HAEDY IRISES. 



473 



the work may find the worker, but the culminating point in Beardless Irises 

 must surely remain the great, beautiful, and wonderful cult of the Japan 

 ese in I. Kaempferi. These are beyond praise, and well worth our con- 

 tinued efforts to establish. 



In conclusion, I trust that in the limits of this short paper an 

 enumeration of the spocies has not been expected under the heading 

 of each group. Iris has been well written of, and we owe a great 

 indebtedness to Sir Michael Foster for Bulbous Irises, and to Mr. 

 J. G. Baker for his collected and digested literature of the Iris, and his 

 enumeration of the species in his ' Handbook to Iridece.' One might. 



Fig. 152. — Intermediate Iris ' Ximrod.' (Caparne.) 



perhaps, wish for an enlarged and extended edition, and for a little 

 clearing up in our minds of the many forms, specific and geographical, 

 of some of the smaller rhizomatous Bearded Irises, if simplification be 

 possible. 



The idea of suggesting desirable varieties of a plant has many 

 drawbacks, and I w r ould only suggest it when the smallness of a garden 

 precludes anything but a selection. The elementary notion of a selection 

 is to pick only of the very best and all the plain colours only. The plain 

 colours are all very w T ell ; they tell most when growing in the garden ; but 

 the very best — that is a matter of opinion, and is apt to change from 

 year to year — it certainly does not mean the biggest, nor can one have 

 the very best unless there is a little of the other thing to compare it 



