January 17, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
51 
READERS’ COMPETITION. offered, please see page 45. 
Early Flowering Iris. 
The Netted Iris (I. reticulata) is the best known of all the 
small Xiphions. In February and March it usually delights 
the eye with flowers presenting a vision of deep violet, combining 
with bright gold in a striking degree, and, in addition, has a 
strong violet fragrance. Its foliage is already pushing through 
the ground, so as to form an accompaniment to the bloom, after¬ 
wards reaching about 1 foot in height. Care should be taken 
to procure from 'a reliable source, so as to get true to name, as 
the variety Krelagei is sometimes substituted. The claret- 
purple flowers are nevertheless beautiful, and appear earlier 
than the type, but lack the size and delicious scent. The variety 
major is a glorified form of the first-mentioned, while sopho- 
liensis is now in full bloom. The early bakeriana, histrio, and 
histrioides, and the exceedingly bright yellow Danfordise are 
now opening their flowers. These, belonging to the reticulata 
section, should have a sheltered position, but the sun must 
not be excluded. Being hardy, they need no protection except 
when in bloom. To prevent rain from spoiling the flowers a 
glass pane of sufficient size can be supported by stout wires to 
cover them, or they can be effectually prevented from being 
splashed by mud with a layer of cocoa-nut fibre on the surface 
of the ground. Iris alata, the Scorpion Iris, lias spreading 
standards in place of the erect ones of the former group. The 
flowers are produced throughout January, and average 4 in. 
in diameter, being of a pale blue, with the segments very broad. 
The foliage departs from the general run, resembling that of a 
small leek. It makes a grand plant for pans, requiring more 
space than most, and remains in flower for some time, as two 
or more flowers appear from a strong bulb. I. persica is perhaps 
best for the greenhouse, as in some localities it is not altogether 
satisfactory. I. Heldreichi (stenophylla) is of comparatively 
recent introduction, and ranks among the choicest, in shape 
resembling the former, but the galls are velvety violet, reticulated 
with white, and with a yellow crest. A fitting comparison will 
be found in Tauri, the flowers being of good substance. 
The dwarf stature and exquisite colouring adapt these plants 
to a front place in the rockery, finding out a snug nook with a 
south exposure, but a narrow border by a south wall is better. 
Here the soil can be removed if too heavy, and proper drainage 
placed in the bottom to prevent bulbs from rotting in winter ; 
a friable soil of loam, leaf-mould, and a liberal allowance ot 
sand can then be placed around the bulbs. For the cold green¬ 
house they are of great value, for one can see and admire them 
any time without external discomfort, while they are also 
amenable to pot culture. A dozen bulbs do well for a 7-in. pan, 
and should be potted during September or October into a mix¬ 
ture recommended before, then placed in a cold frame or under 
the stage to make roots, bringing near the glass when they com¬ 
mence to grow. After flowering, and when growth is completed, 
a rest is needed, though in the reticulata section it should not 
be so prolonged as for the persica group. These delight in a 
well-drained, stony root-run, and should be thoroughly ripened 
The old I. stylosa (unguicularis), an evergreen species of great 
jnerit, cannot be omitted, for if planted at the foot of a warm 
wall the flowers open continuously in mild weather, from Novem¬ 
ber to March. 
The Description of Colour in Flowers. 
Among all lovers of flowers there is at the present day a great 
need for some authoritative standard or scale of colour, for re¬ 
ference when describing the colour of a flower. 
No doubt this is a difficult matter, as flowers appear to vary 
in tint in different lights, and the environment and soil may 
add to or detract from the depth of colour. These are diffi¬ 
culties that are always with us, but if colour varies, so does 
height, yet we always have the average height- given, and. in most 
cases, correctly. 
In many professions and trades we see the members meeting 
together and agreeing upon standards by which their .work shall 
be carried on more smoothly and exactly. 
The British Pharmacopoeia have a standard strength for drugs ; 
in German and American engineering standardisation has met 
with such success that British engineers have been obliged to 
adopt it. - . . .. 
