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 <iA MANUAL 
 
 ON THE PROPAGATION 
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 PUBLISHED BY PRACTICAL 
 PEONY GROWERS 
 
 Second Edition 
 
 PRICE 25 CENTS 
 
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Henri Murger 
 
A PEONY MANUAL 
 
 
 Im^mm^m, 
 
 
 
 ^wm up-to date infortnation regardittg 
 these Beautiful flowers. 
 
 Sbowing:— 
 
 l)OW to Raise Trom Seed, 
 Row to Increase by DHJlslons, 
 l)Ow to Plant and Cultivate. 
 
 Z\)H \$ designed to be a Complete Guide 
 to the TlorUt and Jlmateur. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 C. S. HARRISON, 
 
 Author of "Phlox cTManual " "The Evergreens," "The Gold cTMine 
 in the Front Yard." 
 
 COPYRIGHTED 1907 
 
Two CoBles Received 
 MAN It 1907 
 «, Copyright Entry 
 
 CL1SS A XXC, No. 
 
 / 7/ 7fO . 
 
 COfV B. 
 
 €. $. I)arri$on'$ 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 The former edition of this manual was the first issued in any 
 language. This was so cordially received that the 2,000 were soon 
 exhausted. Some of the peony growers decided to issue another 
 edition. Most of the matter is new. Many things have come up 
 the past few )^ears that need attention. This department of flori- 
 culture has made tremendous strides and we need to keep step with 
 the progress. An interest unknown before has been awakened. 
 New varieties are being produced, and hundreds are engaged in 
 raising seedlings. The demand for these flowers is unprecedented. 
 This work embodies much close observation and careful research, 
 which we trust will be of benefit to the reader. What is needed is 
 information. Thousands of people know little or nothing about the 
 peony. Thousands have never seen one. The great west has 
 passed the pioneer stage and is now thinking more of home adorn- 
 ment. They wish to know what to plant. One man in Minneap- 
 olis desired to improve his fine grounds. Incidentally he borrowed 
 a manual, read it with interest, and sent for $150 worth, and now 
 he is a champion of this queenly flower. Another gentleman read 
 it and sent an order for $130 worth. Many a woman, with soul 
 hungry for the beautiful, read it, and sent an order for some of the 
 rarest. We are sure that that edition of 2,000 has awakened an in- 
 terest which is spreading. The peony society, sometime in the fu- 
 ture, contemplates issuing a work on the subject; but something is 
 needed now, and so we give this, which we are sure will meet with 
 cordial reception. What is needed is to push information into the 
 great west, where these flowers are so much needed, and where 
 they thrive and bloom so successfully. We have yet only touched 
 the borders of the great work to be accomplished. 
 
 ': J ^ m Bsmk Queen 
 
 When perfumed June with cushioned sandals came 
 
 And threw her flowery mantle o'er the North — 
 
 As beautiful as at creation's birth — 
 
 And all the fields M-ith color were a-gleam, 
 
 My pamper'd spirit dreamed, and this my dream: 
 
 From sunrise land a (jueenly form came forth 
 
 Bedecked with am])le robes of untold worth. 
 
 Her gown with oriental dyes aflame. 
 
 So graceful and so perfect every line 
 
 She claimed my adoration from that hour: 
 
 So statel\-, and so large her (jueenly dower 
 
 I straightway bowed and worshiped at her shrine. 
 
 Awake, I walk along the peony rows, 
 
 A THOUSAND Eastern queens my garden shows. 
 
 — Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 
 
Peony manual ^ 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Classification 
 
 We have spent much time in the endeavor to search out the 
 original varieties of this flower. From the number we judge that 
 there is yet great room for progress, and perhaps we have only just 
 begun with our hybridizing. By permission I quote from J. W. 
 Manning, in "American Gardening," of March 5th, for which I ten- 
 der grateful acknowledgment: 
 
 "Until the forthcoming peony list of the American Peony So- 
 ciety is published, I believe quotation of variety names should be 
 used with great care, and believe that the best interest may be 
 served by giving the following list of species and their distinctive 
 characters: 
 
 Peonia Albiflora, Pallas. A Siberian species introduced about 
 1756, and one of the forerunners of the hybrid herbaceous forms, 
 two to three feet high, with deep, rich green, often veined red leaf- 
 lets, and bearing clusters of three or more very large, broad, over- 
 lapping petaled white to light pink single flowers, and showing 
 globular masses of golden anthers in the center of each. June. 
 Reevesiana, Fragrans, Whitleyi and Festiva show close affinity to 
 this species. 
 
 Peonia Anomala, Linn. From Europe and Asia, with finely 
 dissected, smooth foliage. Solitary, single, bright crimson flowers, 
 and distinct in the large size of the petals and the pecuhar com- 
 pound, leaflike sepals. Two feet. May. Its varieties, Insignis, 
 Peter Barr, Smoutti and Intermedia are now recognized, being 
 more distinct in the character of foliage than otherwise. 
 
 Peonia Arietina, Anders. A tall South European species, dis- 
 tinct in the stems, being hairy toward the top; the foliage quite 
 glaucus and downy beneath. The flowers are large, dark red and 
 solitary, and the seed pods are prominently covered with hairs. 
 The varieties range through shades of pink and red. 
 
 Peonia Browni. Dougl. A Northwest American dwarf species, 
 with glaucus foliage and dull, brownish-red flowers, borne on re- 
 curved stems. 
 
 Peonia Broteri, Boiss and Reut. An early-blooming, Euro- 
 pean species, similar in foliage and habit to Peonia Officinalis, 
 with red flowers varying to white. 
 
 Peonia Coccinea. A reported species in the Royal Botanical 
 Gardens at Glasnevin. 
 
 Peonia Corallina, Retz. Asia Minor. A vigorous species, two 
 to three feet high, with dark green foliage, the lower leaves of 
 which are only twice divided. Bright, crimson flowers, with short, 
 rounded petals and seed vessels of a bright red color. 
 
 Peonia Coriacea. Boiss. Similar to Peonia Albiflora, with 
 even broader leaflets, bright crimson flowers, purple stigmas and 
 smooth seed vessels. 
 
4 C. $. garrison's 
 
 Peonia Corsica, Sieher, Closely related to, if not the same as, 
 the last. 
 
 Peonia Decora, Anders. From Southern Europe. A close 
 species to Peonia Arietina, with peculiar horizontal foliaj^e dimin- 
 ishinji: toward top of the stems, which are two to three feet high. 
 The crimson flowers are small, with few narrow and small petals. 
 Pallasii, with narrow leaflets, and Elatior, w4th broadly oblong 
 leaflets, are recognized varieties. 
 
 Peonia Emodi, Wall. A Himalayan species, two to three feet 
 high, closely related to Peonia Anomala, with smooth, finely cut 
 foliage, pale beneath. Flowers pure white, borne in clusters of 
 four or more. 
 
 Peonia Humilis, Retz. A French species of low growth, with 
 somewhat velvety foliage, and with bright red flowers on short 
 stems, and borne in clusters of three or more, with smooth seed pods. 
 
 Peonia Lutea. Recently discovered species from Yunnan, and 
 introduced by Abbe Delavay, growing about two feet high and bear- 
 ing small, bright yellow flowers. The plant is somewhat shrubb}^ 
 in habit, and allied to Peonia Moutan. Not sufficiently tested as 
 yet as to its hardihood. 
 
 Peonia Microcarpa, Boiss and Reut. Closely allied to P. Hu- 
 milis, with even dwarfer habit and more downy foliage. Presum- 
 ably a native of France. 
 
 Peonia Mollis,' Anders. x\ dwarf Siberian species, with dark 
 green upper surface foliage, and distinctly glaucus and velvet 
 below. Flowers pink or red, and borne singl}'. 
 
 Peonia Moutan, Sims. The well-known Tree Peony, a native 
 of China. 
 
 Peonia Officinalis, Linn. The oldest cultivated species, first 
 grown in 1548, with dark green foliage above, pale green beneath, 
 growing two to three feet high and producing single, dark crimson 
 flowers, and with re-curved crimson stigmas. Early blooming, and 
 a parent of many double anemone-flowered and semi-double varie- 
 ties. A native of Europe. 
 
 Peonia Paradoxa, Anders. A very dwarf, almost tufted, Turk- 
 ish species, with three-lobed incised foliage and purplish red flow- 
 ers borne singh', and with seed vessels closely pressed together. 
 There is a \ariet3-, Fimbriata. with double purple flowers and pro- 
 jecting purple stamens. 
 
 Peonia Peregrina, Mill. An European species, similar to Pe- 
 onia Officinalis, but with very smooth, deep green foliage above, 
 pale green, hairy beneath. Flowers bright crimson. This has given 
 rise to two double forms and a number of varieties with single 
 whorls of petals. 
 
 Peonia Obovata, Maxim. A little known species, with "lower 
 leaves not more than twice ternate; flowers large, red-purple, and 
 glabrous seed vessels." 
 
 Peonia Pubens, Sims. Allied to Peonia Arietina. Leaves 
 hairy below, margins red. 
 
 Peonia Russi, Bivoxi. A Sicilian and French species varying 
 
Peony manual 5 
 
 from Peonia Corallina in decidedl}' hair}' undersurface of foliage. 
 
 Peonia Sessiliflora, Sims. Nearly related to Peonia Mollis; 
 very low, flowers short-stemmed, pure white. 
 
 Peonia Triternata (Daurica), Pallas. Three feet. Differs 
 only from Peonia Corallina in the rounded leaves, greener stems 
 and rose-colored flowers, A native of Caucasus. 
 
 Peonia Sibirica. A little known species in the Glasnevin Royal 
 Botanic Garden list. 
 
 Peonia Tenuifolia, Linn. A Caucasus species eighteen inches 
 high, with light, soft green, very finely divided foliage, and dark 
 crimson, yellow anthered flowers and spirally recurved stigma. 
 The earliest blooming species. There are double and semi-double 
 types of this. 
 
 Peonia Wittmanniana, Stev. A Caucasian and north Persian 
 species about two feet high, with coarsely divided dark green foli- 
 age, downy beneath and bearing showy, incurved, pale yellow flow- 
 ers, one to a stem. Rare. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 Propagation 
 
 It is highly important to know how to multiply these valuable 
 flowers, for the process is slow at best. 
 
 You buy a choice Syringa or Philadelphus, and you can divide 
 the roots and plant cuttings and increase them very rapidly. You 
 can, in a few years, run a new kind of a fruit tree up into the mil- 
 lions, but you cannot rush the peony. One of the best on the list 
 originated in 1850, and it is impossible now to supply the demand. 
 If you raise from seed you never reproduce the original, and it takes 
 from five to eight years to know what you are getting. But with 
 care, by root division alone, you can secure from 500 to 1,000 in ten 
 years. There are four modes of propagation; by division, from 
 roots, from buds and from seeds. 
 
 We have a different system, when we raise for roots, than 
 when we propagate for flowers. By the best of care on the richest 
 ground you can hurry them considerably. But there is a great dif- 
 ference in them. L'Esperence and Victoria Tricolor multiply rap- 
 idly, while J. Discaisne, though a glorious flower, wants about four 
 years to double itself. Others equall}' as good in bloom are much 
 more profitable. From Baroness Schroeder, La Tulipe and Rich- 
 ardson's Rubra I have cut thirty roots in four years from one. By 
 dividing every two or three years you have perfectly healthy and 
 vigorous plants. I have bought those that must have stood twelve 
 or fifteen years. The buds were partially decayed, and they had 
 great, club-like roots. There is no advantage in such large roots, 
 A two-year-old plant, sound and vigorous, is much to be preferred. 
 
€. $. I)arrl$on'$ 
 
 Propagation by Dii)i$ion 
 
 Here you have a task which rec}uires much care and patience. 
 At times it would seem as if 3 ou were playing a game of chess and 
 w^ere sure of being beaten b}' the peony. There is no class of 
 plants which shows such a divergence in root formation. Some 
 will have a very distinct cleavage, so that there is no trouble in di- 
 viding, and some you can pull apart without the aid of a knife; oth- 
 ers grow to a solid mass. Some are very readily separated while 
 young, but if left a few years they become so compact that they 
 must be cut to pieces like a turnip. Take Richardson's Rubra Su- 
 perba, one of the most vigorous kinds. If divided every two years 
 you will be surprised at the result; perhaps you will get from three 
 to six from one. But you let them stay for six or seven years and 
 they become as solid as a squash, and the best you can do is to cut 
 out a bud with a piece of root. Festiva Maxima, with good culti- 
 vation, will double every year. If left too long, however, it will 
 have great club-like roots, half decayed near the buds. Most Euro- 
 pean growers divide ever}- year or two and so keep the plants vig- 
 orous. There is such a thing, however, as cutting too fine, when 
 they appear to get discouraged, and it takes 3'ears for them to re- 
 cover. In Europe there is one trouble in dividing so often. They 
 do not get to blooming before they are cut up again, and there is 
 no chance to rogue them. Strays of other varieties wall often get 
 in. A careful grower can tell the aliens by the flowers and so weed 
 them out. This is an important matter. But if they are cut up be- 
 fore they show what they are, as the rogues often multiply faster 
 than the others, there will be very serious mixtures, as most of us 
 who have imported know by unpleasant experience. 
 
 Cbrec to Jm Gycs 
 
 It is often the custom of purchasers to demand peonies with 
 three to five eyes. In doing this they often get much smaller roots 
 than if they said nothing about it. It is necessary to have a good 
 root, regardless of the number of buds. We have received roots 
 with this number that would not weigh more than two ounces, and 
 it would take two or three years to attain bearing size. It is easy 
 enough to load a small root with plenty of eyes, so much so that 
 there will be too many stems for the root. Divide often, and your 
 plant will run to buds. 
 
 We know one dealer who was putting up a robust lot of roots, 
 and while packing received a supplementar}- despatch that they 
 must have three to Ave e3es. Said he, "That lets me out," and he 
 went and dug some very small roots of half the size, but they met 
 the requirements, and the purchaser could say nothing. 
 
 In cutting up you will find some very peculiar. Instead of hav- 
 ing roots that grow straight down they wind themselves around the 
 neck of the plant like the arms of a child around a mother's neck. 
 
Peony manual 7 
 
 Perhaps it will be a valuable sort. There is a little dirt on them, 
 but you are sure that you can make it. You insert your knife, and 
 lo, the buds fall on one side and the roots on the other. You try 
 again and meet the same results. You are playing chess and the 
 plant is beating you. 
 
 Again you find the}^ are very brittle. A slight touch and they 
 snap. You wonder what you will do. Don't do anything for 
 awhile. Let those roots lie in the sun a few hours until they wilt 
 and grow flexible. Now take this one so badly twisted. Gently 
 lift that twining arm. At the upper end there is a bud; you want 
 that bud and root to go together. Insert the knife under the root, 
 lift it genth% now give a careful thrust, and you have root and bud 
 read}^ for business. Look again. Here is another twisted one with 
 an eye belonging to it, and with care you get five or six good ones 
 with eyes attached. You feel better, for you are winning in the 
 game, and perhaps each division means a dollar, so you can afford 
 to be deliberate. It does not hurt them a particle to wilt a little. 
 Put them in water and they soon resume their plumpness, or plant 
 them in moist earth and they soon send out tiny rootlets. If you 
 are packing, it is much better to have them a little flexible; they do 
 not break so readily; only pack in moist material, and water well, 
 and they will reach their destination in a plump condition. 
 
 For Commercial Purposes, the best way is to take a fair sized 
 root not quite large enough to put into an order, plant it on good 
 ground, and let it grow a year. It will increase its size about one- 
 half. The knife wounds will be healed, and you have nearly a per- 
 fect root for your customer. Let it go entire, unless you can nip 
 off a small bud with a root on it, which you can do without injury. 
 I think such plants give the best satisfaction. They are healthy, 
 and when planted make a vigorous growth. We cannot always do 
 this, however, and so in most cases we send divisions. 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 Kaistng front Roofs 
 
 I have watched this process closely for years, and have found 
 one thing, perhaps not discovered by others. The root is small 
 where it joins at the top; it swells in the center and then tapers. 
 Now if a root is broken at the center, the lower portion never can 
 form a head. It will try hard. A callus will be formed at either 
 end. The poor thing will do its best to put a head on itself, but 
 cannot make it. At the end of the first year the root will yet be 
 sound; the second year the top will begin to decay, and the third 
 year it will be rotten. The upper portion of the same root, where 
 
8 C. $. garrison's 
 
 it breaks from the plant, will have a s^ood show for forming a head. 
 Kinds differ. The Edulis Superba and others of its class are stored 
 with vitalit}'. I have often stripped off roots, like fingers from the 
 hand, and planted them, and almost invariably a bud would form 
 the first year and be ready for business the next spring. Sometimes 
 it will take two years to form a head, but in the main you will suc- 
 ceed better to carefully divide and plant root and bud together. 
 
 Very often, in cutting up a large quantity, hundreds of roots 
 will be left on the ground. You can gather these and put them 
 in a bed, with the tops up, a layer of roots and a layer of earth. 
 Cover with about two inches of earth. Some throw them promis- 
 cuously into a pit. In the fall you can overhaul them, and you will 
 find many of them have thrown out a bud at the crown. These can 
 be planted, and they will make quite a growth the next year. There 
 are some exceptions to the general rule. Queen Victoria, and some 
 other sorts, will form what are termed adventitious shoots, and pro- 
 duce buds from their lower portions. 
 
 The two kinds of Tenuifolia and Officinalis have roots like a 
 sweet potato. The tubers are often separated from the parent 
 stem. Place these in a bed by themselves, planted as directed 
 above, and in about a 3'ear they will develop buds, and will be ready 
 for planting. 
 
 When you are in great haste to multiply rare sorts you can take 
 a large root, put it in moist earth and keep it warm, and in a short 
 time it will develop a large amount of buds. Now is your chance 
 to cut a bud with a fair portion of root attached. We have some- 
 times produced eight or ten plants from roots which, when first 
 chosen, showed no indication of buds, save at the crown. Only 
 some sorts can thus be treated. 
 
 Propagatitid from Buds 
 
 Considerable stir has been made about what is termed a new 
 and rapid system of increasing plants. Having tested it, there is 
 something in it, but whether enough to make it pay, is a question. 
 Take off the top and bottom of a box eighteen inches deep, then 
 put it over a strong clump and fill it with earth. The whole plant 
 makes a desperate effort to climb to the sunlight. Both root and 
 top show unwonted energy. In two years the stems will develop 
 well defined buds. These you can cut off, with a piece of the stem, 
 and plant in moist earth in a warm place. After awhile they will 
 take root. At the same time an unusual amount will be formed at 
 the crown. I have counted forty buds on a strong plant treated 
 this way. I do not think plants developed from the stems will be 
 as robust as those secured from divisions, and doubt whether we 
 gain much by the process. The most rapid mode of production 
 probably is to cut up every year or two and give the best of cultiva- 
 tion. Under such a j^rocess yon multiply rapidly and have tine, 
 healthy roots. 
 
Peony manual 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 Kaising from $cea$ 
 
 TESTIMONY OF AN EXPERT. 
 
