The Raymer enterprise., 1911-09-14
THREE SOURCES. OF INCOME
In GROWING THE ORRIS PLANT
One Acre Capable of Producing Dried
Root. 5000 Dozen Flowers and 10000 Small
Roots for Planting After Those
Drying Have Been Gathered.
tBy DIR. c. A. a1rcHEL1., Virginia !

tBy DIR. C. A. aIrCHELI.. virginia)
The orris plant IL a beautiful iris.
There are OF this species Of plants
800 varieties. Some of them bloom
under the snow. Some grow In water.
The flowers Of some OF them yield
an indeltble liquid dye. Some OF them
have an exquisite perfume when in
bloom. One Of them Is the orris plant.
Its leaves are long. thing. tough.
wide in the middle. and OF a pale.
green color. 1t produces. on each
stem. several sweet and fragrant large
white OF blue flowers In the early
spring.
The root. after being dried. posses.
sos a delicate perfume. which has the
peculiar character Of permanency. the
strength OF the perfume increasing
with age. For these the plant Is
grown. Orris Is the commercial name
for the dried root Perfumers and
manufacturers Of perfumed special.
Ties use 1t powdered and granulated
as the base OF their products.
1t enters into every face powder.
Bachet powder. tooth powder, violet
powder and every other perfumed pow.
der. 1t imparts to the perfume OF
these powders the quality OF perma.
nence.
The seat Of the foreign orris in.
dustry Is arouGi Florence and Vienna.
in Italy. from whence most OF the
orris comes.
Like all the varieties OF the iris
family. the roots grow near the sur.
lace OF the soil. are tough and tenac.
'ous. so that the plant is extremely
hardy and easy Of propagation. The
plant will stand the toughest kind Of
treatment and still survive.
While moisture is good for II. water
standing about the roots causes them
to become soft and rot. Manure, or
any moist substance. produces a sim.
liar effect. and for this reason all
manuring must be In the soil and be.
fore the planting.
When there Is drough. however.
tho plant does not die. The roots lie
dormant during the dry spell. and
when rain comes new shoots spring
up. and In n short time the plant Is
fully revived.
W eds that completely enyelop es.
tab!ished plants do but little injury.
because the plant is n late fall and
early spring grower.
II grows after the weeds in the
fall have died. and Ia at It again In
The spring before the weeds appear.
In comparatively mild climate the
tops remain green throughout the en-.
dire winter.
IL makes two distinct growths each
year. sending up new shoots In both
tsll and spring, The root formation Is
regular and circular. new shoots and
roots growing from the outer rim as
the plant Increases in size, and each
seasons growth remains attached to
Tue CROWN OF the previous season.
AT the end OF year the small feed.
ers attaching to the under side OF the
roots partially die. and this portion,
after sending forth the flower stem,
becomes suitable for drying.
" not harvested It is not lost, as Il,
remains attached to the other parts
NJ al
root
Among the many good points may
he mentioned the following:
It will thrive In the op, field with.
out any protection In winter.
The plant Is not injured by bugs or
moles. 1t has no fungous enemies.
II viii succeed on land too poor to