JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
222 
[ September 8,1881. 
telling effect in suitable positions during the short time that the 
plants continue in flower. Perhaps some readers may, however, 
not be aware that it has been known in England nearly three 
hundred years, most of the old herbalists having described or 
figured it. It is from the macerated flowers of this species that 
the pigment Vert d’lris, Yerdelis, or Iris Green is said to have 
been prepared. I. sambucina is principally noteworthy for the 
Elder-like fragrance its flowers possess, to which quality the 
specific name refers. The flowers are somewhat dull in colour, 
or as the author of the “ Paradisus ” observes, they “ are of a pale 
or bleake colour tending to yellownesse, shadowed over with a 
smoakie purplish colour.” The fragrant I. neglecta must not b& 
omitted, for it and its varieties are general favourites wherever 
hardy flowers are cherished. In the typical form the standards 
ate blue, the falls having a yellow crest and being veined with 
violet, but this is considerably varied in some forms. The only 
other species in the sections deserving special mention is the one 
represented in the woodcut (fig. 37)—namely, Iris squalens, one 
of the early-flowering kinds of moderate height, very easily 
grown, bright and pretty. The standards are yellow, brown, 
orange, or purple tinted, the falls being neatly rounded in form ; 
crimson or purple of very rich shades, often prettily veined or 
netted with a dark hue on a light ground. In the one figured 
the veins were violet or purple on white, the standards being yellow 
tinted with purple. It is a charming species, and is now repre¬ 
sented by many handsome varieties, of which a dozen good dis¬ 
tinct forms could be selected. 
The last group to demand notice is that of which the chief 
species is I. florentina, the violet-scented roots (Orris or Orrice) of 
which were formerly used in medicine, but are now principally 
employed in perfuming various articles for the toilet. The 
plant itself is a handsome one, the large white flowers having a 
fine effect in combination with those of darker hues, and there¬ 
fore it is well worth a place in any garden both for its beauty 
and historical interest. I. pallida and the orange-scented I. plicata 
are both pretty, the former especially, of which over a dozen 
varieties are grown, including some beautiful shades of blue, 
purple, and crimson. 
This concludes the brief review of the genus ; and as an aid to 
intending growers, the following list will convey some idea of 
the order in which the principal species flower, commencing 
with the end of December, from which time till March, alata, 
stylosa, reticulata, persica, caucasica, tingitana, Kolpakowskiana, 
Reichenbachiana, and iberica come into flower, some of them 
often appearing in frosty and snowy weather outside ; reticulata 
and persica being especially suited for culture in pots, and when 
grown in cold frames they are obtained in flower a week or more 
earlier than outside. During April, May, and June the bulk 
of the Irises are attractive, most of the section just described 
being at their best in April or May. Following these are the 
Apogon Irises, the strangely coloured Spanish Irises, the richly 
tinted English Irises, and finally the magnificent Japanese Irises, 
the now varied forms of I. Ksempferi, that often continue flower¬ 
ing until August, which may be considered the termination of the 
Iris season. 
It may be well to remind amateurs that the present month is a 
very suitable one for planting the bulbous forms or dividing the 
rhizomatous kinds, but as the season is a wet one the work had 
better be completed as soon as possible.—L. Castle. 
DEATH OF MR. CHARLES LEE AND MR. W. E. 
RENDLE. 
It is with much regret that we have to announce the death of 
two well and widely known horticulturists which occurred last 
week—Mr. Charles Lee of Hammersmith, who died on Friday, the 
2nd inst., and Mr. E. Rendle, who expired on the following day. 