 We are happy to introduce to our readers F. O. Brand, of 
 Fairbault, Minn., who has had large experience in raising fruits and 
 ilowers from seed, and who has now probably some of the choicest 
 peony seedlings on earth. 
 
 Cbe Dcligbt in Tinding new Tloral 6em$ 
 
 "It has been said that the most reasonable solution of the 
 problem of our existence is that 'We find the possibilities of our ca- 
 pacity and our responsibility as beings conscious of a power of 
 choice of directing our ways and applying our knowledge.' The 
 originators of new and better creations in the floral world should be 
 possessed with a consciousness of their own ability to materially as- 
 sist in the development of superior and meritorious new creations, 
 but the}- should also be slaves to that best of masters, Love for the 
 object sought. 
 
 "An ever widening horizon of floral possibilities continually 
 opens before us, and the lover of the new and beautiful is invited 
 and attracted with an irresistible influence into the great unknown, 
 into the unexplored realms where beautiful queens of the floral 
 world are reigning supreme. 
 
 "Nature's liberality is increased by her repeated donations. 
 Knowing this, we see no resting place, no achievement that can sat- 
 isfy or cause us to believe that the best has been obtained. 
 
 Success in Raising Tlowers from Seed 
 
 "In 1863 there were but few named varieties of peonies in culti- 
 vation. The fact that it takes from three to eight years from seed 
 to get blossoms and then the small per cent, of reall}' good ones has 
 operated as a barrier to effort and prevented thousands from en- 
 gaging in an undertaking that promised so little. 
 
 "Beginning the growing of nursery stock in 1867 here in Min- 
 nesota, I soon had a good collection of peonies. I was often disap- 
 pointed because I did not get what I ordered. In one instance, in 
 1872, from a list of so-called fifteen varieties, there were but four 
 kinds. In 1878 I began in earnest to make a large collection and at 
 the end of the next ten years had full}- 300 named varieties of the 
 best I could secure in Europe and America. M\- main object was 
 to secure seedlings. In this lot were fifty varieties from Mr. Terr}-. 
 For several years the}- blossomed finely and in 1899 produced an 
 
lo €. $. garrison's 
 
 abundance of seed, which I saved and planted that fall. I plowed 
 up a strawberr}' bed, which made a line place for them. The seeds 
 were planted five inches apart in rows two feet apart. In 1892 two 
 plants blossomed, in 1903 about 125, in 1904 there were about 
 3,000, in 1905 and 1906 some very fine ones bloomed for the first 
 time. Among these were some of our very best. It seems they 
 had kept themselves in reserve in order to come forth in new glory 
 and a fresh reinforcement of splendor. Certainly they are more 
 than welcome at this late date. If the tardy ones, which are yet to 
 show their colors, improve in the same proportion they will be 
 gladly welcomed. 
 
 "Our success has been beyond our expectations. We have a 
 much larger per cent, of really good ones than we had hoped for. 
 We had one from Rubra Officinalis, and this was a duplicate of the 
 parent. A person engaged in this work needs a large amount of 
 patience and a willingness to wait long years for his reward. The 
 satisfaction of knowing that you have been the means of adding to 
 the world's beauty, brightness and happiness is of itself an imper- 
 ishable reward. In this respect my success has been great." 
 
 "F. O. Brand, Fairbault, Minn." 
 
 EXPERIENCE OF MR. GEORGE MOLLIS, OF SOUTH WEYMOUTH, MASS. 
 
 He says: "There is a fascination about the raising of peonies 
 from seed, which does not attend the raising of common plants, for 
 the reason that it is a process born of a long enduring enthusiasm; 
 for to be a seedling producer requires patience and a belief in the 
 final success of your work. 
 
 "You must learn to 'labor and to wait,' for the seed do not 
 generally come until the second year. I suppose they are giving 
 Nature time to fulfill her duty. They should be planted as soon as 
 ripe, and the second spring the tiny shoots will appear. The little 
 plant is only about four inches high, but it is an evidence of progress. 
 
 "See that the weeds do not choke them. Water them if the 
 ground gets very dry, cultivate them thoroughly, and don't lose 
 your enthusiasm, for the end is not yet. Take good care of them 
 for three or four years, when the strongest ones and the single ones 
 will be the first to open. They are all beautiful, but there are dif- 
 ferent degrees of beauty. The large, choice ones will come in the 
 rear, anywhere from four to ten years. 
 
 "But if you are an enthusiast you will plant seeds every 3'ear 
 and will constantly have plants in all stages of growth. Beauty's 
 Mask took the longest time to develop of any of my raising, while 
 Welcome Guest was the first to win recognition. Then they have 
 different degrees of height. I like the tall, robust and imposing 
 ones like George Washington — not the dwarf growth of many. 
 Then the style and size of bloom must be taken into consideration. 
 This season, 1906, the judges granted me a certificate of merit on 
 Loveliness and Julia Ward Howe, and I have many others wait- 
 ing to be approved. 
 
Peony manual n 
 
 "Then the color must be clear and decided. Lady White is a 
 tine one. Bunker Hill and John Hancock are very desirable red 
 ones, while Lucy E. Hollis and Twentieth Century are pink. 
 And what shall I say of Goliath and Maud L. Richardson, that 
 have already received certificates.-' So you see that seedling raisers 
 are not without hope of reward. So keep on with the good work 
 and you will surely meet with success. 
 
 "Great care is necessary in selecting seeds if you wish for the 
 best results. Those saved from full double ones, pollenated with 
 others nearly as double, will give fewer seeds, but better results, 
 and that is what you are working for. There will occasionally be 
 one of Japanese form, one of those strange flowers blazing like a 
 mid-day sun among the green foliage, waiting for us to do it hom- 
 age. Two of these appeared in my this year's harvest of bloom, 
 Flashlight and Bobbie Bee. And thus will the procession pass, 
 while wonder, praise and glory will fill the beholder." 
 
 "Geo, Hollis, South Weymouth, Mass." 
 
 Supplementing these interesting experiences, I wouM sa}^ we 
 are glad that attention is being paid to this important branch of 
 horticulture. We depend too much on Europe, when we can do 
 better ourselves. Peonies are the healthiest plants on earth, but in 
 some way they manage to have them diseased, and we get some 
 fearful specimens. Every American creator gives us absolutely 
 healthy plants. Until recently very little attention was paid by us 
 to the originating of new sorts. Now there are probably half a mil- 
 lion on the way. Experts and amateurs are at it, and among those 
 coming we will probably see some of the choicest yet produced. 
 At the Boston peony show it was hard to find anything superior to 
 some of Richardson's. His Grandiflora is a wonder, Milton Hill is 
 a splendor. Mr. Terr}' has given us some fine ones. Rosenfield 
 has produced two of superior merit and has others on the way. F. 
 O. Brand, of Minnesota, has fine ones, and those of us who saw the 
 productions of George Hollis were delighted with them. They 
 were nearl}^ if not quite, equal to the choicest importations. 
 
 Seeds should be selected onlv from the best. Single and 
 semi-double ones seed the most readih', while the great, full double 
 ones rarely produce any. But when they do they should be saved 
 with the greatest care. It was years before I could get any from 
 La Tulipe, but I finally succeeded. The success of growers de- 
 pends almost entirely on the seeds. "Like begets like," and in- 
 stead of seeing how many we can produce, we need to see how the 
 very best can be secured. 
 
 Only about one in a hundred, or perhaps one in a thousand, 
 should be named. What shall we do with the thousands of reject- 
 ed ones.? It is a pity to throw them away. Don't do it. Did you 
 ever see a really poor one.-* There is room for them. The great 
 west and northwest need them. They can be used for planting in 
 masses, in parks and private grounds. And as they will grow al- 
 most anywhere and under all conditions, there is many a barren or 
 unsightly spot that might be made radiant by their smiles. Some 
 
12 e. $. l)arri$on*s 
 
 can go onto the bar5i:ain counter for those who insist that a "pii^y 
 is a piny," anyway, and that is all there is to it. 
 
 I knew a florist abused by a lady because he charged her sixty 
 cents for a fine one, when another florist sold peonies for twenty- 
 five cents. If such a person could get one for ten cents she would 
 hug herself in an ecstacy of delight. 
 
 There is a splendid future for this industry. When we look 
 over the original varieties and see how they differ we are impressed 
 with the fact that almost infinite changes are yet to be wrought. 
 The unique Japanese have been successfully crossed. We have 
 seen some with beautiful and delicate tasselated centers, with a sat- 
 iny finish, as though the highest art had aided the most exquisite 
 production of Nature. 
 
 €arc of $eca$ and Planting 
 
 The best way to gather them is just as they are turning brown, 
 and plant immediately. If you put them in moist sand, intending 
 to plant late in the fall, you will find many of them badly sprouted. 
 Gathered just as they are turning, many of them will come up the 
 next spring. If you wait till they are fully dried, by no known proc- 
 ess can you make them germinate under two years. Not one out 
 of fifty pounds ever came up before that time. We have tried soak- 
 ing them in warm water before planting. Some were kept in moist 
 sand till spring, and then the sand was sifted out and they were 
 well nigh scalded and then soaked a long time, but nothing will 
 move them. In the green house, efforts have been made to break 
 the spell and induce them to come out before the time, but all in 
 vain. They will leisurely take the two years, and some will wait 
 three and four years before they appear. 
 
 Seeds may be planted thickly in rows two feet apart. You can 
 let them remain till they bloom, or if too thick, move them and give 
 them more space. All this takes time. When you originate new 
 phloxes you can tell what you are doing within a year, but with pe- 
 onies it will take from four to eight years. Do not be in a hurry. 
 I have known rejected ones to make a splendid showing. 
 
 Some sorts are erratic and variable. Growers have called their 
 productions one color, when, in after years, they have developed 
 another. For instance, Terry describes Etta, one of his best, as 
 bright dark rose. Now and for years it is light flesh, turning to 
 pure white, a beautiful, late flower. You cannot always tell from 
 the first blooms what the succeeding ones will be. Among my own 
 I noticed one of exquisite beaut}', richly variegated. A representa- 
 tive of the press who saw it said "Let me name it," and he called 
 it Effulgent. I placed a stake there, with the name on it, and the 
 next year that identical plant bore a large, coarse, single flower, 
 and I never saw Effulgent since. There are many points we wish 
 to secure in new varieties. We want fragrance, symmetry, beauty, 
 prolific bloomers and willing propagators that understand multipli- 
 
Pconv manual 13 
 
 cation. I once had the finest crimson I ever saw. It was immense, 
 a mass of splendor. The next year it had an inferior, flower, and 
 the next none at all. That was not satisfactory, yet that is the way 
 with many fine sorts. You cannot depend on them. A grower 
 once selected the finest in a thousand. It was very large and of a 
 beautiful color. He divided and gave it the best of care and wait- 
 ed several years before he saw another bloom. By this time he 
 had a dozen plants, and it took all of them to produce one flower, 
 and that an inferior one. 
 
 Again we have the record of a plant that bloomed single for 
 twenty years and. then commenced giving double blooms. 
 
 The tiny seedlings are very hardy. They often make their 
 appearance in the snow and slush of early spring and do not seem 
 to mind freezing and thawing. As if to guard against dry weather, 
 they throw down a tap root like a radish. When hot and dry, the 
 tops will die down early in the season and you think they are dead. 
 But the next spring they are on hand preparing to bore down deep- 
 er to be better fortified against the heat and drought. It is very in- 
 teresting to watch the struggles of these tiny plants and note their 
 victories. The writer is watching 50,000 of them. 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 non-Blootniiid and Sby-Bloomind Peonies 
 
 People often complain that, though they have taken the best 
 of care of their plants and they are strong and vigorous, yet for five 
 or six years they have never bloomed. I think we can divide them 
 into three classes: The Indolent, The Sensitive and The Free- 
 Blooming. 
 
 In many cases the plant will be healthy and vigorous enough, 
 the stool growing larger ever}^ year; but never a bloom, or at least 
 very seldom. These are the indolent, and make no returns for 
 their board. Like some cows, you feed them for milk, and they 
 turn it into fat; or, like a lazy man, willing enough to eat, but who 
 don't like to work. This is constitutional. Throw them over the 
 fence or put them on the bargain counter for that five cent woman 
 who wants the very cheapest, and she will surely get it. 
 
 The Sensitive Ones would do something, but they are in a 
 cold and unfriendly world that does not appreciate them or their 
 tastes and wishes. They cannot endure frosts and storms. They 
 are so heartbroken over an untimely frost that they cannot even 
 smile. Examine closely and you will find a tin\' black ball where 
 the bud ought to be, and that explains it all. Many a plant, if 
 properly humored and protected, would reward you with splendid 
 
14 €. $. Rarrlson's 
 
 blooms. As it is, they will do nothing? till the conditions are favor- 
 able, and so they bloom once in three or four years. As a general 
 thing, many of Kelway's varieties will have the sulks and refuse to 
 blossom, on account of the conditions not suiting their case. They 
 are like the Englishman coming from all the comforts of the old 
 country, who cannot adapt himself to our frontiers and is always 
 grumbling about "the blarsted country." 
 
 I make the following memorandum from man}' of his list: 
 
 Lad\' Curzon. No bloom in live years. 
 
 James Kelway. The same record. 
 
 Prince of W'ales. One bloom in six years. 
 
 Mr. Brighton. No bloom. 
 
 Summer Day. Bloomed once, but had on a dress that did not 
 belong to her. 
 
 Joan Seaton. Never a bloom. 
 
 Right beside these poor, dilettante, sensiti\e ones, was Terry's 
 Prince of Wales, a robust plant, with glorious bloom. His St. So- 
 phia was simply radiant in her beaut}'. These belong to the free- 
 blooming list. 
 
 When you get a splendid variety that never fails and you can 
 cut blooms from it every year, don't you see it is worth four times 
 as much as a sensitive one that is often nipped in the bud.'' 
 
 Take the old popular sort known as L'Esperence, who thinks 
 so much of the old soldiers she always wants to be present Decora- 
 tion Day, and almost invariably gets there, bringing all her grace, 
 fragrance and loveliness, and she is worth more than a dozen shrink- 
 ing, sensitive kinds. 
 
 Golden Harvest is one of the very best all around sorts we have. 
 Who ever knew it to fail .■' Reports come from Wyoming, the Da- 
 kotas and Manitoba of her cheerful blooming under the most ad- 
 verse conditions. A brave and beautiful child of the prairies, al- 
 ways at her best, "glorying in tribulation," often blooming the first 
 year and keeping it up ever after. That modest flower was born 
 in 1890, and now the whole land is filled with her renown. Brother 
 Rosenlield found a gem and didn't know it, putting them on the 
 market at first at five dollars a hundred, when five dollars a root 
 would have been nearer the thing. 
 
 You could pick scores of costly imported ones with fine names 
 and glowing descriptions, with big prices attached, and this beauti- 
 ful little maiden will surpass them all. 
 
 Grandiflora Rosea, Victoria Tricolor and many of Terry's are 
 unfailing bloomers. 
 
 Ploral Treasure is not as certain as Golden Harvest, and yet it 
 had the grandest blooms after the worst untimely storm ever 
 known in the west. 
 
 We must pick out these hardy and sure bloomers for the great 
 northwest. It will not do to send everything into those cold re- 
 gions. We must have the hardiest and most floriferous to send 
 them that will proclaim the evangel of beauty to those bleak lands. 
 My impression is that our most reliable ones must advance in price. 
 
Peony manual 15 
 
 Growers should keep a stock of the hardiest and push these to the 
 front. 
 
 Prices of the best peonies must advance also. It is impossible 
 for Dessert, of France, to supply the demand. The best grades 
 have gone up from three to five and even ten dollars. Mr. HoUis 
 asks ten dollars for his best. But when you get a vigorous, healthy 
 root which will make from 500 to 1,000 in ten years, really the first 
 cost isn't much. 
 
 Mme. Emile Lemoine, one of the best of the French varieties, 
 is $3.50. It is a vigorous plant, and is not high at that. When 
 Baroness Schroeder went up to $5 a root a gentleman immediately 
 ordered twelve, and was cut down to six, for which he paid $30, 
 and he got a bargain at that, for with care the six will make 6,000 
 in ten years. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 Uariaticns from Soil and Climate 
 
 These plants have their preferences of location and do much 
 better in some places than in others. Some apples that do well in 
 the east are worthless in the west. Man}' things that are favorites 
 of one state are condemned in another. Though these flowers have 
 a wide adaptation to all our northern states, yet some of them have 
 their preferences. Charlemagne is highl}' spoken of in Rochester, 
 N. Y., but is not a favorite in New England or Nebraska. Gigan- 
 thea will do well in the east, but I never in five 3'ears secured a 
 bloom from it. Mrs. Pleas sent out a glorious single peony which 
 she claimed in Indiana had flowers nine inches across, but in six 
 years I never got a bloom of any kind from it. Yet I could not 
 doubt her word. 
 
 Peonies bloom earlier in Nebraska than in Massachusetts. In 
 1906, when the national show was held in Boston, we had an op- 
 portunit}' to see the same sorts bloom in both states. Invariabl}' 
 most kinds were of lighter color in the dryer air of Nebraska than 
 in the moister air of Massachusetts. In the cooler air of Minnesota 
 and Manitoba they have a deeper, richer color, on account of the 
 cooler air, than 500 miles to the south. There is a great difference 
 between the atmosphere of the Atlantic States, which carries 90 de- 
 grees of moisture, and that of the trans-Missouri states, which gen- 
 erally registers only 55 to 60, and yet this hardy flower thrives un- 
 der both conditions. But it does not seem to prosper as well in the 
 gulf states or in California. 
 
 /.gain, some seasons there will be striking variations. There 
 are off years with flowers as with fruits. Some j'ears the same 
 
i6 €. $. garrison's 
 
 sorts will have inferior blossoms, and the next season they will be 
 overwhelmed with beauty. The choicest, ^'^reat, double ones have 
 such full flowers that, like the viburnum sterilis, they cannot bear 
 seed, and yet sometimes such full-orbed ones as Floral Treasure, 
 Festiva Maxima and La Tulipe, will have smaller and thinner 
 blooms, so they can in rare instances produce seeds. But this is at 
 the expense of the flower. 
 
 A gentleman said to a florist, "This year I had such exquisite 
 flowers from one of my varieties I wanted you to see them." The 
 next 3'ear he was ashamed of them and did* not call around for the 
 florist. Generally La Tulipe is one of the most attractive flowers, 
 but the summer of '06 I failed to find a good specimen, either in Ne- 
 braska or Massachusetts, 
 
 Be Patient with Peonies 
 
 A man bought a lot of Jeannie d' Arc of a responsible dealer. 
 They bloomed the first year and he sent a most abusive letter to 
 the grower, demanding his money back. The dealer refunded the 
 money and the man kept both cash and roots. It is impossible 
 for a full-orbed flower to come to its fullness the first year. A pur- 
 chaser sent an angry letter to a dealer because Rubra Triumphans 
 bloomed single the first year. He didn't buy singles, he wanted 
 doubles, and nothing else. Now the ambitious plant, which is a 
 ready bloomer, was anxious to do the best it could and so cut the 
 coat according to the cloth. There was not material for a double 
 one, and so it came single. Remember that the largest and grand- 
 est flowers like Richardson's late ones and Marechal Vaillant, can- 
 not bloom the first 3'^ear. It takes two or three years for them to 
 do their best. It is so with the stately Shabona. In about four 
 years it will be three to four feet tall, overlooking the whole field 
 like a monarch of all. Such resplendent masses of beauty must 
 have some capital and plenty of material for their dress parade. 
 
