6 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. r January s, m 2 . 
deserve the name of trees than the luxuriant Alder bushes which 
grow nearly 2° farther north. But some few miles south of this 
place, and still far north of the Arctic Circle, the Pine forest becomes 
tall. Here begins a veritable forest, the greatest the earth has to 
show, extending with little interruption from the Ural to the neigh¬ 
bourhood of the Sea of Ochotsk, and from the fifty-eighth or fifty- 
ninth degree of latitude to far north of the Arctic Circle—that is to 
say, about one thousand kilometres from north to south, and perhaps 
four times as much from east to west. It is a primeval forest of 
enormous extent, nearly untouched by the axe of the cultivator, but 
at many places devastated by extensive forest fires. On the high 
eastern bank of the Ynisej the forest begins immediately at the river 
bank. It consists principally of Pines : the Cembra Pine (Pinus 
Cembra, L.), valued for its seeds, enormous Larches, the nearly awl- 
formed Siberian Pine (Pinus sibirica, Ledeb .), the Fir (Pinus obovata, 
Turcz.), and scattered trees of the common Pine (Pinus sylvestris, L.). 
Most of these already north of the Arctic Circle reach a colossal size, 
but in such a case are often here, far from all forestry, grey and half- 
dried up with age. Between the trees the ground is so covered with 
fallen branches and stems, only some of which are fresh, the others 
converted into a mass of wood-mould held together only by the bark, 
that there one willingly avoids going forward on an unbroken 
path. If that must be done the progress made is small, and there 
is constant danger of breaking one’s bones in the labyrinth of stems. 
Nearly everywhere the fallen stems are covered, often concealed, by 
an exceedingly luxuriant bed of Mosses, while on the other hand 
Tree-Lichens, probably in consequence of the dry inland climate of 
Siberia, occur sparingly. The Pines, therefore, want the shaggy 
covering common in Sweden, and the bark of the Birches which are 
seen here and there among the Pines is distinguished by an uncom¬ 
mon blinding whiteness.” 
CHOICE IRIDS. 
In the two preceding volumes of this Journal some of the most 
beautiful Irises were briefly described, and it is now intended to 
similarly bring into notice the most attractive of the numerous 
allies of that genus. There are several genera which contain 
species scarcely inferior to the Irises in beauty, the flowers pos¬ 
sessing a brilliancy of colouring almost unequalled in the vegetable 
world. As striking examples of this we may especially note the 
Peacock Irises (Yieusseuxia), in -which there are some very 
remarkable combinations of rich and varied hues. Morseas, 
Tigridias, and several others may be included in the same list, 
but while their flowers are beautiful they are of short duration, 
and the only way in which a continued display can be obtained 
is by growing as many distinct species as possible. This applies 
equally to plants grown in pots and those in borders ; but there 
are some, such as the Tigridias, which appear better in masses, 
and therefore a larger number of one kind is preferable. 
These Irids will never take a position among what are termed 
useful garden plants; but to impart diversity to a collection 
where the love for plants extends beyond those necessary to supply 
abundant flowers for indoor decoration or for 1 Tightening the 
conservatory, they will not only always be admired but also pro¬ 
bably become more generally grown. They are especially suited 
for culture in a cool house, and where gardens are situated in 
damp or cold localities that is the only way in which the choicest 
can be satisfactorily grown. In warm positions with moderately 
light sandy but not dry soil many succeed well in borders, and 
there are a few genera that thrive in any ordinary garden soil 
provided there is not an excessive accumulation of water. As a 
rule, however, even in the best positions they require careful 
attention when outside and protection in winter. In such houses 
as those at Oakfield, Wimbledon, recently described in these pages, 
they would succeed well and add much to the interest of the 
collection, but where a cool pit or house can be provided they 
may be comparatively easily grown. 
Several nurserymen who make a speciality of hardy and half- 
hardy herbaceous, bulbous, and other plants have good collections, 
but at Kew most of the best forms are well represented. The 
mode, too, in which these and other half-hardy plants are grown 
in the last-named establishment suits them admirably, and though 
the same means are not at the command of all it indicates an 
easy way of obtaining satisfactory results. A low span-roof house 
or pit with a path down the centre is divided by a partition into 
two compartments, one of which can be kept slightly warmer or 
closer to accommodate such plants as require it. The side beds, 
separated from the path by brick walls, are covered with fine 
cinders, which forms a cool and moist base for the plants to be 
arranged upon. Whenever the weather is at all favourable the 
house is ventilated most abundantly, as the lights are moveable 
and can be lifted off if requisite. There the plants flower and 
are then transferred to the Cape house, which also contains the 
Heaths and the Mesembryanthemums, a similarly low tempera¬ 
ture and liberal ventilation suiting all. By this system the plants 
are grown under the best conditions, and a succession of attrac¬ 
tions is maintained in what may be termed the show house. 
Indeed there are few months of the year when a visitor does not 
find some pretty or interesting plant flowering in the Cape house 
at Kew. 
It is only intended in these notes to refer to the most attractive 
species, as many are simply of botanical interest, with small and 
dull-coloured flowers. There are plenty of the former, however, 
and we may select as the first to be discussed the genus 
MOR.i£A. 
At first sight most of the Morseas would be considered to be 
Irises, and to casual observation they present few distinguishing 
characters; but on examining them we at once find them dis¬ 
tinguished from the true Irises by their bulb-like root, thus 
Fig. 1.—Jlorsea SisyrincMum. 
approaching the bulbous Irises (Xiphions). On a further exami¬ 
nation, however, it will be observed that the root of the Morseas 
is solid or corm-like, and not formed in layers, as it is in the 
Xiphions. This is the chief difference, but there are some other 
floral characters which also serve to distinguish them, such as the 
perianth segments being generally nearly equal, and some others 
of less importance. The cultural points given above apply to this 
genus. The species can be grown in pots or planted out, but the 
former i3 preferable, light soil being employed and providing good 
drainage. Large pots are not necessary; GO’s or 48’s suit them 
well, placing several bulbs in each. Supply water judiciously, 
but when growing or flowering they must not be allowed to 
become dry, and even in the resting period withholding water 
must not be carried to excess. 
M. Sisyrinehium .—This is a beautiful species, a native of South 
Europe and the Mediterranean region, and has long been known 
as Spanish Nut, because it is said that in Spain the children eat 
