March 14, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
water, as adopted here and at other places, and many 
other establishments of note on the other side of the 
Atlantic were alluded to, as well as giving passing 
remarks on various plants he saw and their cultivation. 
-- 
EARLY-FLOWERING OR 
BULBOUS IRIS. 
A number of the so-called bulbous species of Iris are 
noted not only for the beauty of their flowers, but for 
the fact that they are amongst the earliest of our 
spring flowers. Where they have been grown in the 
open air unprotected by a frame or other glass structure 
during the past winter they will of necessity be much 
later in coming into bloom than is the case in usually 
mild winters. February and March usually witness the 
beauty of a number of these harbingers of spring ; but 
some of them flower even earlier provided the conditions 
are favourable, as in the case of I. Vartani, which 
blooms from October to December in its native habitat. 
All should be planted in light rich soil, in sheltered 
places fully exposed to the sun, for at the time when 
they flower warmth and shelter are required in this 
country, but more particularly against storms of wind 
and rain to which they'are subjected in our fickle 
climate. Thorough drainage is also an important 
matter, for on no account must the bulbs be planted in 
cold and saturated ground, otherwise they will be 
liable to suffer during winter when growth recommences. 
A hand-light or a frame may be used to protect such 
species as come into flower early, should the weather 
turn out unpropitious at any time afterwards. It is 
also an advantage that the bulbs be ultimately ripened 
off thoroughly, but this is a matter that can hardly fail 
to be accomplished, seeing that flowering takes place in 
spring, and the whole summer is ahead of them, during 
which a dry period generally prevails. 
The first to awake into beauty in early spring is I. 
Vartani, which with all the undermentioned kinds 
belongs to the sub-genus Xiphion, of which the so- 
called English and Spanish Irises are typical. The 
flowers are of a pale slaty lilac, and the falls, which 
are the broader segments of the perianth, are beautifully 
veined with a darker hue, with a median yellow crest. 
It is a native of Palestine, as is I. Histrio, which 
follows it in time of flowering. The prevailing hue of 
the flowers of the latter is lilac-purple, but the falls as 
usual are beautifully and richly streaked and blotched 
with a dark hue on a paler ground, with a yellow band 
along the centre. 
Some kinds flower in advance of the foliage, including 
the dwarf, but exceedingly pretty I. persica, which 
forms the first illustration in the Botanical Magazine. 
The falls are wavy at the edges, and yellowish lilac, 
giving place to a median band of bright yellow. The 
leaves are broader than the above mentioned species, 
and light green, but they do not make their appearance 
till the flowers are getting over. The latter exhale the 
perfume of Violets, and only rise to a height of 2 ins. to 
3 ins. above the soil. A more recent introduction is 
I. Danfordife, sometimes but erroneously named I. 
Bornmulleri. The flowers are wholly of a bright 
yellow, and very attractive in early spring as they peer 
above the naked soil. A striking peculiarity about 
them is that the standards are reduced to mere rudi¬ 
ments, so that the three falls give the flower a triangular 
appearance. I. Bornmulleri is, however, a closely 
allied species with a large stigmatic plate, furnished 
with two bright green stripes on the ridge. 
Of all the bulbous Irises, I. reticulata is the most 
widely distributed in British gardens, with the exception 
of the summer flowering English and Spanish species 
and their varieties. There are now several very 
beautiful forms of the netted Iris in cultivation, and 
some of them are delicately fragrant, as is the Persian 
Iris. The species is a native of the Caucasus and other 
places in that part of the world, and has flowers of a 
deep violet-purple, giving place to other shades in 
different parts of the flower. The falls have a pale 
keel variegated with violet and white, with a bright 
yellow band along the centre. The standards Tnd 
broad petaloid stigmas are somewhat paler in hue than 
the falls. In mild seasons this Iris or some of its 
forms, particularly I. r. cyanea, flowers during February, 
but we may reckon upon seeing them during March 
this year. I. r. cyanea is a comparatively recent 
introduction from Central Asia, with delicately fragrant 
flowers, and besides earliness, is characterised by being 
smaller than the type, and of a beautiful pale blue 
col >ur. 11 is certainly choice, and should not be omitted 
from a collection. In mild winters it commences flower- 
iDg in November, and the last of it may not disappear 
till March. I. r. Ivrelagei, also sometimes called I. r. 
purpurea, is not so desirable a variety, although it is 
very distinct, and on that account may be admitted for 
the sake of variety.' The flowers are of a slaty purple, 
with a paler yellow band on the falls, and the claw is 
variegated with yellow blotches and lines. The flowers 
are also scentless, detracting therefore from the value of 
the variety. 