 So don't be impatient. You will get paid for waiting. We 
 need to understand these plant idiosyncrasies so we will not judge 
 too harshl}'. 
 
 CHAPTER Vn 
 
 Diseases 
 
 Now, reader, don't be frightened. The peony is one of the 
 hardiest and healthiest plants on earth. It will endure almost 
 everything, and yet there is nothing which cannot be killed or in- 
 jured. Out on a clean piece of ground you might have 500 kinds 
 and grow them 25 years and never have any disease whatever 
 

 o 
 
 w 
 
 ■z 
 
 o 
 
 D 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
Mrs. Mary Brand 
 
Peony manual 17 
 
 among them. But there are certain places and conditions which 
 sometimes affect them. We reiterate one great cause of disease is 
 too much fresh manure. This they cannot endure. 
 
 CLUB FOOT. 
 
 This must not be confounded with the foreign fungoid disease, 
 which we often import with rare sorts. Plant cabbage, for instance, 
 on a piece of ground well enriched. Let one crop follow another 
 four or five years and you have club foot in them. This can be 
 remedied by a generous sprinkling' of hard wood ashes. But it is 
 better to grow some other crop a few years than to replant the 
 same thing. With this disease the plants do not grow and bloom 
 as you wish. There are no fibrous roots. The main ones may 
 have grown a little and fed the plant by absorption. You dig them 
 and they are a hard, sickly looking set. They are not smooth and 
 clean. The ends of the roots are decayed. The sure remedy is to 
 dig and divide, cutting off the diseased ends, and plant in good 
 fresh soil which has had no manure for years. They will immedi- 
 ately rally and you will soon have fine, clean roots and healthy 
 plants. Too much fresh manure is the cause of this. 
 
 SPOTTED LEAF. 
 
 This appears in August generally, and is the result of summer 
 showers followed by hot sun before the leaves can dry. It is merely 
 a scald. We have known one patch to be badly infected, while 
 another of the same variety, out in the open, would not be affected 
 at all, because there was a chance for the wind to dry the foliage 
 before the sun came out. This, at the worst, is not serious, for it 
 comes on at the time when the plants are going into a dormant 
 condition. 
 
 THE RUST. 
 
 This results generally from the same cause and about the same 
 time. The plants look bad. If the trouble should occur in June 
 it would be serious, but as it comes on in August and September, 
 no harm results from it. A field may be affected one year and be 
 entirely free the next. Too much rain and little wind will cause it. 
 
 THE WILT, OR DROOPING DISEASE. 
 
 This comes on suddenly. The stems wilt and die down to the 
 root. This may occur so early in the season as to injure the plant. 
 In connection with this you will see a white fungoid growth about 
 the root. The earth should be scraped away and fresh earth, with 
 a little lime, should be placed around them. Then, as soon as you 
 can do so, say the last of August, they should be taken up and 
 planted in an open space on fresh ground. Cut oi¥ all the infected 
 parts and you will soon have fine, fresh roots. 
 
€. $. 1)drri$on'$ 
 
 THE BLIGHT. 
 
 This is one degree beyond the wilt, and results from the same 
 causes — too closely shut in and stagnant, poorly drained soil. The 
 ground has been too highly manured and there is not sufficient ven- 
 tilation. In this case the wilt goes down into the root and kills it. 
 This trouble occurs with tender varieties. I have known the Amer- 
 ican born varieties to be strong and vigorous and bloom gloriously 
 when many of Kelway's varieties would be utterly killed. It is part 
 of the grower's business to find out which are the hardy and florif- 
 erous ones and push them to the front. The strong peony which 
 thrives and blooms must have the preference over the poor, puny, 
 sickly thing fading away by its side. 
 
 ROOT DECAY. 
 
 Some very vigorous sorts which grow and bloom splendidly, if 
 allowed to stand four or five years, will show a good deal of decay, 
 and perhaps the root will be only a hollow shell. The very robust 
 Late Rose is often affected, and the kind known as Granditiora Ru- 
 bra, with others that seem robust and floriferous, will have this 
 habit. It is not fatal, for if one part of the root is decayed, new 
 portions form and the growth is kept up. This is remedied b}' dig- 
 ging and cutting them up rather close, compelling them to form 
 new roots. In a year or two dig and divide again, cutting off all 
 decayed parts. Thus you will have an entirely new and healthy 
 root system. This method is better than large divisions of old 
 roots, for in that case you retain more or less decay. 
 
 NEMATODES. 
 
 Sometimes you dig up your strongest plants and find the roots 
 covered with nodules very much like those produced by bacteria on 
 alfalfa. You are alarmed, for you have heard of the work of the 
 root louse on young apple trees and you do not know but 3^our 
 whole ground will be affected. Don't worry. They are perfectly 
 harmless. We often see them on the tallest and most vigorous 
 plants. I have often picked out the most robust in the field and 
 found these nodules on the rootlets. I have never known them to 
 do the least harm. The mighty Shabona, strongest of all in 400, 
 will have rootlets covered with them. Some kinds are affected 
 when others are not. I do not think I ever dug or bought a Grand- 
 iflora Rosea, but what it was loaded. This is one of our most pro- 
 lific bloomers. Beside it there may be another row not affected at 
 all. 
 
 In cutting up roots we usually strip off the nodules. I don't 
 know as it does any good, but they look better. You can easily 
 get rid of them if you wish by the application of hard wood ashes 
 and muriate and sulphate of potash. You can open a shallow fur- 
 row and sprinkle on the ashes, then with the hoe mix it well with 
 the soil, and then plant. But I should not bother. I never saw any 
 difficulty but once, and that was in a lot of old roots, for which they 
 seemed to have an affinity. These I thought were a little damaged. 
 
Peony manual 19 
 
 CELLAR BLIGHT. 
 
 Peony roots are the easiest things in the world to keep. Some 
 will order in a lot from a distance, and if they are well packed will 
 let them stay in the box for six months; and if they freeze, all the 
 better, if not too severely, for it keeps them back, and" they incline 
 to grow at a very low temperature. 
 
 But you should have some care for your cellar. If it is close 
 and has not been properly ventilated for years, 3'ou will find a white 
 fungus in the earth, and this same fungus will fasten on your roots 
 and they may be damaged, if not killed, that is, some of them. The 
 summer before storing, your cellar should be well ventilated. The 
 old earth should be taken out and that which is entirely fresh should 
 be put in. 
 
 OUT DOOR WINTERING. 
 
 We have known of large quantities tfirown into a heap like po- 
 tatoes, where they seemed to heat, and many in the spring would 
 be partially decayed. They should never be put in large piles. 
 
 The best way to store out of doors is to stand the roots right 
 side up — a layer of them and then a layer of earth, and cover the 
 whole with a foot of soil, and later, when the ground is frozen, 
 throw some coarse manure over them. Of course it does not hurt 
 to freeze them. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 V)t Tmportcd Tungoid Disease 
 
 Importers have found that man}^ plants from France were seri- 
 ously diseased. Most of those procured from Lemoine, one of the 
 world's greatest propagators, were badly affected. 
 
 There is this peculiarity about this disease. While it clings 
 like death to the infected root, it does not cross over to others. I 
 have known rows so badly troubled they could neither grow nor 
 bloom, and barely existed for three or four years, yet right beside 
 them were those in perfect health, not at all affected. We see and 
 know but little of it in the west; but in the fall of 1906 I procured 
 twenty kinds from two leading growers in the east, and they were 
 all affected. These were choice ones, imported from France. They 
 were gnarled and knotted and had a sickly and uncanny look. They 
 do have some line ones over there, and we want them, and pay al- 
 most any price for them. Probably there is something in their mode 
 of rapid propagation which makes them liable to disease. As the}^ 
 do not seem to affect each other probably the young plants are in- 
 oculated, and it stays with them. Of course on good, clean land, 
 they will make some growth, but when divided the infection goes 
 with them. 
 
20 C. $. l)arrlson'$ 
 
 no €au$c of Jlldrtti 
 
 The average grawer can live without these superfine ones. 
 Should you ever get any, keep them by themselves and you need 
 not fear contamination. 
 
 Patronize home growers that have good stocks. Dessert, one 
 of the leading French propagators, seems to send for the most part 
 healthy stock. But those badly affected have come not only from 
 France, but also from Holland and England. Why take such risks 
 when you can get just as good ones at home.-* Rosenfield, Richard- 
 son, Hollis, Terry and other American growers, raise vigorous and 
 healthy plants, and some of them are as beautiful as their foreign 
 rivals. Too many of us think an article is of little account unless 
 it bears a foreign brand. But a good many foreigners, like Count 
 Boni, are not worth the price paid for them. 
 
 I had supposed with others that this disease was produced by 
 nematodes of a different kind from those that work in the rootlets. 
 Specimens of diseased roots were sent to Amherst and the report 
 came back that they were eel worms, caused from too much fresh 
 manure, and that the winter would kill them, when the samples 
 sent had endured several severe winters. I sent some to be plant- 
 ed on one of the bleak hills of Minnesota, to see what 40 below 
 would do for them, but we were on the wrong track, as the accom- 
 panying letter will show, and this is from the highest authority in 
 the land. I sent specimens of both kinds and asked Dr. Bessey to 
 carefully note the difference between the external and internal nem- 
 atodes. We give his answer: 
 
 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 
 BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 
 
 MiAMA, Fla., November g, igo6. 
 Mr. C. S. Harrison, 829 York Avenue, York, Neb. 
 
 Dear Mr. Harrison: — Your letter of November 3d, regarding diseased pe- 
 onies, is at hand. I received the specimens of plants, diseased in two different 
 ways, a few days ago. The one which you described as the harmless form of 
 disease is the one caused by the nematode Heterodera Radicicola, the ordi- 
 nary root-knot nematode which is abundant in green houses in the north and 
 on most cultivated plants in the south. I have observed it myself on over 200 
 species of plants, and have reports of its occurring on about 130 species more. 
 This species is very destructive to many plants, but often causes no apparent 
 injury to others. The latter seems to be the case with the peony. 
 
 The ])lants with the serious disease with the enlarged roots, much to my 
 surprise, were found to contain no nematodes. The disease is apparently 
 caused by some other organism, although, in many respects resembling injury 
 due to nematodes. 
 
 I have planted out the roots and will make further study of the trouble. In 
 case I find out the real cause, I will let you know at once. You see that 1 con- 
 firm the correctness of your observation that the two diseases were entirely dif- 
 ferent, although superficially they resemble one another. The only point of 
 difference between us is that I find that the serious trouble is not due to any 
 kind of nematode. Very truly yours, 
 
 Ernest A. Bessey, 
 Pathologist in Charge, Subtropical Laboratory. 
 
 Thus we are compelled to drop the matter. Some of our fore- 
 most men are at work at it, and some remedy will yet be discov- 
 ered. Some are using lime and sulphur; others lye. Carbolic acid 
 
Peony manual 21 
 
 is being tried. If it proves to be a fungoid disease, then it would 
 seem as if some kind of fungicide would reach the case. To pre- 
 vent potato blight the seed is soaked in coperas water. Who knows 
 but what this would be the thing. -^ Doubtless when the societ3''s 
 manual comes out the knotty problem will be solved. We can go 
 no further with it now. 
 
 We would suggest that if any are importing the}' insist on abso- 
 lutely healthy stock, and if any are sent seriously affected, that the}' 
 be rejected as unmerchantable stock, thus compelling foreign grow- 
 ers to stamp out the disease instead of transferring it to us. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 Preparing the Ground. 
 
 Peonies do best of course in good rich ground. If you follow 
 a row over a clay hill and down through rich valley loam you will 
 see the rankest growth and finest flowers in the deepest soil. The 
 best success I ever had was on ground rich by nature and heavily 
 coated with hen manure two years before so that by the time it 
 was planted it was thoroughly incorporated in the soil so as to be a 
 part of it. 
 
 There are more failures in using fresh manure in large quanti- 
 ties than from any other source. I knew one man who had a fair 
 piece of ground on which his plants had done well, but he wanted 
 them to do better, so he secured a large amount of fresh manure 
 and mixed it with the soil, about half and half. It was a costly job 
 involving much labor, but he was sure it would pay as he had heard 
 that they were rank feeders and required rich soil. 
 
 He planted them and a sicklier lot of plants you never saw. 
 The next year they were no better. He dug some of them up and 
 they were club footed. They had no fine, fibrous roots, and what 
 little growth they made was by absorption through the main roots. 
 The ends were rotten. They had the dyspepsia and had it bad, 
 and some of them died with the nausea of it. 
 
 They would have done far better with no fertilizing whatever, 
 and, as the ground had been raising them several years, they should 
 not have been planted there again for at least two or three years. 
 An enthusiastic clergyman with a commendable zeal to do some- 
 thing outside his profession wrote: "I have just planted the 
 peonies you sent. I first dug a trench and enriched it heavily. I 
 planted them and put hen manure all around them and now I am 
 looking for splendid results. I wrote him, "to take up every root 
 before it is poisoned and set them on fresh ground which had 
 received no fertilizing for two years; you will make an utter failure 
 if you don't." 
 
 It is very natural to wish to do our very best, especially if we 
 have costly plants. When I was beginning I knew the danger of 
 
22 
 
 €. $. garrison's 
 
 application to the roots, but as I had some dollar sorts I wished to 
 hurry I put an inch or two of hen manure on the surface. In the 
 spring I was surprised to see the plants thus treated had not start- 
 ed. Digging down I saw that all the ground seemed nauseated 
 with the heavy dose and a white mould had gone down for six inches 
 and the peony roots were wrapped up in a white mantle of it. I 
 dug them all up and planted in good ground which had never been 
 fertilized in any way and they recovered and made a fine growth. 
 If I had left them probably every one would have died. 
 
 So in the preparation of the ground be sensible about it and 
 don't overdo it. We notice that in New England they do very 
 well on poor soil to which a heavy coat of swamp muck has been 
 applied, and even where the soil is light, experts are careful to 
 avoid too heavy a coat of stable manure. 
 
 In planting for flowers you can enrich heavily; take a strong 
 pair of horses put the plow down beam deep, then let down the 
 clevis and throw another furrow out of the first, thus stirring the soil 
 eighteen inches deep. You can raise a crop of potatoes and work 
 the ground well and in two years plant your peonies. Or you can dig 
 a trench two or three feet deep and put six inches of cow manure in the 
 bottom and earth on top of this. By the time the roots get down to 
 this reserve it will be well rotted and in condition to furnish strong 
 plants and fine flowers. 
 
 For growing roots for the market some dealers, after two 
 years, will cut them up, sell the largest and put the smallest back 
 in the same row to save the danger of mixing. This may do once 
 but never should be tried twice. Ordinarily peonies should not be 
 planted on the same ground, for two reasons. First, you do not 
 plant potatoes on the same ground continuously. You prefer to ro- 
 tate, and these plants do much better on fresh ground. Then 
 some roots will be left and in a year or two they will come up and 
 give you bad mixtures, and above all things we must keep our va 
 rieties separate. 
 
 We have found it to be an excellent plan to plant in fairly 
 good soil in September, and in early winter cover the whole ground 
 with four inches of coarse manure and spade this in the next spring, 
 or let it lie and rot and work it in with the cultivator. This en- 
 riches the ground and feeds the plants without surfeiting. And 
 when it rains in the growing season it is like watering with liquid 
 manure. The rich coating does not come in direct contact with 
 the roots. 
 
 Planting. 
 
 Be careful not to break the bud. Insert the spade, make a 
 hole to fit the root ; insert that. Have the bud two to three inches be- 
 low the surface, pack the earth firmly around it. In this way a man 
 can plant from i.ooo to 2,000 in a day. If the root is long you need 
 not dig full depth for it. Incline it at an angle of 45 degrees. Be 
 careful always to cover the bud well. Some men plow a furrow 
 
Peony manual 23 
 
 with a heavy team, set up the plants along the edge of it and 
 throw another furrow on them, and plant every third furrow. This 
 may do for cheap kinds, but not for first-class ones. 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 1)0W to Cripple the Peony Business 
 
 In the neighborhood of many of our large cities there will be 
 some peony growers who think they must sell their blooms for any 
 price they can get. Of course they wish to sell the roots, but never 
 stop to think what effect cheap flowers will have on the market for 
 them. They will rush into town and even underbid themselves to 
 get rid of the flowers at any price. Some growers have sold blooms 
 as low as 50 cents per 100. A case comes to us of a man who sold 
 his crop to a Greek florist for 75 cents per 100, and he sold them 
 for 75 cents per dozen. Sometimes growers will force down the 
 prices so that department stores will retail them at a cent apiece. 
 How is a man going to sell the roots when he has simply ruined the 
 whole business by cheapening them .'' Suppose you have some very 
 choice kinds like Mme. Emile Lemoine, Baroness Schroeder, Mad- 
 am d' Vernville or Ville d' Nancy, worth from $1.00 to $5.00 a root; 
 how are you going to sell them when the would-be purchaser will 
 laugh in your face and say "I can buy all the piny blooms I want 
 for a cent apiece.''" If a farmer wants to sell a fat steer for $50, he 
 don't put the price of dressed beef down to $5 per 100 and tallow to 
 two cents a pound. 
 
 Flowers fit for market should never be sold for less than two 
 and a half to three cents each. It doesn't pay to handle them for 
 less than that. Flood the market with cheap flowers and you will 
 have a lot of very cheap roots on hand. 
 
 What shall we do with our flowers then .f* Let them alone! Do 
 not use them to ruin your business. Hold up the price and you will 
 only need to sell half as many. Keep them for your neighbors to 
 look at. I have known people to go 200 miles to see a field in full 
 bloom, and it paid. There is not a more gorgeous display on this 
 earth than a large field of them in the full splendor of their beauty. 
 Plant your grounds for 
 
 B Public ParR 
 
 You will probably need a good wire fence around it, but people 
 can come and see them just as well. It is astonishing how much en- 
 thusiasm such a spectacle as 50,000 blooms will awaken. Electric 
 cars will be crowded with people going to see them. A procession 
 of carriages bearing delighted spectators will be there. And as they 
 see the glory and sniff the delicious fragrance the very air will be 
 
24 €. $. l)arri$oit'$ 
 
 thick with expressions of delight. Then you can sell peonies. 
 People can go in, pick out their favorites and leave their orders. In 
 the east we have seen roads lined with autos going fifty miles to a 
 gorgeous peony show, off in the country. Such a garden be- 
 comes a Mecca, and you see pilgrims hurry to it from all directions. 
 The best sales are often made from these fields of splendor. Leave 
 them to come to the fullness of their beauty and you will fill your 
 own soul with a delightful enthusiasm and have more confidence in 
 3'ourself and in your productions. You will not be on the borders 
 of uncertainty. If you have agents in the field call them in and 
 have them spend days imbibing the loveliness, gaining knowledge 
 also, so that they can give the facts to your customers. Having 
 seen them in all their beauty, they can sell much better than if 
 they simply read descriptions from the catalogue. 
 
