In these dense swamps our collectors must often use a compass to find their way back to the 
road. Alligators, Rattlesnakes and Water Moccasins add to the hazard of collecting these plants. 
let, lilac, henna, orange, and old rose, and all shades approaching red and 
blue. 
Th ese uncultivated flowers grow in a profusion and with a rare beauty 
unmatched by the dwarf types of yellow and purple iris common in northern 
climates. 
The discovery of the natural iris beds was accidental. During a botanical 
trip from Florida to western Texas, Dr. Small caught a fleeting glimpse of 
them through the train window and immediately took steps to return and in¬ 
vestigate. A special permit was obtained from the railroad, which placed a 
powered hand-car at the disposal of the expedition. Dr. Small said he and 
his companions had often waded waist-deep through water with an uncertain 
footing to reach the plants. 
Commenting on the puzzling presence of the remarkable plants in the 
swamps, the botanist said the beds might represent the remains of a vast de¬ 
velopment of the variety in the more recent geologic times that followed the 
gradual southward advance of the Mississippi Delta from the interior. A sec¬ 
ond possible theory, according to Dr. Small, is that the irises represent the 
progeny of a local development of a few irises, some from the upper part of 
the Mississippi watershed, others from the Gulf region. These, having met 
and mingled in the favorable environment, may have produced the natural 
beds. Local flower lovers have for years gathered these lovely plants for their 
own gardens, but only recently have they been accorded intense botanical 
study and commercial develonmpnt 
PRICES TO THE TRADE $ 5 . 00 
100 roots (rhizoms) _ $23.50 
500 roots (rhizons) $45.00 
1000 roots (rhizoms) 
Y—ALGIERS, LA. 