Another spring-flowering species of great interest 
and considerable decorative value is I. caucasica, also 
sometimes called I. orchioides in" gardens. It is a 
native of the Caucasus, extending from thence to 
Persia. It is characterised by its leafy stems about 
1 ft. in height, bearing on the top several large, pale 
yellow flowers. The flowering season is February and 
March, but if grown in the open ground it will be all 
the better if it flowers late, so that its beautiful light 
green leaves may be less subject to injury from un¬ 
favourable weather. The flowers are scentless, but the 
distinct habit of the plant and its early-flowering habit 
should commend it to all lovers of this class of plants. 
- «=>>$<•* - 
MOTE PARK, MAIDSTONE. 
Amaryllis are exceedingly well done at Mote Park, 
Maidstone, and at the present time many well-flowered 
plants of good varieties may be seen there. They are 
not grown in large pots, but chiefly in 32’s and 24’s, 
and I noticed several in the smaller sizes still, with two 
spikes of four flowers each, which speaks well for their 
cultivation. A great many of these are seedlings raised 
by Mr. Davis, and these hybrids are very fine indeed, 
being raised from the finest named sorts. Mr. Davis 
is certainly to be congratulated upon his success. 
Orchids are also well done here, and just now the 
Phaleeaopsis house is a fine sight. Some well-grown 
plants of P. Schilleriana with good branched spikes are 
grand, P. Sanderiana amabilis and P. grandiflora are 
also well represented, as well as that beautiful 
variety P. Stewartiana. Nearly fifty spikes of fine 
flowers made a very imposing display. The Cattleya 
house is also very gay ; many distinct varieties 
of C. Triante are in perfection, specially conspicuous 
being two plants of the variety alba. I also noticed a 
fine lot of well-flowered Loelia harpophylla ; fourteen 
flowers on a spike are not often seen, but such is the 
case here. Many good Odontoglossums and Cypri- 
psdiums are also in bloom, amongst the former being 
0. Russellianum, very distinct and pretty, and all in 
splendid health. The various departments, both inside 
and out, are well managed by the enthusiastic gardener, 
Mr. Davis.— Rusticus. 
- — - — 
THE SEVERE WEATHER. 
The severe gales and snowstorm which burst over the 
South of England on Monday afternoon will long be 
as well remembered as the memorable blizzard of 
January, 1881, being more destructive in its effects than 
any we have had for a long time past, and coming so 
late in the season, and after the heavy rainfall of the 
previous Saturday afternoon and Sunday, must have 
worked considerable mischief in gardens, and left the 
land in a condition that will render it unfit for 
working for some time. On Tuesday morning the 
snowfall somewhat abated, but towards evening it set in 
again and continued until about 8 a.m. on Wednesday, 
with less drift, however, than on Monday night. 
We have this week had in our district the coldest 
weather we have experienced during the whole winter. 
On Sunday there was 15° of frost, on Monday 17°, and 
to day, Tuesday, 15°, with strong northerly winds 
changing to N.E. and N.W. Much of the vegetation, 
and even some flowers which assumed a bright and 
luxuriant appearance not more than a week ago, are 
now severely tried and greatly changed for the worse. 
Wallflowers which were supplying cut blooms in the 
open borders, and Rhododendrons of the Nobleanum 
class with flowers opened and opening in abundance, 
are sadly disfigured. Radishes, Spinach, and some 
other seedlings sown in February and nicely above 
ground have suffered severely. Ground work is sus¬ 
pended, though but little snow has been seen.— Stirling. 