 It is strange that an}^ grower can be so short-sighted. He 
 raises peonies to sell and then proceeds to beat down the price of 
 the roots to the lowest notch. What is a plant worth that can 
 bring only a one cent flower.'' 
 
 Peony blooms of the best sorts are the finest flowers on earth. 
 The late James Hartshorn wrote us that he was selling flowers of 
 the Festiva Maxima for $3.00 per dozen, and they were worth it. 
 And so are other choice ones. Florists should aid the growers in 
 making a distinction between the common and the liner sorts. The}' 
 should never be put on a level. Above all, though, never sell these 
 blooms of any variety as if they were only a lot of weeds. 
 
 Cwenty-Tour Best Sons 
 
 Some one in Florists' Review called for the names of two 
 dozen of the best varieties for cut flowers. The replies show a 
 difference in taste and probably also a difference in soil and cli- 
 mate. 
 
 PEONIES FOR CUT FLOWERS. 
 
 Please give us a list of twenty-four varieties of the best peonies 
 for cut flower purposes. I have never grown such, and would like 
 to know the names of some specialists where the roots can be had 
 in quantities. E. T. B., Indiana. 
 
 To obtain a list of the best varieties of peonies for cut flower 
 purposes, the best thing to do would be to correspond with some 
 of the dealers. In growing peonies for cut flowers we would cer- 
 tainly not recommend that such a large number be used; five or 
 six kinds grown in quantity would be far better than twenty-four 
 varieties, a few of each kind. 
 
 We cannot give a list of more than fourteen varieties of peonies 
 which we would recommend for cut flower purposes out of the list 
 we are now growing. We have many varieties, but they have not 
 been sufficiently tested as yet. The list is as follows: Amabilis 
 Grandiflora, white, very large, double, fringed petals, fine, very 
 sweet; Caroline Mather, purple crimson, large, double and very 
 
Pwny manual 25 
 
 dark; Delicatissima, rose, large, full, fine, sweet; Duchesse de 
 Nemours, rose-pink, very large, double, sweet, one of the best; 
 Elegans, outside petals dark pink, large salmon center, loose, fine, 
 sweet; Festiva Maxima, creamy white with small center of car- 
 mine, round, early, in clusters, sweet; Francoise Ortegat, dark purple 
 crimson, very large, fine, deep, double, and sweet; Fulgida, very 
 dark crimson, good; Humei, rose, full, large, late, one of the best; 
 La France, pink outside petals, with yellowish center, very fine; 
 Perfection, outside petals rose lilac, inside salmon, sweet; Reine 
 Hortense, pink, large, full globular, fine, fragrant; Triumph du 
 Nord, violet rose, lilac shade; Victoria, rose, center yellowish. 
 
 W. & T. Smith Company, 
 
 Geneva, N. Y. 
 
 Regarding a list of twenty-four varieties of peonies which we 
 consider best for cut flower purposes, we are pleased to name you 
 the following list: Achillea, blush white, early; Alba Sulphurea, 
 white, late; Alexander Dumas, pink and salmon; Beaute Francaise, 
 flesh pink; Charles Verdier, lilaceous pink; Couronne d'Or, white; 
 Delachei, purple crimson; Duke of Wellington, sulphur white; 
 Duchesse de Nemours (Calot), white; Duchesse de Nemours 
 (Guerin), pink, early; Festiva, white, early; Festiva Maxima, 
 white, early; Humei Carnea, pink, late; Louis Van Houtte, crim- 
 son, late; Mme. Breon, rosy flesh white, early; Mme. Forel, pink, 
 late; Nee Plus Ultra, pink; Mme. Coste, tender rose and white; 
 Queen Victoria, flesh white; Jennie Lind, pink, early; Lady Bram- 
 well, pink; Officinalis Rubra fl. pi., crimson, earliest; Officinalis 
 Rosea Superba, rose pink, early; Rubra Triumphans, crimson, 
 early. Cottage Gardens Co. 
 
 We herewith submit a list of twenty-four varieties of peonies 
 for cut flower purposes arranged in their several colors. We have 
 taken into consideration the various times of blooming, keeping 
 qualities, fragrance, size of flower, and strong stems, in making 
 this selection: 
 
 White — Festiva Maxima, Queen Victoria, M. Dupont, Couron- 
 ne d'Or, Madam Crousse, La Tulipe, Madame de Vefneville, Marie 
 Lemoine, Duchess de Nemours. 
 
 Pink — Beaute Francaise, Delicatissima, Livingstone, Princess 
 Beatrice, M. Jules Elie, Edulis Superba, Alexandrina. 
 
 Red — Adolph Rosseau, Souvenir de I'Exposition Universelle, 
 Modeste Guerin, Delachei, Marechal de MacMahon, M. Krelage, 
 Richardson's Rubra Superba, Felix Crousse. 
 
 Peterson Nursery. 
 
 Of course tastes differ. With me the two very best are Baron- 
 ess Schroeder and Golden Harvest. In the west we need different 
 kinds from those required in the east. Most of Kelway's are of 
 little account out here; we need something strong and robust that 
 will endure heat and drought. I might have mentioned some of 
 Terry's, which are of especial merit on account of robustness, hard- 
 iness and beauty. His Etta, Victor, Morning Star, Prince of Wales, 
 Bell Hough, Sada Evans and Cynthia stand well at the head. 
 
26 €. $. Rarrfson's 
 
 Here is my list of the best 24 varieties of peonies for cut flowers: 
 Baroness Schroeder, Festiva Maxima, Golden Harvest, Madam de 
 Verneville, Duke of Dorchester, Belle de Nancy, Mt. Blanc, 
 Couronne d'Or, Pottsii Alba, Livingstone, M. Geissler, Madame 
 Emil Lemoine, Floral Treasure, Richardson's Grandiflora, Rich- 
 ardson's Rubra Superba, La Tulipe, Marie Crousse, Modeste Guer- 
 in, Marie Lemoine, Mons. Dupont, Prince Imperial, Sunbeam, 
 Louis Van Houtte, L'Esperence. C. S. Harrison. 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 Peonies as Cur Tlowers 
 
 While these are the grandest flowers for out-door display, some 
 of them are without rivals for decoration. Cut just as the buds are 
 opening, they will keep a long time, a week or more, though some 
 kinds will keep longer than others. The usual way is to cut them 
 and put them in water immediately, so the}^ cannot wilt. Flowers 
 suitable for cutting should have long, strong stems which will hold 
 the flower well up without drooping. Some, of wondrous beauty, 
 like Terry's General Grant, are defective in stems, those of this 
 kind being often of a Z shape, so it is impossible to use them only 
 with a short stem. Many a gorgeous beauty must take a second 
 place for lack of a strong support. It is well to change the water 
 at least once a day. When this is done cut off a portion of the stem; 
 some make a slit in the end to give the water a better chance at 
 more surface. 
 
 Tor Shipping 
 
 The following course is generally taken: The plants are cut at 
 night, just as the buds are opening. They are then put in a tub of 
 water. The bottom leaves are stripped off, as they would rot under 
 water. In the morning they are carefully packed in a paper-lined 
 box. We often put them in bundles of twenty or so, and bind the 
 stems in moss and wrap them in paper. The tops should be light- 
 ly wrapped also; waxed paper is generally used. They seem to 
 keep better this way than when packed without the moss. This 
 process, however, has its limitations. It seems impossible to keep 
 them in transit over 48 hours. 
 
 At the Chicago and Boston expositions we watched matters 
 closely. Some were sent from New York. They had been in cold 
 storage first. But they did not come out in good shape. They had 
 a bedraggled look. They can be kept in cold storage for along 
 
Peony manudl 27 
 
 time, provided the air is dry. If it is moist, the petals will fall. If 
 the conditions are right, Richardson's Grandiflora Rubra, one of the 
 latest and grandest, can be kept for three weeks. Put in just be- 
 fore opening, it lies dormant in the cold, and when placed in a 
 warm room it immediately opens in all its glory and retains its form 
 and beauty for several days. 
 
 Hitherto there seems to have been a limit in shipping. We 
 asked the president, C. W. Ward, if he knew any mode of packing 
 by which they could take a journey requiring over 48 hours, and he 
 said he did not. This is from one of the foremost florists of the 
 country, and it seemed too bad. 
 
 We have shipped several hundred miles, packing with the great- 
 est care. One shipment, which required three days, was half use- 
 less and had to be thrown away. 
 
 ^■ 
 
 JInotbcr Process 
 
 S. B. Stewart, of Omaha, gives this experience: While at 
 work for a florist years ago an employe cut some lilies and carelessly 
 left them on the bench over night. When the proprietor saw them 
 lying there sadly wilted he was very indignant. Mr. Stewart told 
 him not to give up. He cut off a portion of the stems, put them in 
 warm water, and immediately they revived. Then he commenced 
 treating other flowers in the same way. His directions are these: 
 The petals of a flower in bloom are tender; they break readily. Let 
 them wilt until they will bend without breaking. Ship them in this 
 wilted condition. Said he, "They can be shipped to California." 
 When they reach their destination, cut off a small portion of the 
 stem and put them in warm water. It is astonishing how soon they 
 will revive. 
 
 Mr. Stewart was in the habit of going over to Father Terry's 
 to get peonies for his store. The old man was anxious for him to 
 keep them from wilting. "Never mind," he would say, and he al- 
 ways took them the twelve miles in his wagon without any water 
 whatever. Then on his arrival he would restore them. 
 
 Those of us who were at the Boston show will remember a lot 
 of Richardson's Rubra Superba that came from Cincinnati and had 
 been a long time on the way. They were badly wilted, and we 
 shook our heads. But they were immediately plunged into water, 
 when they revived and took the first prize over the home-grown 
 ones. So here is a point we must not forget. There is certainly 
 something in it. 
 
 Torclng Peonies 
 
 The question often comes up "Can we in any way crowd these 
 
28 €. $. Fjarrlson's 
 
 along so that we can enjoy them on Easter?" This is often done. 
 You can do it if you have the proper conditions. 
 
 We are glad to give here directions furnished by Fred W. 
 Timme, in Florists' Exchange: 
 
 "As long as the crops of flowers from open air peony fields can 
 readily be sold at good prices, no matter when they come, florists 
 will not be over-anxious to go into peony forcing under glass. But 
 every now and then an inquiry as to how it is done, and whether or 
 not it pays, comes from parties who evidently seem to be under the 
 impression that the forcing of peonies as a money-making venture 
 has escaped consideration, has been overlooked by growers in search 
 of something new and eminently profitable. No fear of that; it has 
 been tried here and there, on and off, extensively and otherwise; 
 and the fact that peonies can successfully be forced has been fully 
 established; but whether it will ever grant a margin of profit above 
 that assured by outdoor culture has yet to be learned. 
 
 "Peonies, like most hardy plants, and more so than many, suf- 
 fer a severe set-back b}' being forced. It takes them years to over- 
 come the consequences of the unnatural ordeal. This is especially 
 true with the Moutan and Arborea varieties, just those best suited 
 for forcing and the only kinds good for pot culture. These are pot- 
 ted up early in the spring, better yet in the preceding fall, are 
 grown on in their pots during summer outdoors, ripened off in the 
 fall and forced out in the latter part of winter, beginning with 45 or 
 50 degrees in January or February. After a good set of buds has 
 been secured, the temperature may gradually be raised to 60 de- 
 grees. These plants will be in bloom quite early in the spring, 
 probably at Easter, but after that will not be fit for forcing for sev- 
 eral years, and must regain their strength in open field culture. In 
 like manner the Japanese single-flowered varieties, very showy and 
 fine for conservatory display, are handled. Of course, where the 
 actual loss of plants by forcing is a matter of small concern, severe 
 forcing of well-established plants may be practiced with good re- 
 sults, and flowers be had in mid-winter, even at Christmas. 
 
 "Of herbaceous kinds none but the early varieties yield to real 
 forcing, and then only under moderate heat and slow movement. 
 The double, and especially the single-flowered Peonia Tenuifolia 
 comes early, and plants of these, established in solid ground, cause 
 little difficulty. The foliage is fine, and the flowers are of a rich, 
 glowing color; but they do not last long, and sell no better than 
 dahlias, which are raised with less expense. The varieties of Pe- 
 onia Officinalis force easily enough, and come earliest of any; but 
 the plants take up much room, arestragglingand bulky, and then the 
 flowers are so far from being anything especially alluring to bu3^ers 
 that it seems wiser to leave peonies of this type out of doors, where 
 they belong. A whole field of tree or herbaceous peonies of some 
 good early sorts may be had in bud and bloom from three to four 
 weeks earlier than their ordinary flowering season, by erecting a 
 portable sash house over them. No artificial heat is required in 
 bringing them into bloom. This could be repeated for two or three 
 
Peony manual ' 29 
 
 seasons without weakening the plants to any great extent. But 
 then, in doing so, the northern grower would not be greath' ahead 
 of his southern competitor, whose cut reaches our central markets 
 about three weeks before the great bulk of the season's output is 
 harvested. Fred \V. Timme." 
 
 This business is in its infanc3\ We have tried it ourselves 
 enough to know that there is something in it. We suggest that the 
 most prolific bloomers be used, like L'Esperence, Golden Harvest, 
 Baroness Schroeder, and those of that class which are always ready 
 to bloom on the least provocation. 
 
 The process requires some care and patience. We would sug- 
 gest a plan for outdoor forcing, which can be readily used: Take 
 earh' blooming sorts, plant on ground properly prepared; set a foot 
 apart each way, so as to have them take as little space as possible; 
 build a pen around them and cover the top with good, strong cot- 
 ton cloth, which is much cheaper than glass. You will be surprised 
 at the heat which will gather under cover. Your plants will come 
 on with a bound and 3'ou will have flowers much earlier than if 
 grown in the open. Almost the sole objection to peonies is that 
 they bloom only a short time, when, if properly cared for, as we 
 show elsewhere, we can enjoy them for months. By forcing, by 
 planting early and late varieties, and by other methods mentioned 
 in this manual, we can have their companionship a long time. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 The following tributes are from the Great Northwest: 
 
 U. S. Experiment Station, Brookings, S. D. 
 Mr. C. S. Harrison. 
 
 Dear Sir: I was glad to receive your letter and to learn that you are doing- 
 so much in ornamentals. In bulletin 72 I have mentioned my experience with 
 the peony. The following note may serve your purpose: The Tree Peonies 
 are tender, and winter kill in the northwest, but the Herbaceous Peonies are 
 perfectly hardy in South Dakota without winter protection. We have many 
 varieties under cultivation here, and all appear hardy, and flower profusely. 
 Of all herbaceous plants the Herbaceous Peony should be the first one to 
 plant in the garden of every dweller on the northwestern prairies. Thev are 
 as hardy as pie plant, and do well with no more care than that given to pie 
 plant. It pays to manure both plants for the best results. The number of 
 cultivated varieties of peonies runs up to a thousand or more, and the list is 
 continually being increased by the raising of new varieties from seed. This 
 will be an interesting line of work for the amateur, as he may obtain varieties 
 superior, or at least ecjual to, any of the many sorts now grown by nurservmen 
 and florists, but the planter who wants a sure thing will prefer to plant named 
 sorts. The peony is steadily gaining favor with florists all over the country, 
 and some plant them by the acre for the purpose of growing flowers in quanti- 
 ties for market. Some people call the peony the "King of Flowers," but this, 
 title is probabl}- claimed by many other flowers, each one having its devoted 
 adherents. " Yours truly, 
 
 Prof. N. E. Hansen. 
 
30 • C. $. garrison's 
 
 Brandon, Manitoba. 
 Mr. C. S. Harrison. 
 
 Dear :Sir: Your letter of December 24th received. The Herbaceous 
 Peonies are doing exceedingly well here. Our collection is a small one, but we 
 find no difficulty whatever in wintering them, even without protection. We 
 simply keep them free from grass and weeds, and let nature do the rest. In 
 mv opinion, they are by far the best perennial for cultivation in this northern 
 climate. Some of our plants have as many as sixty bunches of blossoms. I 
 am looking forward to the time when we will have a complete collection of this 
 beautiful flower here. If at any time you wish me to test a root or so, I shall 
 be glad to do so. I shall tr}' and send you a cut showing some of the peonies 
 growing here. We are getting a very large immigration from the United States 
 to this country, and you can tell your people to bring the peony roots along 
 with them, as they grow well all over Manitoba and the northwest. We do 
 not even mulch or manure our plants. The soil is rich, and the snow, though 
 not deep, is sufficient for protection. Yours, 
 
 S. A. Bedford. 
 
 This testimony is also substantiated by Dr. William Saunders, 
 general superintendent of all the experiment stations. I have been 
 sending some to Assiniboia, a province of northwest Canada, where 
 they also do well. A friend told me of an article he saw concerning 
 their successful growth in Alaska. So, when we have flowers 
 •called for from Mobile to the Arctic circle, we need not fear we 
 will overstock the market right away. 
 
 It is surely a matter of encouragement that the vast empire 
 of the great northwest, reaching beyond our own bleak prairies up 
 through Canada to the Arctic circle, is the very paradise for the 
 finest flower that blooms. 
 
 We have scores of letters from various portions of these ex- 
 tensive regions and all speak in the highest praise of this favorite 
 flower. Orders for them grow more and more numerous every 
 3'ear. It is a source of delight that these queenly flowers willingly 
 take up their abode in the very bleakest portions of these vast do- 
 mains, and a few roots soon grow into strong clumps which are 
 packed and crowded with masses of beauty. 
 
 Our Peony Society should use every means to disseminate a 
 knowledge of these heroic flowers. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Cbe l^ardincss of tbc Peony 
 
 We know of nothing in this world which has the vigor andhar- 
 ■diness of this plant. The root is like the grip-sack of the traveler 
 which contains the supplies for his journey. It will come to us from 
 Europe and bring in compact form foliage, flower and life. We 
 know of nothing that will stand more hard treatment, exposure and 
 neglect. It may be left on the ground, exposed to the sun, for days, 
 
Peony manual 31 
 
 and be badly withered, and yet it will revive and grow. Often we 
 iind, where we have cut up plants in the fall, that tiny buds, so 
 small as to escape notice, after freezing and thawing all winter, will 
 throw out shoots and tiny rootlets, and we have often saved them. 
 One spring two roots of La Tulipe were left in the barn two months, 
 till, to all appearance they were dead. They were planted the 
 iirst of June, and they immediately revived and grew. 
 
