refembling one another, it became applied to fprig cryftal in 

 general ; and iris, inllead of being the name of a peculiar 

 fpecies, was underllood as a fynonymous terra for common 

 cryflal. 



I HIS Marina, the Sea-ralniow. This elegant appearance 

 is generally feen after a violent llorm, in which the fea-water 

 has been in vaft emotions. The celeflial rainbov/ has great 

 advantage over the marine one in thebrightnefsand variety of 

 the colours, and in their dillinftnets one from the other ; for 

 in the fea-rainbow there are fcarcely any other colours than a 

 duflcy yellow on the part towards the fun, and a pale green 

 on the oppofite fide. The other colours are not fo bright or 

 diilinft as to be well determined, but the fea-rair.bows are 

 more frequent and more numerous than the others. It is not 

 uncommon to fee twenty or thirty of them at a time at noon- 

 day. Obferv. fur VAfss, p. 292, 



Ihis 



