quantity of wood ashes; either of these supplies a little but 

 sufficient nitrogen and plenty of phosphoric acid and potash in 

 such form as to become gradually available through two or 

 three years, by the end of which time the clumps usually need 

 re-planting. Three or four quarts of bone meal mixture is suf- 

 ficient for a bed 5 feet wide by 20 feet long. The wood ashes 

 may be put in to a depth of one-half inch or so. Both should be 

 thoroughly forked into the soil before planting. Other fer- 

 tilizers of various kinds are frequently advocated by iris grow- 

 ers, but I have never found anything else necessarj" in preparing 

 the soil. 



Lime and Aluminum Sulphate 



Lime which makes acid soil "sweet" and aluminum sulphate 

 which makes sweet soil "acid" are not fertilizers, but may be 

 used to correct either extreme soil condition. Iris literature 

 frequently refers to the necessity of providing plenty of lime 

 for the bearded irises and an acid soil for the beardless sorts. 

 I think the case might be more correctly stated by saying that 

 the bearded irises will not do well in an extremely acid soil, nor 

 the Japanese and other beard'Iess varieties in a soil containing 

 a great deal of lime. It has been my experience that both will 

 grow satisfactorily in average "neutral" garden soil that is 

 neither one extreme nor the other. I have grown them side by 

 side many times with no special preparation for either; and I 

 have seen both types so growing in scores of gardens where no 

 attention had been given to sweetness or acidity of the soil. 



Soil may bo readily tested for acidity by any gardener with 

 the aid of a Soiltex outfit which costs but $1.00. 



PLANTING AND TRANSPLANTING 



Whether you are ordering new iris from some dealer or simply 

 dividing your old clumps and making over a former planting, 

 the first matter of prime importance is to have the ground in 

 proper condition. Although an iris rhizome may be discarded 

 and tossed carelessly over the fence, only to defy your efforts 

 by taking root and even blooming in such haphazard position, 

 if one expects good results the soil should be diligently worked 

 up to a good depth. It should be thoroughly pulverized under- 

 neath as well as on the surface, and if necessary, humus or sand 

 added, depending on the nature of the soil itself. When your 

 rhizomes arrive you will then be all set to plant them immedi- 

 ately. 



Don't plant bearded iris in a deeply shaded situation. They 

 love the sun, and while they will grow well enough in heavy 

 shade they will not bloom well. Tb^ VQQU of trees and large 