 One winter we had several boxes stored in a root cellar. They 
 were poorly packed. Someone left the door open and they were all 
 frozen solid. The door was closed, and they remained frozen till 
 spring, when they were planted, without the loss of one. It is no 
 uncommon thing to keep a lot in boxes seven months at a time with 
 but slight packing. I once had a remarkable experience with a lot 
 from Kelway, England. They came over in reasonable time, but 
 were delayed in a warm office at Lincoln, Neb., a month before I 
 was notified. The box was dried out and full of cracks, and the 
 moss was dry as powder. The roots were black, and snapped like 
 sticks. The buds were shriveled. I had the expressman look them 
 over, and all pronounced them dead. There were thirty roots, 
 some of which cost $2.50 each. Of course the express company had 
 to pay damages. Taking them home about the first of November, 
 I cut off the dead roots and planted the buds in moist earth in a box 
 in the cellar. At the end of a month the buds began to swell. De- 
 cember ist, they were planted out, and were frozen all winter. 
 They all grew but one, and one of them bloomed. Of course it 
 took an extra year to form new roots. They seemed much like the 
 Mexican resurrection plant. 
 
 They are like the Rocky Mountain burrow that bears any amount 
 of misuse or neglect, and yet patiently plods along. Often for j^ears 
 they must bear neglect in grass, or the hard earth trampled solid 
 about them. And yet they hang on, doing the best they can. Yet 
 while they patientl}' endure so much, there is nothing that responds 
 with more grateful alacrity to generous treatment. A neighbor had 
 an Alba Sulphuria, which had bloomed in utter neglect for 25 years. 
 I bought the clump, he retaining a couple of roots. He planted 
 his in the grass and hard earth, digging but a little space for them. 
 In four years they have not bloomed or grown. They could not. 
 They could only live. I planted my part in the richest ground, and 
 how they increased and blossomed. In about four years I had near- 
 ly one hundred plants. We have cut up clumps that stood in sod 
 nearly 25 years, the roots of which were so badly decayed the}' could 
 not bloom. By planting the buds with only a little root attached, 
 we soon had fine, healthy plants. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 CborougDbred Un Stock and Cboroudbbred Tlowers 
 
 I used to keep thoroughbred Jerseys and Shorthorns. Though 
 I enjoyed it they were a constant care. One night I was awakened 
 
32 €. $. garrison's 
 
 by a fearful crash. I wakened the boys and told them to bring the 
 lanterns. Rushing out, I saw in the barn two balls of fire. They 
 belonged to the Shorthorn. He weighed a ton and every pound 
 of him was in lighting trim. Aiming a pitchfork a suitable distance 
 below those blazing orbs, I caught him in the nose. Then the 
 lights came. We secured him and led him back to his stall. It 
 seemed the Jersey got loose and thought it a good time to take 
 revenge. The Shorthorn tore himself loose, drove the Jersey back 
 to his stall, and with one tremendous thrust, hurled him through 
 the side of the barn. I was younger then, but I don't want any 
 more. With peonies you know where they are nights. They do- 
 not tear themselves in wire fences. They do not eat their heads 
 off in winter. The food costs nothing. You can go off on your 
 summer vacation, and they will be there when you come back. 
 They multiply as fast as live stock. There is more money in them, 
 legitimate, honest gain. Sixteen years ago a man laid out $50 for 
 choice strains. For some time he has been selling $1,000 worth 
 a year. 
 
 I bought a fine plant for $1. In five years I sold $18 worth, 
 and had eighteen roots left. One choice variety in the same length 
 of time brought in $34.00, and I had fifteen roots left. One fall I 
 had an order for 500 common mixed sorts for $6 per 100. It took 
 but a small piece of ground to furnish them. My man, who had 
 worked on the farm, was astonished. "Here," said he, "we have 
 dug $30 from a few rods of ground, and if we got that from two 
 acres of farm land we would do well." 
 
 Is peony raising a fad, that will soon pass away.'' It cannot 
 pass; people will not allow it. In staid old Europe the interest has 
 fairly commenced. In our eastern states, where they can raise 
 azalias, kalmias and rhododendrons, the demand is on the increase. 
 Most of the stock of western growers yet goes east. In the west 
 we cannot raise the flowers above mentioned. They will have 
 nothing to do with us. They are aristocratic easterners that will 
 die before they will live with us. I thought our hot suns and dry- 
 ing winds too much, so I got 1,000 of the hardiest kinds I could hear 
 of, and put them under a screen. Kalmias, azalias, rhododendrons, 
 all dead in a year, despite the tenderest care. Do you wonder that 
 we love a flower that will step in and take their places, one that 
 never grumbles nor pines, and is never homesick, that is more fra- 
 grant and lovely than the best of them? I have attended some of 
 the most famous flower shows of the east, and here in Nebraska we 
 can raise as fine peonies as anywhere on earth. We plant roses, 
 and they kill down and dwindle away, but the peony stays by us. 
 Millions are needed for our western states. Billions are needed for 
 the Dakotas, Minnesota and Manitoba, where they do as well as in 
 England. When the finest flowers on earth are fitted for such a 
 vast empire, and they will grow and thrive where other things will 
 not, you can depend on them. 
 
 Talk about ginseng for profit ! Go to raising peonies. This is 
 work for ladies. Already many are going into it. There is much 
 
L' ESPERENCE 
 
Peony manual 33 
 
 less care and expense than in raising chickens, though as hght work 
 the two go together. The hen is mightier than the sword. She 
 seems insignificant, yet her produce and progeny every year are 
 greater than the output of all the gold mines, and the more eggs 
 and chickens you raise, the higher they get. The two enterprises 
 are in woman's realm. Mrs. Pleas, of Indiana, has raised some fine 
 new sorts. One she sold for $ioo, and another for $150, besides 
 having thousands of dollars' worth of enjoyment from her floral 
 friends. 
 
 When you take into consideration the growing value of cut flow- 
 ers, you have three harvests from your peony bed, one in spring, 
 the blossoms in summer, and again root sales in the autumn. The 
 delightful and profitable employment, together with the fascination 
 of raising new kinds from seed, will give a zest and joy to living 
 which cannot be found in any indoor employment. There is the 
 delight of seeing a transformation going on, the brown earth put- 
 ting on robes of beaut}' while you are culling forms of loveliness 
 out of the unseen, taking the rainbow and moulding into shapes of 
 wondrous fascination. 
 
 In Planting, tbe Condition of the Bud must Be taken Into Jlccount. 
 
 This is very important. The peony usually goes into a dor- 
 mant condition about the middle of August. I have had excellent 
 success in planting at that time, for the buds that form for next 
 spring are small and tough, and they can be handled without dan- 
 ger of injuring them. As a general thing, however, September is 
 the best time, for if very hot in August it will not do to ship. If 
 packed too moist they might rot. When planted at this time little 
 rootlets begin to grow and the plant is all ready for its spring 
 growth. You will notice that those left in the ground and appar- 
 ently dormant are making a fine growth of fibrous rootlets, and the 
 longer they are left the more numerous they will be. The buds are 
 growing too, and often old roots will have a net of rootlets around 
 them, and the buds will be much larger and more liable to 
 damage than if planted earlier. Of course peonies can be planted 
 any time from the first of September till the middle of the follow- 
 ing May. But we are speaking of the best time. I have often 
 planted strong, left over roots from the first to the middle of May, 
 and if the ground is rich and in the best condition, have cut good 
 crops of flowers from them a few weeks after planting. 
 
 By the middle of August the bud is short and tough, but it be- 
 gins to grow a little in September and keeps it up till frost. If the 
 fall is warm it has made considerable growth by the middle of No- 
 vember. It is then much more tender and snaps more readily. 
 Then in the spring they start very early and the buds are more ten- 
 der still, and as they grow it is more difficult to handle them. 
 
 It is very trying to the grower for orders to come when his 
 plants are six inches high, as is often the case. Movingat this time 
 
34 ' €. $. garrison's 
 
 shocks them. When peonies are needed for the spring it is better 
 to dig in the fall and keep them dormant until sold or planted. 
 
 1)0W to H^ep Cbcm BacK in tbc Spring 
 
 We do not all have cold storage, and unless very cold they will 
 start if kept moist at a low temperature. A little freezing does not 
 hurt them. I prefer to have mine down as near the freezing point 
 as possible. When spring opens, instead of packing in wet moss, 
 keep them cool and dry. Even if wilted, it will not hurt them. By 
 putting them in water or moist earth they are immediately restored. 
 One spring I received a lot from France in an open crate. They 
 were very badly wilted. Putting them in water soon revived them. 
 All lived and grew and some of them bloomed. Of course it is not 
 necessary to keep them very dry. They can be kept on a rack with 
 cannas and dahlias. 
 
 When you till orders with them you can put them in rather wet 
 moss and sprinkle them with a little water, and when they reach 
 their destination they will be in a plump and healthy condition. 
 
 This plant is very remarkable for its hardiness. One fall a 
 dealer had a rush order. The purchaser must have the roots at the 
 earliest possible date. Gathering together, he covered them heav- 
 ily, but the night was cold, and in the morning they were hard as 
 cobble stones. He picked out the hardest ones to keep at home for 
 testing and then packed the rest in moss and sent them on. Exam- 
 ining his own he found them perfect, and he was praised for the 
 fine condition in which they were received. What other plant could 
 stand such usage .'* These can be sent any time in the winter, if 
 well packed, with perfect safety. 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Leading Uarictics 
 
 We have been at great pains to unravel the tangle, and if pos- 
 sible secure the name which properly belongs to the variety. 
 
 We shall not give a long list. We wish to give those that have 
 been satisfactory. There are many new ones of merit that have re- 
 cently been produced, but they are so scarce and high they are not 
 available. So we omit them. Some are not hardy. The}' are 
 nipped in the bud by late frosts and do not bloom annually. Many 
 are slow propagators. 
 
 At much pains we have secured the French and Holland lists, 
 together with the English and American, and have culled out those 
 that do the best both east and west. Tastes differ, and some will 
 
Peony manual 35 
 
 think their favorites are overlooked, but we cannot give the two 
 thousand named sorts. We can only name those which seem the 
 best. 
 
 Achille. Calot 1855. Delicate flesh, fading to white; early 
 and fragrant. This has been sent out innocentl}' by many Arms as 
 Marie Lemoine. A fine variety. 
 
 Agida. Holland list. Rosy violet; earh\ 
 
 Anna Swanson. Terr}-. Rosy crimson; robust. 
 
 Alba Mutabilis. Guerin, 1850. Flesh and white. 
 
 Alba Sulphurea. Calot, i860. White guard petals; center 
 sulphur 3xllow; early; good bloomer. 
 
 Agnes Mary Kelway. Kelway. Light rose guard petals; yellow 
 petaloids, with tuft in center. A nice, delicate little flower; not 
 very vigorous. 
 
 Alexander Dumas. Guerin, 1862. Brilliant pink, ver}' livel}^ 
 interspersed with chamois, white and salmon; medium. A fine, ro- 
 bust plant; good stem. Scores the five points of excellence. Splen- 
 did east and west. 
 
 Alice Crousse. Calot, 1872. Very prett_v, anemone shape; 
 bright pink; center salmon, pink and white. Extra fine. 
 
 Amazone. Lemoine, 1899. This belongs to the coterie of new 
 French peonies of exquisite grace and beaut}'. Creamy white, 3'el- 
 lowish center; guard petals striated with carmine. Entirel}' dis- 
 tinct from the Amazon. 
 
 Ambroise Verchaffelt. Parmentier, 1850. Deep lilac crimson. 
 
 Ambroise Verchaffelt. Calot, 1868. Described by Ward: 
 Deep purplish crimson; large, cup-shaped bloom; late. Fine for 
 landscape work. Good for cut flowers. Not a success in the west. 
 
 Andre Laures. Crousse, i88r. Full flowers, violet red; .stout 
 stems; ve'ry late. This is almost identical with Fragrans, Fragrant 
 Rose and Late Rose, as grown by most dealers. This class is the 
 most numerous and the cheapest of the whole family. 
 
 Asa Gray. Crousse, 1886. Large, full bloom, imbricated, ro- 
 siform. perfect shape; guard petals salmon flesh, inner petals pink, 
 sprinkled with carmine lilac. Superb. 
 
 Auguste Lemonier. Calot, 1865. Large, deep, dark red; vel- 
 vety finish. 
 
 Avalanche. Crousse, 1886. Convex, imbricated bloom; fine, 
 creamy center, with stripes of carmine of rare delicacy and beaut}'. 
 
 Baronne James de Rothschild. Guerin, 1850. Bright, silvery 
 pink, center sorhetimes purplish pink. 
 
 Baroness Schroeder. Origin unknown. Sent out by Kelway. 
 Taken all around, this is one of the finest in existence. You may 
 pick three flowers and one of them will have a delicate and linger- 
 ing reflex of gold in the center. The next may have a creamy cen- 
 ter, and the next a pinkish glow. The whole flower delicate, baby 
 pink, fading to purest white. It is well formed and ethereally beau- 
 tiful. The first sent out by Kelway were genuine, and there are 
 quite a number in America. When the demand grew Kelway ap- 
 pears to have sent out three different sorts under that name, and 
 
36 €. $. garrison's 
 
 some French dealers have* also sent some spurious ones. This 
 scores all the points of excellence. It is a prolific bloomer, de- 
 liciously fragrant, and a remarkably rapid multiplier. We have cut 
 four fine roots from one in a single year. It sells readily at $5.(X) a 
 root, and is a fine investment at that. 
 
 Bell Hough. Terry, 1900. Large, light purplish crimson; very 
 robust plant and fine fiower. Late. 
 
 Bertha. Terry, 1898. Bright crimson, large, full double; late. 
 Ver}^ satisfactory. 
 
 Beauty Francaise. Guerin, 1850. Delicate liesh pink, spotted 
 with purplish white and carmine. 
 
 Belle Chatelaine. Guerin, i86r. Large bloom, soft pink with 
 sulphur reflex; center carmine. 
 
 Bicolor. Lemon, 1835. Clear flesh color, yellow center, pur- 
 ple anthers. 
 
 Bicolor. Guerin, 1840. Clear flesh color, yellow center, sta- 
 mens bordered purple, white tuft. Vigorous plant; fine flower. 
 Fine in the west. Very satisfactory. 
 
 Boule de Neige. Calot, 1867. White, tinged yellow; center 
 bordered with carmine. 
 
 Bossuet. Miellez, 1858. Large blooms; brilliant, lively violet. 
 
 Cameron. Crousse, 1879. Very large, imbricated blooms; 
 deep purple red with velvety tints. 
 
 Candidessima. Calot, 1856. Creamy white and clear sulphur 
 yellow. 
 
 Carnea Elegans. Guerin, 1850. Bright, clear, flesh color; 
 perfect shape, glossy reflex. A superb flowe- every other year. 
 
 Carnea Flora Plena. Guerin, 1850. Delicate flesh, carmine 
 center. 
 
 Carnation. Terry, 1890. Solid, light crimson; broad outer 
 petals, inside fringed. Late. Very satisfactor}-. 
 
 Charles Verdier. Unknown. Large, lilac carmine flower; slate 
 color reflex. Vigorous plant. 
 
 Chrysanthemefolia. Guerin, 1852. Ivory white, centeryellow 
 and white, with lemon yellow background. 
 
 Charlemagne. Crousse, 1880. Large, compact, creamy white; 
 center slightly lilac, fading to white. The flower is cup-shaped, 
 liable to be filled with water when it rains, which rots the bloom. 
 Should be covered with muslin while blooming. A splendid, solid 
 flower when perfect, but without extra care it is seldom satisfactory. 
 It is also late and liable to sun scald. 
 
 Comte de Diesbach. Calot, 1873. Purplish blooms, early' and 
 fine. 
 
 Comtesse de Montalivet. Guerin, 1861. Light flesh, changing 
 to pure white, with blood drops in the center; large, fine flower; 
 extremely beautiful. Very satisfactory. 
 
 Comte de Nanteuil. Calot, 1858. Large, full flower; pink 
 salmon tint. 
 
 Comte de Osmont. Calot, 1856. Fine» large, white, with sul- 
 phur center. Very fine. 
 
Peony manual 37 
 
 Constant Devred. Calot, 1868. Bright, glossy purple, with 
 chatoyant, variable reflex. 
 
 Coronation. Kelway, 1900. Large; light pink at the edges, 
 rest creamy flesh of delicate shade. Fairl}^ successful in the west. 
 Rather shy bloomer. 
 
 Couronne de Or. Calot, 1873. A well packed, solid flower; 
 white, with yellow reflection; center petals touched with carmine. 
 Very fine. Scores the five points. 
 
 Crimson Queen. Terry, 1890. Solid, clear, light crimson; 
 finely fringed. Strong plant and choice flower. Very satisfactory. 
 
 Cynthia. Terry, 1898. Charming, light rose, fading to white, 
 reminding one of Agnes Mary Kelway, which it surpasses in beauty 
 and vigor, as grown in Nebraska. A flower with a future. 
 
 De Candolle. Crousse, 1880. Bright currant amaranth; ad- 
 mirable variety. 
 
 De Candolle. Verdier, i860. Deep lilac. 
 
 Delachei. Delache, 1856. Rather late; deep purple crimson, 
 one of the finest of dark ones. 
 
 Defiance. Terry, 1890. Immense; semi-double; bright crim- 
 son; tall and fine; golden stamens. 
 
 Delicatissima. Holland list. By some considered identical 
 with Floral Treasure. This is a mistake. Delicatissima has been 
 grown many years. Floral Treasure is of recent introduction by 
 Rosenfield. He never had a Delicatissima on his place, never heard 
 of that variety till years after the introduction of Floral Treasure. 
 They may bear some resemblance, but they are not identical. Plant 
 them side by side and note the difference. Delicatissima is de- 
 scribed as soft rose. 
 
 Dorchester. Richardson, 1870. Light, clear pink; creamy 
 center; sweet-scented; perfectly double. This was sent to Eng- 
 land, where it sells at a high price. 
 
 Due de Wellington. Calot, 1859. Described by Ward: Very 
 large, well-formed, sulphur white bloom; habit ideal; stems very 
 firm and long; strong grower; very fragrant. The genuine are 
 scarce. Several varieties are sold under this name. 
 
 Due Decazes. Holland list. Carmine rose, sulphur center. 
 
 Duchesse de Nemours. Calot, 1856. Fine, cup-shape bloom, 
 sulphur white with greenish reflex; long, firm stems; stronggrower, 
 and very fragrant. In great demand. 
 
 Duchesse de Nemours. Guerin, 1840. Bright, clear, viola- 
 ceous pink, with lilac tints in the center. Very large bloom. Very 
 fragrant. One of the earliest to flower. Fine keeper and shipper. 
 Usually on hand for Decoration Day. It is generally claimed that 
 this and L'Esperence, of Paillet, are identical. 
 
 Duchesse d' Orleans. Guerin, 1846. Very pretty, deep pink, 
 with violaceous tints on center petals interspersed with salmon. 
 
 Duke of Devonshire Kelway. Large, deep red; one of the 
 finest. Very brilliant and striking. 
 
 Edouard Andre. Mechin, 1874. Large, globular bloom, deep 
 crimson red; metallic reflex, yellow stamens. Very fine. 
 
38 C. $. I)am$on'$ 
 
 Ediilis Superba. Lemon, 1824. Fine, shell pink. Noted for 
 ready cleavage of the roots. A good multiplier. 
 
 Emil Lemoine. Calot, 1866. Symmetrical, purplish red flow- 
 er, with reflex. 
 