Mr. Charles Lee. —The death of this gentleman was lament¬ 
ably sudden. While driving in his chaise on his way to his 
country nurseries the horse became troublesome, and caused some 
nervousness and excitement that had a most melancholy result, 
for whilst Mr. Lee was sitting in the vehicle in the High Street, 
Hounslow, and giving some instructions to his coachman, he 
expired suddenly. On the following day an inquest was held at 
Crosby House, Hounslow, when Mr. Bullock, surgeon, said the 
cause of death was apoplexy, and a verdict was returned in 
accordance with the medical evidence. The deceased was head 
of the firm of Messrs. Charles Lee & Son. The business at Ham¬ 
mersmith, which is the head quarters of an extensive nursery 
trade, has been conducted by three generations of Lees, and 
Mr. Charles Lee was the representative of the fourth. On the 
retirement of Mr. John Lee, early in 1877, the deceased attained to 
the position that he occupied until his death. Although seventy- 
three years of age Mr. Lee was remarkable for his activity and 
his great business capacity. He was skilled in his calling, hospit¬ 
able, and kind ; indeed, he was a fine example of a British nur¬ 
seryman, and his death will be mourned by all who had the 
privilege of his acquaintance. 
Mr. W. Edgcombe Rendle.— Mr. Rendle died at Eastbourne 
after a long and severe illness. He was borne on February 10th, 
1820, at Compton Giifard near Plymouth, and was thus sixty-one 
years of age. His father was a nurseryman of repute, and estab¬ 
lished the Union Road Nursery, Plymouth. The deceased suc¬ 
ceeded to this business in 1840, and shortly afterwards invented 
the tank system of heating, which for a time was somewhat ex¬ 
tensively adopted. We are informed that Mr. Rendle was the 
first to publish descriptive catalogues of seeds and send them 
through the post all over the country, and also the first to intro¬ 
duce the artificial manure business in the west of England by 
shipping guano from Peru. About 1852 a large portion of his 
grounds were secured by the railway company, and shortly 
afterwards the gardens were used for flower shows, concerts, &c. 
In 1861 Mr. Rendle removed to London, where he was engaged 
in various mercantile pursuits. In 1868 he again turned his atten¬ 
tion to the horticultural business, and invented some wall-protec¬ 
tors ; and on this principle he erected structures for the Duke of 
Portland to the amount of £10,000. Eventually his system of 
glazing attracted the notice of the railway authorities, and the 
plan has since been applied to several large stations, the West¬ 
minster Aquarium, and large buildings in different parts of the 
country. 
The Seventh International Potato Exhibition, to 
be held at the Crystal Palace on the 20th and 21st, under the 
patronage of the Lord Mayor, is expected to prove the most in¬ 
teresting of the series. The first International Potato Show was 
held in the year 1875, consequently the forthcoming meeting will 
be the seventh. Hitherto every succeeding year has witnessed 
an improvement both in numbers and in the selection of varieties 
and samples. The promoters are practical men, who, having put 
their hands to the plough, are not likely to look back. 
- As an example of the demand that exists for Pyrethrum 
Golden Feather and the mode adopted by growers who send 
large quantities into the markets, we cite the following passage 
from a communication recently received—“ In one of the medium- 
size market-growing nurseries in the neighbourhood of the metro¬ 
polis, one of the specialities is a supply of Golden Feather, which 
is provided in the following manner—Shallow light wooden boxes 
are employed specially manufactured, about 15 or 18 inches long, 
a foot wide, and 2 inches deep. These are filled with light soil, 
and the seed is sown at the present time so as to obtain the plants 
strong before winter. When of sufficient size and before they 
become crowded the young plants are pricked out, a hundred in 
each box, which are then placed in a cool house as near the glass 
as possible, so that sturdy plants are secured by March, at which 
time the greater portion is sent to market. It is said these boxes 
when ordered in large quantities cost about 1 \d. each, and the 
highest price obtained for a box containing a hundred plants is 
1*., which must leave a large margin of profit. The grower now 
referred to sends four thousand such boxes to London every year, 
and he says that had he the space to accommodate them he could 
dispose of twice that number.” 
- A Sidmouth correspondent will be glad if any of our 
readers can inform him how to destroy Hornets’ nests, of which 
he has two—one high up the brick wall of the garden, and the 
other between the laths and plaster and brick wall of an outhouse. 
- A recent visitor to Ireland sends the two following- 
notes :—“ One of the most historic and picturesque isles in the 
