December 8, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
501 
Tower of Glammis, Alfriston, Norfolk Beaufin, &c., some of which 
may be substituted for any of my list as more suitable for certain 
localities.—J. A. W. 
Proposed Methods of Education. 
At very many of our Chrysanthemum shows there is a sectional 
department devoted to fruit. Here should be an opportunity for 
giving instruction by means of a lecture previously advertised. 
Within the charmed circle of the Royal Horticultural Society much 
has been learned of late years, but it is the great body of gardeners 
and market gardeners, farmers, tenant and yeomen, who need 
teaching, and as these cannot go to London shows and meetings, 
the Royal Horticultural Society and the Fruiterers’ Company should 
send out local lecturers as our two great universities do in the 
matters of the arts, sciences, and letters.—J. A. W. 
[Something of the kind suggested has been done by the 
Technical Education Committee of the Surrey County Council, 
both Mr. Alex. Dean and Mr. Edward Luckhurst having attended 
local shows for the purpose in question, and it would not be easy 
to find men who could teach more effectively. Lectures and 
demonstrations have also been given in gentlemen’s gardens in 
Surrey during summer evenings this year to large and appreciative 
audiences. This garden teaching is directly instructive and 
enjoyable. There are ladies and gentlemen in all the counties who 
would gladly grant the use of their gardens occasionally for 
purposes of instruction, * and undoubtedly information of great 
value to the inexperienced may be conveyed in them by competent 
practical men.] 
Cellini. 
With me Cellini has always produced deformed, cracked fruits, 
and the tree much cankered. The soil is clay gravel on chalk. 
Now on the Oxfordshire side of the Thames Valley at Boazcdown, 
Whitchurch, Mr. Ashby, the gardener there, called my attention 
to the rich colour and clean, bright appearance of the fruit and the 
healthy tree. He had headed down several varieties and regrafted 
them with Cellini. 
Beauty of Hants. 
In view of its density of texture as brought to light by the 
drying experiments, it seems this Apple is destined to be a much 
sought after variety. With me it is a good, healthy grower, and 
seems to come into bearing several years before Blenheim Orange, 
which it is very much like ; not quite so large, but rather more 
conical.—R. M., Newbury. 
IRIS DANEORDIiE. 
The Iris is welcome in all its forms and at all seasons. The 
massive blooms of the German Iris, the broad flat flowers of 
Kasmpfer’s Iris, the beautiful blossoms of the English bulbous 
Irises, and the graceful Spanish varieties are all generally 
welcomed. No less valued are the flowers of the various species 
which do not come under the above named sections. Where can 
we find such beautiful flowers as some of the varieties of I. reticulata, 
not to speak of the singularly charming blooms of the Oncocyclus 
section—the despair of most cultivators in this climate ? If these 
flowers, with their varied forms and hues, are prized in the flowery 
season, how welcome are the species which come in midwinter. 
Such an Iris is I. Bakeriana, such is I. histrioides, and the same 
applies to I. Danfordise, Mrs. Danford’s Iris. 
This Iris has come into flower remarkably early, having opened 
fully on November 23rd. My first bulb, purchased in 1890, met 
with an unhappy fate, a grub having destroyed it. I replaced it 
in 1891, but anxiously though I watched for it, no flower rewarded 
my pains. The bulb, however, flourished, and after its usual 
summer’s rest the leaves began to appear about the middle of 
September, and after a long lapse of time from the first appearance 
of the bud I have one flower open and another nearly so, and am 
now rewarded for my long patience by the sight of this pretty 
little gem decorating one of my rockeries. This Iris was found by 
Mrs. Danford on the Cicilian Taurus, and was described so long 
ago as 1876 by Mr. J. G. Baker in the “ Journal of Botany.” It 
has been usually sold under the name of I. Bornmulleri, the name 
of a somewhat similar plant, but larger and even finer. This is 
also now in cultivation. 