 Emilie. Verdier, 1861. Soft lilac center, intermixed with nar- 
 row white petals. 
 
 Emperor Nicholas. Crousse, 1897. Enormous, broad-petaled 
 flower, with tufted center; brilliant chatoyant or changeable ama- 
 ranth, with deep purple reflex. Very brilliant. 
 
 Emperor of Russia. Kelway, 1890. Large, deep purple crim- 
 son. 
 
 Etta. Terry, 1895. Very large, late, fragrant; light flesh, 
 fading to white. One of the best late ones. Plant robust; good, 
 strong stem; very profuse bloomer. 
 
 Etendard du Grand Homme. Miellez, 1855. Superb, violet 
 amaranth. 
 
 Euphemia. Terry, 1890. Very strong grower; large, flesh- 
 colored flower with sprinkling of crimson. 
 
 Excelsior. Terry. Dark crimson, full double, early bloomer. 
 Superior flower. 
 
 Fairy Queen. Terry. Broad outside petals, inside fringed; 
 bright purplish crimson. Early bloomer. 
 
 Faubert. Parmentier, 1850. Deep purplish red. 
 
 Faust. Miellez, 1855. Tender, lilaceous flesh color; clear, 
 chamois center. Extra flne. 
 
 Felix Crousse. Crousse, 1881. Large, anemone, ball-shaped 
 bloom; brilliant red; ruby, flame-colored center. Variet}^ of special 
 merit. 
 
 Festiva. Donkelaer, 1838. An old sort. Fine, white center 
 spotted with red. 
 
 Festiva Maxima. Miellez, 1851. In some respects this is yet 
 a peerless flower — queen of the whites. Though introduced 56 
 years ago it is almost impossible to supply the demand. Someone 
 remarked at the great Boston show of 1906, that if this flower was 
 of a recent introduction it would be readily sold at $5 a root. It 
 stood well to the front with all the new and beautiful candidates for 
 popular favor. It is an immense white flower with drops of carmine 
 sprinkled in the center. It is an earl}^ bloomer and a good keeper, 
 dying gracefully. 
 
 Floral Treasure. Rosenfield. First bloomed in 1890; put on 
 the market in 1900. Flower fine, large pink; very fragrant. Took 
 the prize as best pink at the Chicago show, 1905. It has steadily 
 advanced to the front as one of the best. It is very hardy, bloom- 
 ing profusely after being frozen solid 48 hours, when two feet tall. 
 It is a success both east and west, and is well fitted by its hardiness 
 for Manitoba and the great northwest. Some claim it is identical 
 with Delicatissima. This is absolutel_v imi)Ossible. See descrip- 
 tion of that variety. Plant them side by side, watch them closely 
 and note the difference. Among 2,000 kinds there may be a 
 similaritv, but there will be some variation. 
 
Peony manual 39 
 
 Flambeau. Crousse, 1897. Very floriferous variety, with large, 
 tufted bloom; very broad, cherry petals, with silvery white tips of 
 delicate shading. 
 
 Formosa Alba. Lemon, 1830. An old variety, yet somewhat 
 a favorite. White and sulphur flower. 
 
 Francoise Ortegat. Parmentier, 1850. In some catalogues 
 Francoise Ortegal. An old favorite; purplish crimson, with golden 
 center. Good east and west. 
 
 Fragrans. This does not appear in the French or Holland lists. 
 Described by Kelway as light purple; by Peterson as light rose and 
 one of the first to bloom. By others it is called late rose and red. 
 The name seems to be applied to five or six different sorts. Peter- 
 son's description is probably correct. It is easy to apply this name 
 to an}' fragrant sort. 
 
 Fulgida. Parmentier, 1850. Violaceous purple. Rather early. 
 
 General Bertrand. Guerin, 1846. An old variety, yet popular. 
 Violaceous pink, with salmon center. 
 
 General Cavaignac. Calot, 1858. Bright, lilac pink; shaded 
 deeper pink. 
 
 General Grant. Terry, 1890. Splendid, ^ deep red; large 
 flower; unfortunately with too weak a stem to hold up the great 
 burden. 
 
 Gloire de Chenonceaux. Mechin, 1880. Large, currant red 
 blooms; border of petals silvery white. A late variety. 
 
 Gloire de Charles Gombaiilt. Introduced by A. Dessert, 1896. 
 Large, globular flowers, extra full; deep, fleshy pink collar; center 
 petals narrower; salmoned, clear, fleshy color, shaded apricot, with 
 tuft of broad petals, pink, striped red, multicolor with vivid fresh- 
 ness. There is but little use in naming A. Dessert's newest intro- 
 ductions.. There is such a demand for them but few can obtain 
 them. 
 
 Gloire de Douai. Calot, i860. Purplish, scarlet crimson, with 
 dark reflex. 
 
 Glory of Somerset. Kelway, 1900. Soft, large pink. Shy 
 bloomer in the Vv^est. 
 
 Grandiflora Carnea Plena. Lemon, 1824. An old and very 
 fine variety; blooms are variegated; line keepers. Like Seven Sis- 
 ter roses, they change color, and in the row there will appear to be 
 several kinds. Clear, flesh pink, shaded lilac; free bloomer. Fine 
 as cut flower, excellent for landscape work. 
 
 Golden Harvest. Rosenfield. First bloomed in 1890. Put 
 on the market in 1900. It lacks only a long, strong stem of being 
 one of the very finest. Outer petals pink, inner golden; raised cen- 
 ter, and in the midst when fully developed, a dainty Festiva Maxi- 
 ma in miniature, carmine dots and all. It is one of the very hard- 
 iest and blooms on the least provocation. Favorable reports come 
 from Minnesota, the Dakotas and even Manitoba. Everywhere it 
 is a favorite. When almost ready to bloom, a terrible frost nipped 
 most kinds in the bud and killed some tender sorts. This covered 
 itself with such a gorgeous mantle of bloom you could hardly see 
 
40 C. $. l)arrison*$ 
 
 the ground. It is very floriferous. Sure, annual bloomer. Multi- 
 plies rapidl}' and stands far ahead of most of the imported ones. 
 Some claim this is Jennie d' Arc. They are entirely distinct, though 
 bearing faint resemblance. 
 
 Golden Wedding. Mrs. Pleas, 19CXD. This is the only purely 
 j-ellow peony we know of. It is not a large flower,; semi-double, 
 and is not a long keeper, but it is solid yellow. 
 
 Walter Morgan, by the same propagator, comes next. It is 
 very nearly pure yellow. These, perhaps, have not so much merit 
 in themselves, though they are fine flowers; but we have great 
 hopes of their progeny. We have raised quite a number of seed- 
 lings from them, and hope for the best of results, as all wish to see 
 a grand, full double, yellow peon3^ These are rare and high, prob- 
 ably not over fifty in existence. 
 
 Grandiflora Nivea Plena. Lemon, 1824, Pure white, some- 
 times with stripes of carmine on center petals. A fine old sort. 
 
 Grandiflora. Richardson. Ver}^ late; immense flesh, fading 
 to White. Grand. 
 
 Grandiflora Rubra. This has no place, yet the name is often 
 used. It does not appear in English, French or Holland cata- 
 logues. It is absolutely identical with Marechal Vaillant, as com- 
 pared in several places, and should always go by that name. Some 
 of the importations probabl}^ lost their names and they were given 
 this by some American grower. 
 
 Grandiflora Rosea. Guerin. 1850. Even, clear pink. Much 
 like Zoe Calot, only larger. Very fine; floriferous, early bloomer. 
 
 Grover Cleveland. Tecumseh. Terry. Very solid, dark red; 
 rather late; splendid keeper. Called by some growers best of all 
 the deep reds. Somewhat variable different years. 
 
 Henri Murger. Crousse, 1895. Large, globular, imbricated 
 flowers, with broad petals; shape and color of Paul Neyron Rose, 
 deeper center. Very fine variety. Late. 
 
 Henri Demay. Calot, 1866, Violaceous purple, with silvery 
 reflex. Superb flower, hardy and floriferous. Fine both east and 
 west. 
 
 Humei. Anderson. Enormous, varnished pink, cinnamon 
 scented. One of the grandest when at its best, somewhat varia- 
 ble different years. Very late. 
 
 Humei Carnea. Guerin, 1856. Clear pink. 
 
 Irma. Calot, 1859. Very soft, fleshy pink. Very satisfactory 
 in the west. 
 
 James Blanc. Crousse, 1883. Mid-season. Medium bloom. 
 Bright china pink; dwarf habit, according to Ward. Fine for land- 
 scape work. 
 
 John Richardson. Richardson. Blush rose; extra fine. 
 
 Jennie d' Arc. Calot, 1858. Soft pink, sulphur white and 
 rose; raised center dashed with carmine. Something like Golden 
 Harvest, but with ranker foliage and not as floriferous. 
 
 Jules Calot. Calot, 1861. Carmined pink, shaded white. 
 
Peony manual 41 
 
 Jules Lebon. Calot, 1866. Late. Bright, deep pink, with 
 bright reflex. 
 
 Jupiter. Calot, 1867. Deep purple. 
 
 Jupiter. Terry, 1890. Large, full double; light rose. Early 
 bloomer. 
 
 Labolas. Kelway. Purple rose; short petals, tipped yellow. 
 
 Lady Alexandra Duff. Kelway's myth. We give place to one 
 of our foremost eastern growers: 
 
 "What I Know About Peony Lady Alexandra Duff. — In 
 the year 1901 I sent to Kelway & Son for hve plants. They flow- 
 ered only imperfectly the following year, but I was afraid on ac- 
 count of these imperfect flowers that they were wrong. I immedi- 
 ately wrote them to send me five more plants in my shipment of 
 that year. The next year, when the first five were two j^ears old, 
 the}^ produced flowers of Festiva Maxima. The second lot flowered 
 well in 1904, and I showed them at the exhibition of the Massachu- 
 setts Horticultural Society in June, and they awarded me a first- 
 class certificate for them. At the rose show of this same society, 
 which followed the peony show in one week, Messrs. T. C. Thur- 
 low & Son showed a peony under that name, which they had im- 
 ported from Kelway & Son, which I had on my grounds under two 
 names — one imported from Kelway & Son in the year 190 1 as Prin- 
 cess of Wales, and another one as James Kelway, later. I also 
 have had the same peony from another grower in America as the 
 James Kelway. At the last peony show William Whitman's gar- 
 dener, of Brookline, Mass., showed a Duchesse de Nemours (Calot) 
 under the name of Lady Alexandra Duff, imported direct from Kel- 
 way & Son. To sum it up, we have first Festiva Maxima; second, 
 Grandiflora Nivea, an old variety of 1825 — for this is the second va- 
 riety which I received and which was awarded the first-class certifi- 
 cate by the Masachusetts Horticultural Society in 1904; third, we 
 have the one sent Thurlow & Son, which I already had as Princess 
 of Wales and James Kelway; fourth, we have the old variety of 
 Duchesse De Nemours (Calot) which was sent to Mr. Whitman. 
 Here are three old varieties re-named and sent out as Lady A. Duff, 
 and two varieties of his own growing. Princess of Wales and James 
 Kelway, also as Lady A. Duff. All this time Kelway & Son are say- 
 ing the stock is nearly exhausted, but for our money they are ship- 
 ping this stuff. I am led to the conclusion that there is no such 
 peony as Lady Alexandra Duff, or Lady A. McDuff, as it was first 
 called. It has been, probably, a re-naming of an old French vari- 
 ety from the very beginning, and when one variety runs short select 
 another and so continue the fraud. E. J. Shaylor, 
 
 Wellesley Hills, Mass. Peony Specialist." 
 
 On the supposition that this was the finest peony on earth, we 
 sent in our money, and on comparing notes at the Boston show, we 
 found that seven different varieties had been sent out under that 
 name. In my own case I got an inferior, little, lO-cent, single one. 
 Mr. Shaylor had booked several orders at $ro per root, my order 
 
42 £. $. l)arri$c»n's 
 
 with the rest, when he found, to his satisfaction, he had no such 
 peony. 
 
 Lady Bramwell. Unknown. Beautiful, early, glossy pink. 
 Very fragrant and tine. 
 
 Lady Beresford. I once ordered two of Kelway, and received 
 one cheap pink and one very inferior single. I have since seen the 
 genuine. It is marked much like La Tulipe, but is not quite equal 
 to it. Fine flesh, streaked with carmine. Not ver}- robust, and 
 seems liable to disease. 
 
 La Coquette. Guerin, 1861. Bright rose; fleshy pink center 
 marked with carmine. A line, robust plant, roots having a fine 
 cleavage. 
 
 L' Avenir. Calot, 1868. Pink, gold and carmine. Fine. 
 
 La Fiancee. Dessert, 1902. Synonym Albiflora. Broad, sin- 
 gle flowers; exceedingly floriferous; wide petals of silky and almost 
 transparent whiteness. 
 
 La Fiancee. Lemoine, 1898. Large blooms, imbricated^ 
 creamy white; yellowish center. 
 
 La France. Lemoine, 1901. Enormous blooms; very full; 
 soft, apple blossom pink, with mauve reflex. 
 
 Lamartine. Calot. i860. This is probably Giganthea. Very 
 large, pink flower. Better east than in the west. 
 
 La Reine. Terry. Delicate rose, changing to white; straw- 
 colored center, sometimes tipped with crimson. 
 
 La Sublime. Parmentier, 1850. This has been extensively 
 sold under the name of La Sublisse.^ It is a very fine, floriferous 
 crimson. In good demand. 
 
 La Tulipe. Calot, 1873. This is one of the finest. First, a 
 ball interlaced with green, red and light; finally it opens, a globe of 
 softest blush, v/ith streaks of carmine. A glorious flower. It seems 
 to sit in a chalice of veined marble, emitting a delightful fragrance. 
 Gradually it fades to purest white, looking something like Festiva 
 Maxima, and like that, holds the freshness of its beauty till the pet- 
 als fall. A splendid keeper. 
 
 L' Esperence. There is much discussion regarding this variety. 
 One, perhaps the proper one, was sent out by Calot, 1865. This is 
 called white, washed with soft pink. The one which has been raised 
 under that name, sent out by Paillet and raised in large quantities 
 by western growers, is a clear, beautiful, fragrant pink. The earli- 
 est of all the Chinensis family; in its full glory in most of the north- 
 ern states for Decoration Day. Ward thinks it is Duchesse de 
 Nemours (Guerin), bat it does not at all correspond with the de- 
 scription, "clear violet, lilac center." I think we will have to let it 
 go as it is. One of the finest and within the reach of all. Oneofthe 
 most profitable and satisfactory for cut flowers, on account of its 
 earliness and rare beauty as well as sure blooming propensities. It 
 also seems very hardy in the far north. A favorite everywhere. 
 
 Livingstone. Crousse, 1879. Very full bloom, imbricated; 
 pretty, soft pink, washed white. Good bloomer; extra fine. One 
 of Peterson's favorites and with good reason. 
 
Peony manual 43 
 
 Louis Van Houtte. There are three bearing this name; one 
 by Delache, 1854, even, bright, violaceous red; one by Parmentier, 
 1850, soft pink, deeper center. The one generally grown is prob- 
 abh' from Calot, 1867. Rich color, glaring purplish pink. Very 
 satisfactory. 
 
 La Vestale. Calot, 1870. Pure white with yellow streaks in 
 the center. 
 
 L' Elegante. Guerin, 1857. Bright rose. 
 
 L' Emperor. Foulard, 1858. Crimson. 
 
 Lilaceana Superba. Buyck, 1842. Even lilac color. 
 
 Lutea Plenissima. Buyck, 1842. Even, sulphur yellow, chang- 
 ing to clear yellow. We have never seen this. 
 
 Marie. Calot, 1868. White, with chamois tints. 
 
 Marie Crousse. Crousse, 1892. Enormous, globular flower; 
 soft flesh color, with salmon reflex in the center, with shade of ex- 
 quisite freshness. 
 
 Madona. Calot, 1858. Flesh colored, with shading of pink and 
 sulphur, ultimately white. 
 
 • Marcelle Dessert. Dessert, 1899. Large bloom of symmetrical 
 form, rounded petals: fine, glossy, creamy white, ver}' lightl}' spot- 
 ted lilac; with the delicate fragrance of the tea rose. A flower of 
 remarkable beauty and delicac}'. It is trying to read the descrip- 
 tions of these new creations and then find there are not enough for 
 the demand and we cannot secure them at an}' price. 
 
 Marechal \'aillant. Calot, 1867. Immense, purple violaceous 
 red; late and grand. This has been sold for j-ears under the name 
 of Grandiflora Rubra, which name should be discarded. 
 
 Marguerite Gerard. Crousse, 1892. Very large bloom with 
 broad petals, flat shape; delicate pink, changing to soft flesh}' white; 
 creamy center; very showy. Fine east and west. 
 
 Marie Lemoine. Calot, 1869. Very large bloom, sulphur white, 
 shaded pink; strong stems; very late. This is a very popular vari- 
 ety and in great demand, yet it has its defects. The flower, like 
 Charlemagne, is cup-shaped, which catches the rain, and is liable 
 to rot; and in the west it is liable to sun-scald, being so late. Should 
 be protected from heat and rain. Three kinds have been sent out 
 under this name. The early, ivory white, really the Achille; very 
 early. The next, sent out by Paillet, medium, a large, broad-faced, 
 pinkish white, changing to pure white. This late one of Calot is 
 probably the genuine one, as no.other sort appears on the Dessert 
 or Holland list. 
 
 Marie Stewart. Calot, 1856. Bright, fleshy rose and sulphur 
 white. 
 
 Mme. Breon. Guerin, 1856. An old and popular variety. 
 Flesh color, with white center, with a yellowish tinge. 
 
 Mme. Boulanger. Crousse, 1886. Very full, large bloom, 
 shape of centifolia rose, with the same fragrance; pretty, soft, 
 glossy pink, shaded lilac; silvery flesh border. Very fine. 
 
 Mme Calot. Miellez, 1856. Pinkish white, flesh-colored 
 shading. 
 
44 C. $. l)arrl$on'$ 
 
 Mme. Camille Bancel. Crousse, 1897. Large, globular flow- 
 ers, lilac pink, fine, fresh and glossy, with bright reflex, shaded 
 salmon. 
 
 Mme. Chaumy. Calot, 1864. Globular; soft pink, much like 
 Lady Bramwell, only larger and later. This is one of great beauty; 
 a good keeper, but some seasons in the west it needs shading from 
 the hot sun. 
 
 Mme. Geissler. Crousse, 1880. Gigantic bloom, imbricated, 
 glossy, silvery pink; base of petals of a light Bengal rose color. 
 Seems to do well everywhere. 
 
 Mme. Ducel. Mechin, 1880. Ward says this is the kind we 
 have been raising in the west, under the name of Model d' Perfec- 
 tion. Mid-season, perfectly formed, bomb-shaped bloom, solid cen- 
 ter, with a sort of frill of outside petals; color, bright, silvery pink, 
 with salmon and silvery reflex. Splendid for cut flowers. Rather 
 dwarfish in habit. 
 
