Ictober 15, 1904. 
The Gardening World 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“There grew broad flag-flowers, purple prankt with white. —Shelley. 
Weekly Prize 
FOR 
Short Articles. 
The Proprietors of The Gardening World 
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THE BEST PARAGRAPH, Or SHORT ARTICLE, Sent 
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Views and Reviews. 
The following Coloured 
Plates have appeared in 
recent numbers:— 
July 4 — APHELANDRA AURANTIACA 
ROEZLII. 
August 1.— BORONIA HETEROPHYLLA. 
September 12.— SIX NEW DAFFODILS. ' 
October 3— LILIUM AURATUM PLA- 
TYPHYLLUM SHIRLEY VAR. 
Novembei 14.— ROSE MME. N. LEVA- 
VASSEUR. 
January 2.— HYBRID TEA-SCENTED 
ROSE IRENE. 
January 30. — TUBEROUS BEGONIA 
COUNTESS OF WARWICK. 
February 27. -A FINE STRAIN OF 
GLOXINIAS. 
April 2. — WISTARIA MULTIJUGA 
RUSSELLIANA. 
May 7 —CACTUS DAHLIA DAINTY. 
June 4.— CACTUS DAHLIA SPITFIRE. 
July 16.— ROSE LADY BATTERSEA. 
Back numbers may be obtained from the 
publishers, price 2Jd. post free. 
This week we present a Coloured 
Plate of 
H.P. ROSE HUGH DICKSON. 
Next week we shall give a Half-tone 
Plate of 
SINGLE ROSE LADY WHITE. 
The prize last week in the Readers’ 
Competition was awarded to “Heather 
Bell,” for his article on “Resting Land: 
a Suggestion,” p. 806 . 
The Book of the Iris. 
Till [books of this series of practical hand¬ 
books being issued by Mr. Lane are not all 
of the 1 same size 1 . The book under notice is 
the thickest of 'the series that we have 1 seen 
and runs to 214 pages, including two indexes. 
Mr. Lynch’s object, in writing this book was 
to give all the useful ini' on nation available 
upon the culture of the different species, and 
secondly, to provide tan easy and efficient 
means for verifying the names of plan's 
which people may have in their collections. 
He also made his subject up-to-date by 
following such authorities a,s Sir Michael 
Foster and those responsible for the Kew 
Hand-list. 
The author admits the difficulties of 
naming Irises, because', in the first place, 
they are exceedingly variable, and secondly, 
because they hybridise in gardens as well 
as in the wild state. We may also state 
that many Irises have 'been intentionally 
hybridised in gardens, so' that garden forms 
and wild ones must frequently turn up le- 
quiiring identification and a, name. In writ¬ 
ing this book he has gone to a considerable 
amount, of trouble in obtaining specimens 
from good collection, s, where his own 
happened to be deficient. He also includes 
all new Irises up to the end of last year. 
The book is, therefore, up-tot-da,te in dealing 
with those which had been introduced, to 
cultivation, with some few instances of these 
which may presently find their way into 
gardens. 
The first part of the book is occupied w;:h 
six chapters dealing with the structure and 
natural history of 'the flower; a, chapter on 
the cultivation of Oneocyolus Irisest by she 
latte Rev. H. Ewbank, M.A., a, chapter on 
cultivation generally, and others on hybrid¬ 
ising and insects. These are all of a prac¬ 
tical character, and we feel sure that the in¬ 
formation vouchsafed by Mr. Ewbank will 
be appreciated by cultivators, seeing that, 
this section has 1 hitherto been considered 
very difficult to cultivate, uud for many 
years, only a, few members of the group were 
ever seen in gardens. Within the last few 
years] however, these have become, much 
more numerous, judging by the flowering 
“The Book of the Iris.'' By B. Irwin Lynch, AL P. 
Curator University Botanic Gardens, Cambridge, etc. With 
chapter on the cultivation of the Oncocyclus section specially 
written for this by the late Kev. Henry Ewbank, M.A., 
formerly vicar of St. John's, Kyde, Isle of Wight.. Julin 
Lane Dudley Ht ad, London, and ffew York. MCMIV. 
specimens which make their appearance at 
various London -shows during the summer 
months. 
Wei presume that the chief difficulty con¬ 
cerning those that are really difficult will 
be the peculiarities of our climate, especially 
in, 'the case of those which bloom during tire 
early part of the year. Those that natur¬ 
ally flower in summer will practically ho 
tractable in the cases where they keep in a 
resting 'condition, till our season, is mure ad¬ 
vanced to make them sufficiently safe. In 
some instances we presume, if their cultiva¬ 
tion is tot be attended with success in the 
open, that hand-lights or sashesi will have to- 
be placed over them, so as to keep them 
dry when we have heavy rains at unsuitable 
seasons. In most cases we fancy, however, 
that, their cultivation in pats would offer no 
a. house that will keep the plants dry, with 
plenty of light and air. 
Part II. of the book is devrted to the 
classification, and description of specie®, with 
notes on the cultivation, of the same. Hen- 
lie follows the classification employed by 
Mr. John Gilbert Baker in hi® “ Irideae,” by 
grouping the various species under sub- 
genera a®. Apogon, Pardanthopsisi, Onco'cv- 
olust, Pogoniris, Xiphiom, Juno, etc. Each 
of these sections is described so that the 
student- can, first of all find out, the section to 
which any particular Iris belongs, and then 
further run down the plant by the synopsis 
of species belonging to each respective group 
furnished by the author. We have no doubt 
this is an excellent plan where the size of 
the book permits it being followed. 
Beginners would, no doubt, find the study 
of such a, synopsis somewhat difficult, but, 
every beginning is difficult, and we should 
counsel those who intend making the ac¬ 
quaintance of the Irises from this book to 
give it a, little serious study until 'the matter 
becomes plain, after which the determina¬ 
tion of specie® by it will become easier. We 
do not mean to imply that thei author uses 
difficult and technical terms; indeed lie only 
uses ,a, few of the more important and neces¬ 
sary ones, and these are all explained in an 
admirable glossary at the end. T> make 
•the matter still easier for beginners lie uses 
an admirably executed photograph of Iris 
lute.seem, writing on the names applied to 
each respective part of the complicated 
flower of an Iris'. The more deeply a student 
goes into these matters the- more evident 
will it become that, no understanding of 
the species is possible without going into 
details, because the members of the order 
