300 
CULTURE OF THE IRiS BICOLOR. 
tances. By proceeding in this way, I cannot conceive where the 
heterogeneous mass of unnecessary wood, of which Mr. Dyson com¬ 
plains, is to he found, or why the young shoots should rob the fruit 
of its proper nourishment more than on Mr. Seymour’s system. 
The old system, if properly attended to, is calculated to produce bet¬ 
ter hearing wood, for the strongest shoots are not most productive, 
neither do the very weak bear the finest fruit. By the new system, 
when the trees are old the young wood is weak. Again, Mr. Har¬ 
rison, in his observations, says, that for the lateral shoots which die, 
a substitute can not readily be obtained. But is not the parent branch 
of the laterals apt to die the same as in the old system ? If so, the 
tree is completely deformed, but on the fan system it is easily re¬ 
placed. Taking into consideration the difficulty attending the new 
system throughout its progress, and remembering that the same end 
is accomplished in the old system, and moreover that the duration 
of the trees is secured, the old system is the preferable of the two.— 
If Mr. Dyson should ever witness the wall trees in Lord Southamp¬ 
ton’s garden, at Whittlebury Lodge, Northamptonshire, trained by 
Mr. Oxley, the gardener, on the old system, he will he as magic 
struck as others are with the new system, especially if he look at 
some Morelia Cherries, which are, I think, the finest trees of their 
kind in the country. 
James Brown, Jun. 
Stowe Gardens, April 13 th, 1833. 
FLORICULTURE. 
ARTICLE V.—ON THE CULTURE OF THE IRIS BICOLOR. 
BV MR. PLANT, CHEADLE, STAFFORDSHIRE. 
Being anxious to assist in spreading information, I am induced to 
trouble you with a few remarks on the culture of the Iris bicolor. 
I have been repeatedly asked how I manage my plants; even during 
this spring three eminent amateurs have enquired concerning the 
treatment of this and other plants. Not having time to answer every 
separate question of this sort, I take this opportunity of stating how 
your readers may certainly succeed as respects this singular and 
beautiful species of Iris, (Hermodactylus,) introduced to our gar¬ 
dens so long ago as the year 1597. I do this the more readily be¬ 
cause it deserves a place in every garden where a choice collection 