 Mme. Barillet Deschamps. Calot, 1868. Very tender pink, 
 bordered white, shaded with lively silver tints. All right in the 
 west. 
 
 Mme. Emile Galle. Crousse, 1881. Large, cup-shaped, im- 
 bricated flower; soft, lilac white; center yellowish, changing to 
 creamy shade, bordered lilac. 
 
 Mme. Emile Lemoine. Lemoine, 1899. Very full bloom, im- 
 bricated, tufted; very tender, pinkish white. This flower, exhibited 
 by J. E. Shaylor at the Boston show of 1906, won the admiration 
 of all for its resplendent beauty. This is yet rare and costly. Very 
 healthy and robust on Mr. Shaylor's grounds. It was very fortu- 
 nate to escape the Lemoine grounds without that disease, spoken 
 spoken of elsewhere. This is high priced, deservedl}^ so. 
 
 Madame Lebon. Calot, 1888. Bright cherry pink, with sil- 
 very reflex. 
 
 Mme. d' Verneville. Crousse, 1885. Very full bloom, sulphur 
 white, broad guard petals. Very beautiful, belonging to the front 
 rank. Considered by Terry one of the very best. 
 
 Mme. Schmidt. Calot, 1873. Soft pink, symmetrical form. 
 Very late. 
 
 Milton Hill. Richardson, 1891. One of the most exquisitely 
 beautiful peonies in Europe or America. Flowers large, ethereal, 
 clear, soft pink; central petals set like a rose, perfectly double. 
 One looking at this resplendent bloom realizes we need not go to 
 Europe for the best. Unfortunately it is not a prolific multiplier. 
 
 Morning Star. Terry. A star in miniature. Early bloomer, 
 color white and straw, with delicate rays radiating from the center. 
 
 Modeste Guerin. Guerin, 1845. Though an old variety it is 
 3^et difficult to supply the demand. Bright carmine, with purple 
 center; fragrant and fine. Medium. 
 
 Mt. Blanc. Lemoine, 1899. Very full blooms, white, with 
 creamy center. Very nearly, if not quite, identical with Solfatare, 
 Calot, 1 86 1. Probabl}' a coincidence, as the}' were born forty years 
 apart. 
 
Peony manual 45 
 
 Mons. Barrall. Calot, 1866. Symmetrical, soft pink, one of 
 the first class. 
 
 Modele de Perfection. Crousse, 1875. Enormous cup-shaped 
 bloom, very fresh pink; marbled, bright rose, with silvery border, 
 center intermingled with salmon; extra fine. As noted before, the 
 bomb-shaped pink sold under this name was Mme. Ducel ( Mechin, 
 1880). 
 
 Monsieur Dupont. Calot, 1872. Sulphur white, bordered 
 with lively carmine at the center. Robust and lioriferous. 
 
 Mons. Jules Elie. Crousse 1888. Immense, globular, full 
 flower, imbricated rosiform; broad petals of finest, glossy, fresh 
 pink, deeper tint at base of the petals, silvery reflex enveloping the 
 whole bloom. Really a perfection. Unfortunately some importa- 
 tions of this glorious flower have the fungoid disease. 
 
 Mons. Paillet. Guerin, 1S57. Light rose, fading white. 
 
 Mons. Rousalon. Guerin, 1856. Lilac pink, deep salmoned, 
 chamoised center, lilac pink tuft, bordered with carmine. 
 
 Mutabilis. Guerin, 1840. Bright, violaceous pink, intermingled 
 with salmon shade. 
 
 Nee Plus Ultra. Guerin, 1844. Fine, bright rose. Used to be 
 Ne Plus Ultra. We know not wh}- changed. 
 
 Noblessima. Miellez, 1858. Very fine, deep pink rose; a 
 choice variety. Very satisfactory west. 
 
 Nigra. Terry, 1900. Very dark crimson, full double, late 
 bloomer. 
 
 Neptune. Terry. Purplish rose with white stripes. Early 
 bloomer. 
 
 Odorata. Lemon, 1830. Yellowish white, with purplish stig- 
 mas. Shy bloomer. 
 
 Paganini. Guerin, 1845. An old variety not much dissemi- 
 nated. Late mid-season. Immense blooms on long stems; guards 
 livel}' rose; center pinkish white and yellow. Strong grower. Very 
 striking tricolored variety. 
 
 Pottsii. Unknown. An early, popular, old sort, somewhat 
 variable; some years semi-double and again full double. Splendid, 
 deep purple blooms. 
 
 Portia. Kelway. Large, full-orbed flower, yellowish, fading 
 to pure white. This is the most sensitive to heat and drought of 
 any on our list. Tops and roots wilt badly in a hot, dry season. 
 
 Plutarch. Unknown. Varnished crimson. Extra. 
 
 Princess Beatrice. Kelway. Pink guard petals, yellow and 
 pink short petals, raised in the center. 
 
 Princess Ellen. Terry. Flesh color, fading to white; a beau- 
 tiful, robust flower, reminding one of M. Paillet. Very desirable. 
 
 Prince of Wales. Terry. Purple, edged white, fading lighter. 
 In a collection of 100, this stood well at the front. Very vigorous. 
 
 Pulcherrima. Guerin, 1842. Violaceous pink; center pink 
 and salmon. 
 
 Pomponia. Unknown. Very large, robust plant, with fine, 
 large, pinkish white bloom. 
 
46 €. $. l)arrl$oii*$ 
 
 Prince Imperial. Calot, 1859. Late mid-season. Very strong 
 stem, surmounted by brilliant, purplish scarlet bloom. Fine for 
 cut liowers and very effective in outside ornamentation. Should be 
 in every collection. 
 
 Queen Victoria. English Horticultural Society, 1830. This is 
 a very old sort; a fine white; an excellent keeper. Synonym 
 "Whittleyi. 
 
 Queen Victoria. Kelway. Seems to differ somewhat from the 
 above. 
 
 Queen Victoria. Raised by Terry forty years; received from 
 Prince. Is deep pink, straw center; very large flower. We have 
 the three sorts to test and compare. 
 
 Reevesii. Unknown. Soft, shady pink. Very fine. 
 
 Reine Victoria. Guerin, 1845. Clear liesh color; center pen- 
 ciled yellow. 
 
 Richardson's Perfection. Richardson, 1869. Flowers medium 
 size, light blush pink, lighter in the center. It is rather late, and 
 in the west needs shading from the burning sun. 
 
 Richardson's Rubra Superba. Richardson, 1871. This, like 
 his Grandiflora, brings up the rear of the flowering season. This 
 is considered one of the best of all the crimsons. In cold storage it 
 is kept a long time. At the Boston show in 1906 fifty blooms were 
 brought from Ohio. They were a long time on the way and were 
 somewhat wilted, but they revived and took the prize. When we 
 can produce such flowers ourselves, we need not depend on Europe. 
 
 Rubens. Delache, 1854. Deep, brilliant red. 
 
 Rubra Triumphans. Guerin, 1840. Very early, bright pur- 
 plish crimson. Often blooms single the first year. 
 
 Samuel Henshaw. Richardson, 187 1. Named by Jackson. 
 Outer petals clear rose pink, tinged with white; inner petals pink 
 and white, intermingled; very large and of wonderful vigor. Stem 
 nearly as large as a lady's finger, supporting the grand flower in 
 storms and wind. 
 
 Sada Evans. Terry. Fine, large flower, outer petals broad, 
 light pink, inside fringed; straw-colored, the whole fading to pure 
 white. 
 
 Sarah Bernhardt. Dessert, 1895. Large blooms, guard petals 
 of pretty pink; salmoned center. One of the first to bloom. Has 
 a very fine bud and is much prized by florists. One of the fine, 
 new, French sorts, yet rare and high priced. 
 
 Shabona. Harrison, 1890. When at its best, nearly four feet 
 tall, overlooking the whole field of 400 varieties. Makes a very im- 
 posing appearance. Flowers, bright, deep red; good keepers. Re- 
 quires three or four years to come to its best. 
 
 Souvenir de L' E.xposition Universalle. Calot, 1867. Clear 
 cherr\-, with reflex. Very rare coloring. 
 
 Sunbeam. Harrison, 1899. Delicate, silvery, glistening white. 
 Ethereally beautiful. Fine form. Rather late. 
 
 Sulphurea. Lemon, 1830. White, shaded sulphur. 
 
Peony manual 47 
 
 Triumph d' Nord. Miellez, 1850. Evenly colored violaceous 
 pink. 
 
 Triumph d' Paris. Guerin, 1850. White, yellowish center, 
 spotted purple. 
 
 Triumph de L' Exposition de Lille. Calot, 1865. Soft, fleshy 
 pink, with white reflex. 
 
 The Amazon. Pleas, 1900. Pinkish flower of immense size; 
 very robust and floriferous; not first-class, yet on account of its pro- 
 lific blooming, vigor and hardiness, it is well adapted to the tr\'ing 
 climate of the west and northwest. 
 
 The Nymph. Harrison, 1901. This has a pond lily fragrance. 
 First it opens a single flower, with delicate white petals; in the 
 center are incurved white petals sprinkled with carmine. In a few 
 days these unfold, making a second story flower sitting in the lap 
 of the first, surrounded b}' golden stamens. This is a very unique 
 flower. It takes about a week to make its toilet. 
 
 The Bride. Terry. Outer petals baby flesh, inside straw col- 
 ored; fades to white. A charming flower. 
 
 Tricolor Grandiflora. Buyck, 1843. Pink color, intermingled 
 cream, salmon and pink. 
 
 Venus. Terry. Pale flesh, changing to white; large, full 
 double and late. 
 
 Victor. Terry. Full double; crimson, variable in color in dif- 
 ferent seasons. Early bloomer. Very fine. 
 
 Victoria Tricolor. Van Houtte. Pink, sulphur and flesh; 
 rather early, abundant bloomer. First year often single, growing 
 larger and fuller as it grows older. 
 
 Victoria Modesta. Guerin, 1842. Violaceous pink guard pet- 
 als; center salmon color. Rather coarse, its chief charm being its 
 fine fragrance. 
 
 Victor Lemoine. Calot, 1866. Deep purplish carmine. 
 
 Villede Nancy. Calot, 1872. Pronounced by a leading New 
 England grower as by far the finest of its class. Globular, viola- 
 ceous, brilliant purple. A splendor when in full bloom. 
 
 Virgo Maria. Calot, 1859. Medium sized flower, ivory white. 
 
 Zoe Calot. Miellez, 1855. Soft pink, even color. Something 
 like genuine Grandiflora Rosea. 
 
 Kepicw 
 
 A careful study of all the lists shows that France is far ahead of 
 all others in originating new kinds. Some date back farther than 
 we had supposed. Formosa (Lemoine, 1824). Formosa Alba 
 bears the date of 1830, while many of the old favorites date back to 
 the 40's. We note an improvement in the varieties as we come 
 down to the present, and regret that the limitations of propagation 
 keep many of them out of our reach. The descriptions are not full 
 enough; sometimes only two or three words are used. Gordoni is 
 light pink, which would fit fifty sorts. In some cases we have add- 
 
48 C. $. I)arrlson'$ 
 
 ed more elaborate descriptions, and we are sure we have thrown 
 some Hght on many varieties. It will be a Herculean task to clas- 
 sify and describe them all. 
 
 Single Peonies 
 
 These are beautiful in buds, when in masses. They are not so 
 desirable as cut flowers. At night, and in cloudy and stormy 
 weather, they fold their petals over the stamens with a sort of 
 motherly tenderness. The}^ are much earlier than other sorts and 
 are generally on time for Decoration Day. For this reason they 
 seem to be growing in favor. In producing new varieties, quite a 
 large proportion come single, and these are often thrown away. 
 Yet there will be some of rare beauty, and in our own experience 
 we find many single and semi-double, for which there is a growing: 
 call, so much so that it is difficult to keep a supply. 
 
 names of Some Single On<$ 
 
 Adana. Pink and flesh, early and large. 
 
 Arios. Bright pink, semi-double. 
 
 Defiance. Terry. Bright crimson, tall and fine. 
 
 Full Moon. Harrison. Very striking. Large, crimson; strong 
 outer petals and a full moon of golden stamens. When at its best, 
 it is a jolly looking flower. Perfect every other year. 
 
 Wild Rose. Pleas. Fine, open-faced crimson flower, with 
 beautiful golden cushion. 
 
 May Davidson. Harrison. Is very large, pink, striped with 
 silver. 
 
 Pottsiana. Terry. Seedling of Pottsii'. Fine crimson. 
 
 Mrs. Terry. Terry. Lilac crimson, fine flower, very florifer- 
 ous. 
 
 Saul. Rosenfield. Very tall stem, very large, pinkish flower. 
 So named for its superior height. 
 
 The Queen. Terry, 1880. Snow white; very large and fine, 
 early and fragrant. 
 
 Japanese Peonies 
 
 These are rather disappointing. We keep about thirty kinds, 
 but they are not satisfactory. Their names are yet a jumble of con- 
 fusion. They bear no comparison with the Chinensis. Their chief 
 merit is their readiness to cross with others, and this union gives us 
 some of rare and unique beauty, as we saw in Mr. Hollis' display at 
 the great Boston show, and also on the grounds of others. 
 
Peony South Weymouth. — Mollis 
 
( 
 
 Mme Calot 
 
 I 
 
 J 
 
Peony manual 49 
 
 NAMES OF SOME. 
 
 Apollo. Deep pink, shading lighter toward the edges. 
 
 Diana. Blush, with creamy white center. 
 
 Exquisite. White, with yellow stamens. 
 
 Fabiola. Delicate blush. 
 
 Neptune. A line shell pink. 
 
 Ophir. Dark carmine. 
 
 Saturn. Rosy pink, with yellow stamens. 
 
 Souvenir. Flesh pink; creamy white center. 
 
 Titian. Soft, delicate pink. 
 
 Vesta. Purplish red. 
 
 Topaz. Deep rose, shading lighter at the margin. 
 
 Undine. Bright pink, with darker shading. 
 
 Officinalis 
 
 These are the "pinys" of our grandmothers, rather coarse, and 
 with a rank odor. 
 
 Rubra. Early, deep crimson. 
 
 Rosea. Purplish rose. 
 
 Rosea Superba. The earliest, pure pink. 
 
 Alba (mutabilis). White. This family are earlier than the 
 Chinensis. 
 
 Cenuifolia or Tern-Ccai^ed 
 
 These are single and double, the earliest of all to bloom. Some- 
 times out- the fifth of May in Nebraska. 
 
 Cbe niouttin or Crcc Peony 
 
 Does remarkabl}^ well in England and in our Atlantic States. It 
 blooms grandly and grows to be quite a bush. I have grown them 
 in Nebraska for more than fifteen years, and find them very shy 
 bloomers. They will grow and increase all right, but I think the 
 buds are sensitive to our trying climate. It is possible these will do 
 well where the herbaceous ones are not satisfactory. I think, as 
 you go south into the Gulf states, especially into the sandy soils, 
 the Chinensis will not be satisfactory, and perhaps those regions 
 will be just the place for the Moutan. 
 
 They can be used successfully for forcing, and I think this would 
 be feasible. The trouble with those grown out doors is supposed 
 to be the severe spring frosts. This difficulty would be obviated by 
 bringing them into the green house. In those sections where 3'ou 
 can depend on them, the blossoms are of resplendent beaut}', some 
 of the newer sorts almost as large as a dinner plate. 
 
 They are usually propagated by putting a slip into the fleshy 
 root of the herbaceous kinds. It will use this for a time and then 
 
50 €. $. garrison's 
 
 discard it for its own. The stools can be readily separated, and if 
 you wish to increase faster, graft the tops on their own roots much 
 as the nurseryman does his young apple trees, using the lip or sphce 
 graft. Care must be taken, however, to let them knit well before 
 planting out. But if you have patience you can wait for the root 
 division. 
 
 VARIETIES. 
 
 Abokin. Bright scarlet. 
 
 Akashi-jishi. Blush-white, shading deeper center. 
 
 Daikagura. Carmine, shading to rose at edges. 
 
 Fuji-no-mone. Pure white. 
 
 Kakubanryn. Creamy white. 
 
 Iwato-kagami. Fine pink. 
 
 Kamadafuji. Soft pink. 
 
 Nishikishima. Bright, soft pink, blush margin. 
 
 Ruriban. Dark purple. 
 
 Shokikagura. Satiny-rose, shading to white on edges. 
 
 Shiro-kagura. White, suffused with pink. 
 
 Yoyo-no-nomare. Soft rose, the base of petals mottled. 
 
 A gentleman in Nebraska has remarkable success with raising 
 iiowers from these every year. He sets a barrel over the plant in 
 the early winter, and tills it with leaves, and is in no hurry to re- 
 move the protection in the spring. The flowers were a surprise to 
 his neighbors and he was offered three dollars a root for all he had. 
 Perhaps if we took time to care for the sensitive sorts, and this va- 
 riety also, we would be well rewarded for our pains. But among 
 perennials we naturally expect plants will be robust enough to take 
 care of themselves. 
 
 I 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Cl)c Tlvc Feints cf excellence 
 
 A first-class peony should be: First, symmetrical and beauti- 
 ful in form; second, fragrant; third, a good keeper as a flower; 
 fourth, a prolific and ready bloomer; fifth, the plant, to be profit- 
 able, must be vigorous, and propagate readily. We have many 
 that score well on all these points. 
 
 mission of tbe Cops 
 
 It is a wise provision of Nature that the tops should fall down 
 and shelter the roots and buds in winter. The}' make a good cov- 
 ering in the absence of other mulching. If they grow in the open 
 the snow naturally drifts in, detained by the fallen tops, and so you 
 
Peony manual 51 
 
 have? a snow bank for additional protection, and also spring irriga- 
 tion when the snow thaws. Yet in a visit to one of the finest Oma- 
 ha cemeteries I found they mowed off the tops, to have the surface 
 uniform, and to prevent the snow drifts, and the plants were bloom- 
 ing beautifully. This might do in our present cycle of wet seasons, 
 but when years of censecutive drouth return, it would be better to 
 leave the tops. 
 
 Peonies ana Insects 
 
 It is said truly that these plants have the fewest insect enemies 
 and diseases of any of our flowers. Yet complaints sometimes come 
 in regarding ants. These often cover the bud, and sometimes, it is 
 said, injure the flower. What is the reason for this.'' I once forced 
 some peonies, and had a chance to watch them closel}'. I found 
 the buds exuded small drops of purest honey. Tasting it, I could 
 not tell the difference between it and the genuine article. After 
 that I noted that ants and bees and all sweet-loving insects were 
 very bus}' in blooming time. Perhaps it is not generally known that 
 a field of peonies is one of the finest of all bee pastures, and for 
 weeks the air is filled with the hum and buzz of honey gatherers. 
 This honey is what the ants are after. They are in evidence mostly 
 before the buds open. Sometimes they invade the flower for the 
 nectar hidden there. The bee is busy then mixing the pollen, so 
 that we can have a larger variety. One remedy is to have more 
 flowers, so the insects will not concentrate on the lonely few. Those 
 who grow them in quantities are never troubled. Another remedy 
 is to put an old saucer at the base of your plant, with syrup mixed 
 with a solution of arsenic. But as this is hardly fair for the bees, 
 you had better try the first remedy. 
 
