"Uhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
515 
The Poor Man’s Orchid 
Bocau-se of its hoauty of form, delicate 
texture, exquisite coloring and withal 
moderate cost, the Iris truly deserves the 
sobriquet of “the i)oor man’s orchid.’’ and 
at the season of the year, when the bor¬ 
ders of Iris are in full bloom, it is unde¬ 
niably also the queen of tlie garden. Yet 
this charming flower is of easiest cul¬ 
ture and yields an unusually large de¬ 
gree of satisfaction and i)leasure in pro¬ 
portion to the amount of time and at¬ 
tention which it retiuires. The Iris, par¬ 
ticularly the hybrids of Germanica (I. 
I>almatica, I. Florentina, Iris foeti- 
dissima) can be successfully grown with 
comparatively little effort. While the 
Iris responds freely to cultivation, it will 
obligingly grow and bloom even when 
{•artially neglected, and when it is once 
firmly estsiblished in suitable environ¬ 
ment, it will bloom, multiplj’ and last for 
years. The one .seeming drawback of the 
individmil i)Iants of this clas.s, is the 
short .season of bloom, but by a judicious 
.selection of species and varietie.s, it is 
I)ossible to secure an nuiuterrui)ted suc¬ 
cession of flowers from early in Spring 
imtil late in July. 
In order to assure success in the cul¬ 
tivation of Iris, it is not necessary to 
possess any great amount of experience 
or training in floriculture. By adher¬ 
ing to simple fundamental principles, the 
amateur may obtain the most gratifying 
and lasting results from his planting. 
C’ertain varieties have their peculiarities, 
which should be respected. For instance, 
I. Pseudacorus is at its best if grown 
near the edge of water or in a boggy, 
shady place. Iris Kamipferi will bloom 
freely when planted in deej). rich soil 
and fully exposed to direct sunlight. 
While it is possible to grow the .Tapauese 
Iris in dry soil, it reaches its greatest 
perfection if planted in a moist situa¬ 
tion. On the other hand, I. pumila and 
I. Germanica will .thrive in any good 
garden soil, provided it is not too wet. 
If plants do not thrive and increase in 
one situation, change their positions in 
the garden until a situation suitable for 
them is found. Thus by observing and 
experimenting, the Iris enthusiast soon 
learns the reiiuirements of his varieties, 
and how to supply the proper conditions 
necessary for them to reach their fullest 
development. 
As a rule, the various species and va¬ 
rieties obtained from florists are hardy 
and will endure safely even the severest 
northern Winter. The old-fashioned 
showy Iris commonly called “blue flag” 
(a variety of I. Germanica) is one of 
the hardiest of the Iris famil.v, while the 
Spanish Iris, usually catalogued as 
“hardy,” does not, in some localities, 
live up to the full meaning of the term. 
If planted in a sheltered place, in .sandy, 
well-drained soil, and given protection in 
cold latitudes, it may la.st for several 
years, but if placed in poorly drained, 
tenacious soil, the bulbs are apt to rot 
or “winter out.” When the conditions 
favorable for this Spanish Iris cannot 
be furnished, the safest course is to lift 
the bulbs and keep them cool and dry 
until they can be re-planted in the 
Spring. At the North, lids Ilispanica 
(Spanish Iris) i.s much better adapted to 
pot culture and forcing than for a gar¬ 
den plant. The tall, elegant Madame 
Chereau and other named varietie.s of 
German Iris will be found perfectlj’ sat¬ 
isfactory in hardy beds. AVhen planted 
in groups or in masses they are very ef¬ 
fective. 
In good soil, in a sunny situation most 
varieties of Iris will thrive and increase 
so rapidly, that the clumps will need to 
be divided about every fourth year. If 
the clumps are allowed to remain too 
long in a bed, the rhizomes may be forced 
above the ground and be injured by ex¬ 
posure. A crowded condition of the 
roots also results in impairing the vt- 
tality of the plant. 
BERTHA BEKBERT-HA'MMOXD. 
New York. 
Birds and Butterflies 
On page 2.‘)2, in an article entitled “A 
Woman Who Hates Gats” I find the 
que.stion, in reference to birds, “Which 
eai the yellow and white butterflies?” 
It would be interesting to know more 
on this subject. Will you ask your 
readers if they have ever witnessed a 
bird in the act of catching a butterfly? 
Is so, do they know what species of 
birds eat butterflies and what species of 
butterflies are eaten by the birds? In 
my life, mainly in the open, I have 
never seen a bird catch a butterfly, 
though I have omi.sionally seen a small 
night moth that happenwl to be fleeting 
about quickly snapped up. There is no 
insect more conspicuous than a buttei’fly 
in flight. W. I. I'.EECROFT, 
Blooms of the Graceful Spanish Iris 
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