(20 4 ) 



tubers each fall, after growth has been stopped by the 

 frosts, to a cellar or other storehouse where the tempera- 

 ture does not reach the freezing point, neither should it 

 go much above 45 or 50 degrees. 



18. Iris Collection 



The iris collection at the southwest corner of the grounds 

 was established in the spring of 1916. In front of a back- 

 ground of conifers and deciduous shrubs is a border 10 feet 

 wide, in which the irises are planted. The iris may be 

 had in flower, by proper selection of kinds, from early 

 spring to the early part of July. The first to bloom are 

 some of the dwarf forms, such as Iris fiumila and I. cristata. 

 Then come those of the rhizomatous type, with creeping 

 rootstocks, such as Iris germanica, I. pallida, I. sambucina, 

 and many others. These are followed by the Siberian 

 irises, and these in turn by the Japanese irises, of which 

 there are many beautiful color forms. 



19. Water Garden 



The water garden is situated northeast of the museum 

 building between the lake bridge and the Bronx River. 

 An attractive display of hardy water-lilies, many of them 

 Marliac hybrids, may be seen here from June until autumn; 

 while the borders of the lake are planted with a variety of 

 water-loving herbaceous plants and shrubs. 



20. The Hemlock Forest 



The forest of Canadian hemlock spruce along the Bronx 

 River, within the portion of Bronx Park set apart for the 

 New York Botanical Garden, is one of the most noteworthy 

 natural features of the Borough of The Bronx, and has been 

 characterized by a distinguished citizen as "the most pre- 

 cious natural possession of the city of New York." 



This forest exists in the northern part of Bronx Park on 

 the banks of the river and their contiguous hills; its greater 

 area is on the western side of the stream, but it occupies a 