The weather here in February was simply splendid 
for the time of year, and small fruits swelled and 
opened their buds. Rhododendron Nobleanum next 
came into profusive bloom and the weather-wise shook 
443 
their heads, remarking, “We shall catch it in March,” 
and for once they were right. Hardly had February 
28th fairly departed when strong gales set in, culmin¬ 
ating on the 6th inst. with a heavy snowstorm ; and as 
I write (Monday) the thermometer registers 16° of 
frost. So much for the vagaries of our fickle climate. 
—James Brown, Arddarroch. 
AFe had 21' of frost this morning, 4° more than we 
have had before this season.— John Downie , Princes 
Street, Edinburgh, March 9th. 
-- 
dfijamtttjs Jjrottt 1(1 or I i) 
nf[ Stinitf. 
Rapid Spread of the Prickly Pear in Africa. 
—Cultivators in this country have no idea of the 
difficulty of keeping the species of Opuntia within due 
bounds when once they have obtained a footing in dry 
countries of the Old World. About 150 species are 
known, all native of the warmer parts of America ; but 
some of them which have been planted along the shores 
of the Mediterranean and other parts have become 
naturalised and taken possession of the rocky coast. 
They have also proved a great pest in South Africa, 
where the sheep farmers are unable to keep them 
within due bounds. Hundreds of pounds have been 
spent in trying to destroy what now proves the vilest 
of weeds, and all within the last fifty or sixty years. 
Neither cutting them down nor uprooting them will 
extirpate them unless actually destroyed, for every piece 
of stem will form roots, and establish itself afresh where 
it comes in contact with the soil. In some cases the 
uprooted plants are thrown into the river brunding the 
farms ; but this only serves to infest other land lower 
down the river. A very effective means of destroying 
the plants is to uproot them, chop them into short 
lengths, and pile them up in heaps, with stones on the 
top to keep them down. This causes fermentation and 
destruction, but to be affective should be done before 
the plants have formed their fruits, as the seeds are not 
destroyed by the process. Another method is to pass 
the stems through a machine, such as that used to chop 
up Turnips or Mangolds. What would gardeners in 
this country think of having to put their weeds through 
a mill ? 
Plant Barometers. —The small treatise on agri¬ 
cultural meteorology contains a list of prognostics for 
deducing the inference that certain plants present, 
according to the state of the weather. We cite some 
examples :—If the head of the weather-Nigella bends 
over, there will be heat ; if the head of the Nigella -of 
the field straightens itself, coolness ; if the stems of the 
Trefoil and other leguminous plants straighten them¬ 
selves, rain ; if the leaves of the Wood Sorrel rise up, 
storm ; if the leaves of the Vernal Whitlow Grass fold 
up lightly, tempest ; if the flower of the Convolvulus 
(or yellow Day Lily) shuts, rain ; if the flower of the 
Pimpernel shuts, rain ; if the flower of the Oxalis opens, 
fine ; if the flower of the Oxalis shuts, rain storm ; if 
the flower of the Carline Thistle closes, tempest; if the 
flower of the Lettuce expands, rain ; if the flower of 
the small Bindweed closes, rain ; if the flower of the 
Cinquefoil (creeping Potentilla) spreads out, rain ; if 
the flower of the Cinquefoil folds up again, fine ; if the 
flower of the African Marigold shuts, rain ; if the flower 
of the pluvial Marigold folds up again, rain ; if the 
scales of the Fuller’s Teasel approach holding themselves 
tight, rain.— Revue de VHorticulture Beige. 
The Flavour and Odour of the Durian.— In 
a word, the Durian is a natural macedoine —one of 
Dame Nature’s “ made dishes ”—and if it be possible 
for you to imagine the flavour of a combination of corn¬ 
flour and rotten cheese, nectarines, crushed filberts, a 
dash of pine-apple, a spoonful of old dry sherry, thick 
cream, apricot-pulp, and a soup<;on of garlic, all reduced 
to the consistency of a rich custard, you have a glim¬ 
mering idea of the Durian, but, as before pointed out, 
the odour is almost unmentionable—perfectly indes¬ 
cribable, except it be as “the fruit with the fragrant 
stink.” Elsewhere the writer says, “this delectable 
epitome of all that is perfect in fruit food. It is a 
paradox, the best of fruits with the worst of characters, 
and as the Malays say, you may enjoy the Durian, but 
you should never speak of it outside your own dwelling.” 
— The Gardens of the Sun, 