Not long, ago someone, connected with the brewing trade in¬ 
vented a colour scale by which the respective colours of a sample 
of malt or barley could at once be determined, its value depend¬ 
ing very much on this. If the varying and elusive shades of 
colour in barley could be ascertained, surely it should not be 
impossible to define other colours by this means. 
No one will question the need of it. The catalogue of a leading 
firm of seedsmen recently described the rich brown and yellow 
of Genista andreana as “crimson and gold.” Elsewhere a 
daisy (Beilis perennis) is said to be of a “fiery scarlet,” while 
(Jlerodendron fallax is mildly termed “bright scarlet”; from 
this the daisy might be the more orange of the two ; but this 
is doubtful. 
An artist, presumably a stranger to the mysteries of the seeds¬ 
man’s catalogue, decides to plant a distant bed with flowers of 
warm tjnts of scarlet and orange ; he would be much surprised 
to find a “ scarlet ” Aster or Stock where he expected a scarlet 
flower. 
The blues and purples again are so confused as to defy de¬ 
scription, while purplish pinks, and crimsons are not much 
better, 
A hy should not the Royal Horticultural Society draw up a 
chart of definite colours, with the interval between two colours 
divided into a reasonable number of shades, which could be 
numbered. It would then be possible to. describe the colour of 
a flower as attractively as is done now, adding for those who 
wish for accurate information the dominant colour and number 
of shade most nearly approached by the flower. 
All bellows might be requested to loyally uphold its ruling, 
and a start would be made which others would soon follow. 
Such slipshod description of colour as now obtains in gardening 
circles must be abolished, and a better system take its place. 
J. C. 
Hybridising. 
By careful selection and judicious crossing many of our florists’ 
flowers have been brought to such a state of perfection that it 
would seem difficult to make much further advance ; yet every 
season we have" evidence that there is still room for further im¬ 
provement. 
In these notes it is not my intention to offer advice to those 
who have already had experience in the matter, but to point out 
a few details of interest to those who have had less experience. 
In the first place, it would be a mistake to take up too many 
subjects at the same time. From beginning to end, one class 
of plants will almost entirely absorb the attention of one grower. 
The seedling does not take up so much time, but it is when there 
comes a large family of seedling plants, every one of which 
must have the most careful attention, that the trouble comes. 
I have found from experience that it is not safe to throw away a 
single seedling for fear of discarding the greatest gem in the 
whole lot. 
Now to come to the practical side of the question. It is of 
the first importance that the very best material should be selected 
to operate on, and also that operations should be begun as early 
as possible after the flowering season commences. Exception 
may be taken to such as flower through the winter—Primula 
sinensis, for instance. The best time for this is from February 
to the end of March. 
I have experimented a good deal on Primulas, and have found 
the most desirable plants for seeding are those of good habit 
and well formed flowers. By using the pollen from brighter 
or more decided colours, it is easy to transmit colour. Take a 
good wliite, for instance, and fertilise it with a bright red ; the 
first season’s progeny will bear almost all blush-pink flowers 
of the same habit as the seed parent. Some may be deeper in 
colour than others, or some may come striped. By selecting the 
deepest -coloured flowers and again using pollen from bright 
red, a further advance will be made-. I give red as an example, 
but any other colour may be obtained in the same way. Though 
white is the best ground to work upon, other colours may be 
used, and in all cases colours may be intensified by selecting the 
deeper shades for taking the pollen from. This not only applies 
to Primulas, but to all other florists’ flowers. 
- My first experience was with the show Pelargoniums. The 
first season I made indiscriminate crosses, without regard to 
colours, though, of corrrse, the best varieties at command were 
selected to work upon ; but I must say the result was very disap¬ 
pointing, for I got almost anything but the colour desired, most 
of them being washed-out or -curious mixtures of colours, some 
an almost entire reversion to Pelargonium cucullatum (one of 