In its native habitat I. Danfordiac grows on a sandy slope on the 
north side of one of the mountains in company with Crocus 
vitellinus and in close proximity to Primroses, Scilla bifolia, 
Fritillaria aurea, and many other plants. Although it thus appears 
to have a northern exposure in its native home it by no means 
follows that this is the most suitable in our latitude. I have my 
specimen planted in sandy peat on a rockery facing almost south 
with a point of east in the exposure. Here it seems healthy and 
thriving, as it has already increased to two bulbs, each bulb only 
producing one flower. It grows from 2 to 4 inches in height—my 
plants being about 3 inches high. The cylindrical leaves are pro¬ 
duced before the flowers, but do not attain their full length until 
after these are past. The flowers are bright yellow, faintly but 
profusely spotted with a peculiar greenish colour, not unlike that 
on the flowers of I. palacstinse. The beard is of a darker yellow, 
and one noticeable point in this Iris is that the three inner segments 
are almost suppressed, only appearing in the form of three small 
filaments. It is altogether a distinct little plaut and worthy of a 
place in the choicest collection of bulbous plants. It was exhibited 
by Mr. T. S. Ware at a meeting of the Floral Committee of the 
Royal Horticultural Society on February 10th, 1891, and well 
merited the award it received—a first-class certificate. 
The normal flowering time of I. Danfordiae in this country 
seems to be early in February, but in all likelihood the climatic 
conditions this season have hastened its flowering. I should like to 
hear of the experience of others this season. I may say that this 
Iris was through the soil in the garden of Mr. John Maxwell, 
Maxwelltown, Dumfries, about the same time as mine appeared 
but I have not yet heard if a flower has opened. The plant is 
perfectly hardy, but in order to prolong the flowering and protect 
the blooms I have had it covered with a small handlight from 
the time the bud showed colour.—S. Arnott. 
IS ROTATION IN CROPPING NECESSARY? 
The old-fashioned system of cropping in rotation has in some 
gardens been superseded by a less strictly defined method of 
putting out crops as the ground becomes ready. Formerly ground 
was frequently vacant, now the crop has often to wait for the 
ground, consequently it is necessary to depart from a rule of 
thumb method. Another consideration is that each gardener must 
be guided to a great extent by the requirements of the family for 
which he has to provide vegetables. Some sorts must be provided 
in large quantities and in untimely seasons, while other kinds can 
be safely allowed to occupy a comparatively small space of ground, 
and a failure wich these is never a very serious affair. But while 
we should not confine ourselves to a too liberal method of rotation 
in cropping, it nevertheless presents no good reason why an elastic 
system of fitting crops one into the other should not find a 
prominent place in the economical working of a kitchen garden. 
The plan to please is that which provides the maximum of produce 
with the minimum of labour and of garden space. 
In any method of cropping, too, note must be made of the 
abnormal demand for flowers which has arisen of late. It is not 
possible now to depend on borders or beds set apart, as of old, for 
flowers alone. Chrysanthemums require a fair amount of space. 
Then we have Arums, Eupatoriums, and other winter-flowering 
plants, which it is true economy to grow in the open garden. 
While that is so for winter flowers, spring and summer plants 
demand extra space. The ground that Tulips, Irises, Daffodils, 
and early Gladioli require is important. Then for autumn the 
claims of Gladioli, Montbretias, and Carnations must be considered, 
along with Roses, Violets, and Lily of the Valley. I find it advis¬ 
able to provide for each and all of these in the vegetable quarters. 
While I follow no hard and fast system of cropping, it occurs 
in practice that crops fall in to succeed each other with a fair 
amount of regularity. Thus the quarter which one year is devoted 
to Broccoli, Cauliflowers, and various kinds of Brassica, is the 
handiest for the bulk of the Pea crop in the following season. A 
catch crop of Lettuces, Spinach, or Turnips can be secured off the 
portion cropped by Cauliflowers, while the later Broccoli is off 
only in time for Peas. Potatoes frequently follow Peas ; winter 
Spinach and late Turnips succeed Potatoes, and it not infrequently 
occurs that Celery is ready to take the place of Spinach by the 
time the latter is ready to be cleared away. Strawberries, as a 
rule, follow Potatoes. In each of these cases the labour demanded 
to prepare for a crop is not great. 
While the above indicates the general principle I follow, it is an 
invariable rule that the details of cropping for the ensuing year is 
mapped out the previous autumn, and the ground, so far as 
possible, prepared accordingly. Labour and manure by this means 
are never misapplied. For instance, the particular quarter intended 
for Potatoes next year requires nothing beyond turning the soil 
over, and in the process breaking up all clods in the furrows. 
Ground intended for Strawberry planting in spring on the other 
hand is double dug or trenched, and a dressing of cow manure at 
the rate of 40 to 70 tons per acre worked in. If the ground 
intended for Onions can be had manure is also applied before 
turning up, but very generally the Onion crop follows Celery, and 
occasionally it is secured from between the rows of young Straw¬ 
berry plants. Pea ground is never prepared until wanted, and the 