 Perhaps in time people will learn to plant in masses. Have a 
 few choice ones, and then you can always get cheap. ones that will 
 flower, too, for $6 to $io per hundred. Flowers need company. 
 They are social things. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Tn Plan ing 
 
 Avoid low, wet and undrained ground or any place on which water 
 will settle. A gentleman in Minnesota secured a fine lot of Mme. 
 d' Verneville, of which he was proud. Though the ground was 
 high, there happened to be a depression where these were planted. 
 Water settled on them from a thaw, ice formed over them and the}' 
 were all killed. At Brandon, Manitoba, the river rose and covered 
 the peony bed a few days, and it killed them. One mild winter in 
 Nebraska a grower had some on low ground, and while the ground 
 was not frozen, snow drifted on them, and in the spring they were 
 dead. Use a little precaution, and you are all right. 
 
52 • C. $. l)arri$on'$ 
 
 UIDat to Plant lUitl) Peonies 
 
 After blooming, the plants have little more to do, except to at- 
 tend to the root growth, and yet you want something on the ground. 
 You can have j-our rows wide enough apart so as to plant other 
 things between them. Between the two back rows delphiniums 
 would answer, then lilies, then phlo.xes. 
 
 Protection from the Sun 
 
 France is rather a warm country for the peony, and it is nec- 
 essary to protect some varieties. Cup-shaped flowers, like 
 Charlemagne, of which there are quite a number, need some shelter 
 from the heavy rains which rot the buds. Then such sorts as Per- 
 fection, Marie Lemoine and Granditiora, would be much better if 
 protected from the burning sun and hot south winds. It would be 
 well to plant these sorts together and shield them en masse. 
 
 Tmportina 
 
 If you have a strong set of nerves and a disposition that nothing 
 can ruffle you can try it. Order from the average Holland dealer, 
 wait two years for the result, and then invoice your feelings. If you 
 have nerves of steel and want to be gulled, place an order with Kel- 
 way & Son, and see them hide behind the ocean and smile. If you 
 want to be dead sure of the genuine, send to the best propagator in 
 Europe and have almost every root crippled with that dread dis- 
 ease so they will look like a poor hand terribly distorted by rheu- 
 matism in every joint. We have quit. 
 
 Co Elcndtben the Season of Bloomtnd 
 
 Without any special effort we have cut flowers the 5th of May 
 and the 5th of July the same year. Try forcing for early ones, then 
 raising under cloth for the next, then your earliest in the open will 
 come on, then the medium and the late. If you want them very 
 late, take good, strong clumps, put them in cold storage and plant 
 the first of July, and by using cold storage 3'ou can have them 
 through August. 
 
 If you have a row of only one kind you can stretch the time of 
 blooming considerably. Begin at the end nearest the house and 
 put a lot of hay on the first three clumps before the ground freezes. 
 Now wait till the earth is frozen the hardest and put some coarse 
 manure on the row, very light at first, then increase in depth until 
 you reach the end of the row. There you pile it on two feet deep. 
 Now see how it will work. In the spring take off the hay you put 
 on before the ground was frozen. Take a long box, long enough to 
 cover those first three clumps; knock off the bottom and put on 
 
Peony manual 53 
 
 cloth; put it on those first ones and bank up, so the air will not get 
 under. The next will have but little mulching. You can take all 
 off of a few of the next. Leave it on all the rest, and you will have 
 a long succession. Remember 3'ou are not to move the mulching 
 on the row. At the further end it is two feet deep; that holds the 
 frost and retards the growth. You will be astonished at the suc- 
 cession of blooms. 
 
 Peonies in tbe South 
 
 While they do very well in the middle south, in Georgia and 
 Tennessee, they do not seem to be so successful in the gulf states. 
 We understand they do not do well in California, the land of flow- 
 ers. They do better in the north. California and the south are 
 flower lands. You do not find so many in the north. For this 
 reason they may well be welcomed. 
 
 A writer in Florists' Exchange asks if it is practical to grow 
 peonies in the south, and P. J. Berckmans, of Georgia, gives his ex- 
 perience for the central southern states: 
 
 "We have found from past experience that peonies, to succeed 
 well, should be planted in the south as early after the middle of 
 October as practicable. Plants set out later than February seldom 
 give as good results as those which are planted earlier. The best 
 soil is one that is deep and loamy. It is best to prepare the soil of 
 the bed by trenching, and mix in a liberal supply of decomposed cow 
 manure. Some varieties give larger and more flowers when plant- 
 ed on the northwest side of a building, wh,ere they have partial 
 shade, although many varieties give excellent results in open sun. 
 The main thing is to keep the plants abundanth' supplied with 
 water during the blooming period. After a killing frost the bed 
 should be top dressed with decomposed stable manure and, in 
 planting, set the crowns from three to four inches below the sur- 
 face and remove all roots that might be injured. All that is re- 
 quired for after-cultivation is to keep the beds free from weeds and 
 give them a fall dressing of manure. The varieties that have given 
 the best results with us are as follows: Queen Emma, Pulcher- 
 rima, Agida, Argus, Andre Lauries, Buckii, Duke of Wellington, 
 Eclatante, Elegantissima, Festiva Maxima, Marie Lemoine, Miran- 
 da, Psyche, Purpurea, Queen Victoria, Rubra Triumphans, Victor 
 Moorish and the varieties of the officinalis class for early blooming. 
 
 P. J. Berckmans." 
 
 Heeping Uarieties Separate and Unmixed 
 
 Where one has four or five hundred kinds this is a difficult mat- 
 ter. Some use almost any kind of a stake, with name carefully 
 written on a painted label, which is wired on the stake. We use 
 pine stakes sawed from inch boards. These are one and a half 
 inches wide and two feet long, painted zinc white, and that is much 
 more durable than lead, which has a tendency to chalk off. The 
 
54 C. $. Rarrlson's 
 
 name should be written very distinctly. Then take a light brush 
 and spread a little boiled oil over it, for an ordinary marking can last 
 only a year or so, when it becomes dim, or the weather wears it off 
 entirely. The greatest care is needed. Sometimes an admiring 
 friend comes along and pulls up a stake to read the name and 
 sets it down wrong side to, and so gets things badly mixed. 
 \V. A. Peterson, of Chicago, has a good system. He is discarding 
 many common sorts and paying attention to the best varieties. 
 Everything is carefully marked in the held, and then the whole 
 planting is platted. Each variety is set down, and the exact dis- 
 tance from one stake to another is noted, so if the stakes should be 
 moved, maliciously or otherwise, there would be an exact record. 
 In some localities there is a strange mixture, half devil and half 
 man, which makes a vicious combination. Often a boy or man 
 thus constituted will deem it a great joke to pull stakes and throw 
 them away, or change the stakes. By careful platting such ma- 
 liciousness is thwarted. Then in blooming time the plants should 
 be carefully watched and the strays or rogues staked, so as to be re- 
 moved in the fall. There is usually such a variety and diversity in 
 form and foliage that one can detect any strays which might creep 
 in from the leaves alone. For instance, Festiva Maxima has very 
 large leaves and is of a robust habit, while Granditlora Carnea 
 Plena is a dwarf, with finer foliage, and one can detect a stray of 
 either kind in a moment. The best way is to keep a patch of 
 ground entirely to one variet}'; carefully watch foliage and bloom 
 and be sure of 3-our stock. 
 
 Should there, by any possibility, be a mistake, the dealer of 
 course feels in duty bound to rectify it as soon as possible. We 
 once bought lOO Pottsii Alba of a leading eastern party. They 
 proved to be of an altogether different sort, and not worth one- 
 fourth as much as the kind ordered. It was a great disappoint- 
 ment, for Pottsii Alba is among the best. We wrote to the dealer, 
 telling him of the loss of two years' growth and the disappointment, 
 at the same time telling him of the uncertainty and unreliability of 
 most importations and that we knew he sold in good faith, but if he 
 would send fifty of the kind ordered we would call it square. He 
 wrote that he had instructed his agent in Europe to visit a firm he 
 could rely upon, and if possible he would secure the genuine, which 
 he did, sending on the fifty in due season. 
 
 The fact is, there is such a call for these plants they cannot be 
 supplied at home, so dealers send abroad. Now the rare kinds are 
 very high, and so dealers and growers will often put the name of a 
 high priced one on a poor sort and send it on. And as it takes two 
 or three years to test them, endless confusion arises. The import- 
 er, thinking them true to name, sells them, and finds, to his dismay, 
 that they have been cheated all around. President Ward, in his 
 address before the society at Boston, gives a most graphic account 
 of the disappointments and vexations of the importer. 
 
 J 
 
Peony manual 55 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 extract from Jiaarcss of President Ulard at tbc national Peony $bow, 
 
 at Boston, 1906 
 
 ' 'The necessity of continuing everlastingly at the task of straight- 
 ening out the nomenclature of the peony has been most emphatic- 
 ally impressed upon me by my experience in purchasing peonies 
 from both foreign and American growers during the last three years. 
 
 'In my last annual address I referred to the variety purchased 
 under the name of Henry Murger, wherein I received two absolutely 
 distinct peonies under this name from the same firm at different pe- 
 riods. This spring the attempt to determine whether the names at- 
 tached to the various varieties growing in our peon}^ test plot were 
 the true names, developed a state of affairs which has caused me 
 not a little chagrin, and I find that I have the same peony in many 
 instances under several names. 
 
 "Some two 3'ears ago I purchased from one of the most reliable 
 firms in Holland quite a quantity of a peony under the name of 
 Mons. Charles Leveque, paying therefor an exceptionally large price, 
 under the impression and representation that I was getting some- 
 thing especially good. The plants are blooming for the first time 
 this season and prove to be nothing less than the variety sold by 
 French growers under the name of Mile. Leonie Calot, introduced 
 by Calot in 1861. We have been purchasing this variety from the 
 most responsible French and German growers, and while the peony 
 is of a very beautiful color, it is weak in the stem and the blooms 
 fall upon the ground, and it has little value as an effective sort in 
 the field. The color is a beautiful shade of salmon pink, the flower 
 is medium in size and has the merit of being a good keeper and may 
 have some value as a cut flower variety; but if the firms who have 
 introduced this peony under a new name, thus giving the impres- 
 sion that it is a new variety, have done it knowingl}', they have 
 perpetrated a fraud upon American peony buyers which will not 
 soon be forgotten by those who have been unfortunate enough to 
 purchase this variety at a much higher price than they could have 
 secured it under its true name from the French and German growers. 
 
 "Two distinct sorts came to us from reputable firms under the 
 name of Delachii, one being a deep purplish amaranth, the other 
 much darker in color and with a decided crimson cast. The habits 
 of both varieties are quite different and one sort is much more valu- 
 able than the other. I have not yet been able to determine which 
 is the true sort, as either one would answer fairly well to the intro- 
 ducer's description of Delachii, which is "deep purple." 
 
 "From one of the most responsible American peony firms we 
 got the variety Mme. Ducel, under the name of Model of Perfec- 
 tion; others have the name of Mons. Jules Elie attached to their 
 stock of Mme. Ducel. Under Modeste Guerin come two varieties 
 
56 €. $. garrison's 
 
 somewhat similar in habit and color, but the true variet}' is much 
 better in color and a more valuable peon}- than the false one. 
 
 "Mme. Coste comes to us under the name of Souvenir de L' Ex- 
 position Universelle. Under the same name we get two dark pink 
 varieties which are far inferior to Souvenir de L' Exposition Univer- 
 selle and which we have not as yet been able to identif}'. 
 
 "Marie Stuart comes to us from one of the most prominent 
 western peon}' firms, under the name of Baroness Schroeder. Un- 
 der the name or Mme. de Verneville we get a mixture of Mme. de 
 Vatry, Jeanne d'Arc and the true Verneville. Jeanne d'Arc comes 
 to us under the name of Marguerite Gerard; Agnes Marie Kelwa}' 
 came under the name of La Tulipe, and La Tulipe comes also under 
 the name of Multicolor. 
 
 "Two common dark pink peonies come to us under the name 
 of Mme. Camille Bancel. Under La Tendresse we get a common 
 flesh pink semi-double peony which shows the seed pods promi- 
 nently in the center. The true La Tendresse is creamy white, ab- 
 solutely double and shows no center or seed pods, and is a much 
 dwarfer grower than the false variety. 
 
 "Some three or four 3'ears since we purchased from a Holland 
 firm quite a stock of a good, solid pink peony, under the name of 
 Rose d'Amour. All of the stock we received from the firm the first 
 year proved to be true to habit and color. The second order to the 
 same firm for the same variety brought a mixed lot of pink peonies, 
 all varying shades of dark and light pink and purple, and but eleven 
 plants out of one hundred received proved to be the same kind sold 
 us originally by this same firm as Rose d'Amour. An investigation 
 of the variety, and comparing it with the true Rose d'Amour, which 
 we purchased from a French firm and which answers to the origin- 
 ator's description, disclosed the fact that none of the peonies shipped 
 to us by the Holland firm in question was the true variet}'. 
 
 "Many common sorts come to us under the names of well- 
 known, valuable varieties. In some instances where a quantit}' of 
 a valuable sort is purchased, one or two plants in the lot will prove 
 true to name, the balance being frequently nothing but a lot of 
 mixed varieties running through shades of color somewhat similar 
 to the variety ordered, but of totally different habit and frequently 
 a totally different period of blooming. 
 
 "In many instances where a pink variety is ordered we receive 
 various shades of dark and light pink, white, flesh colored and even 
 the deep purples and amaranths. In somes instances where a deli- 
 cate, flesh-colored pink peony was ordered, the variety received 
 proved upon blooming to be a deep purple. 
 
 "These experiences have been the result of my observations dur- 
 ing the past five years while attempting to accumulate a stock of 
 peonies true to name by purchasing them from Holland, French 
 and German peony firms, as well as from American firms. Our 
 plants are now three and four years old and are developing normal 
 blooms showing the true characteristics, so that for the first time 
 
Peony manual 57 
 
 we are able to identify the varieties in a practical way, provided the 
 originator's description is sufficiently definite. 
 
 "In Holland they have a peony association which is endeavor- 
 ing to straighten peony nomenclature by holding annual exhibitions 
 of peony blooms and thereby settling mooted questions of nomen- 
 clature, and they have identified a number of varieties which they 
 claim to be able to furnish true to originator's name and description. 
 Nevertheless, in many instances when we buy of them the}' prove 
 to be wrong when we get them in flower here." 
 
 Jft^oiding Difficulties 
 
 One cause of confusion is the lack of investigation before 
 naming new varieties. It is somewhat annoying to be a man of 
 prominence. For instance there are three Louis Van Houtiis, duly 
 recorded with the names of the originators and date of introduction. 
 
 Mr. Terry named Prince of Wales when Kelway had one before 
 him. And then to make confusion worse confounded, a prominent 
 eastern firm, having accumulated a lot of common pink with no 
 name, they slapped Prince of Wales on some six cent plants. We 
 have two Admiral Dewys, and would have had more were it not for 
 vigorous protests. We have noted three Queen Victorias, with 
 widely distinct characteristics, and when we sell them we must des- 
 ignate the colors, so as to avoid confusion. 
 
 In naming new sorts we must be exceedingl}' careful not to du- 
 plicate. It is better to be sure that there is no other bearing the 
 same name. For instance, we are getting quite a collection of deep 
 reds or crimsons, and we are naming these from Indian chiefs, Sha- 
 bona. Red Cloud, Red Jacket and others, taking an entirely new 
 field. For other colors we are using the names of some of the 
 mothers of the church, Paula, Fabiola, Marcella, St. Cecilia, etc. 
 F. O. Brand gives what he deems the finest peony that' ever saw 
 the light the name of his wife. Mr. Mollis uses the family name 
 also. So with a little forethought we can find labels for our new 
 creations not used before. 
 
 This is an important matter, for there has been such an intense 
 interest in originating new varieties, and so many hundreds are 
 coming on, we must be extremely careful. To make the matter 
 doubly sure it would be well to write to the secretary of the peony 
 societ}', who is supposed to have a list of all varieties on the mar- 
 ket. And don't forget to put in a dollar bill to pay for the trouble 
 of looking the matter up. People too often ihink that a two cent 
 stamp without paper or envelope entitles them to $5 worth of in- 
 formation. We often get letters in a busy season, when time is 
 worth $20 a day, asking for $25 worth of information, all to be hung 
 on that two cent stamp. 
 
 ^^ 
 
58 
 
 €. $. garrison's 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 Ccgcnds of tbc Peony 
 
 The name reaches back into the myths of history. It is said 
 that in the days of Troy there lived a physician by the name of 
 Paeon, who first used the roots on his patients, and these were the 
 descendants of the Gods. So our favorite ministered to the ills of 
 the Immortals. The name has clung ever since. It should be 
 paeony yet. The writer hung onto the old form of spelling as long 
 as he could, and didn't propose to change it till the old doctor 
 changed his, but the peon}' society and the lexicons were against 
 him, and so the "a" fell out in this edition. 
 
 Along in mediaeval times the peony was known as the "gallant 
 herb of the sun." The seeds were taken at bedtime to prevent 
 nightmare. Steeped in liquor and drank before and just after the 
 new moon, it was a sure cure for weakness of the back. If children 
 were sick, then a piece of root must be hung about the neck. 
 
 We well remember in the days of small boyhood the gardens 
 were searched for "piny toes" to steep for us when we were sick. 
 AVell we recall the pungent odor of the old Officinalis. Our smell- 
 ing apparatus has gone out of business and we have to borrow wife's 
 when there is any fine work to do, but that rank smell comes down 
 to us through the halls of memor}', and for years we were prejudiced 
 against the very name; and when a friend suggested that we should 
 raise peonies, we rebelled and said, "Not those coarse, rank-smell- 
 ing things." He replied "I guess you don't know peonies." And 
 when we went to some of those splendid shows and saw those gor- 
 geous blooms, the fragrance of which filled all the air, and when 
 hundreds of admiring spectators hung with rapture over their beauty, 
 we changed our mind. Had they been the old-fashioned sort, the 
 odor would have been rank enough to drive people out of doors. 
 
 Peony Traorar.cj 
 
 This is most remarkable, on account of its wide diversity. These 
 fiowersemit their delicate perfume just as the buds open; after that 
 it is not as pronounced. Around one there floats the perfume of 
 the N'iolet. The genuine Humei, besides that glorious bloom of 
 varnished pink, sends out a cinnamon odor. Many add the per- 
 fume of the rose to thi* effulgent bloom. One has the delicate aro- 
 ma of the heliotrope. Another has the form and fragrance of the 
 pond lily. Let all these emanations blend in one great wave of 
 perfume and billows of it seem to hang in the air and float around 
 you. Some friends once drove sixteen miles to visit our grounds in 
 blooming time, and as they came near the}' said the flowers could 
 not be far off, for the very air, even at considerable distance, gave 
 tokens of their presence. 
 
Peony manual 59 
 
 B Tlcld of Peonies 
 
 Is "like a sea of glo^3^" We have traveled much and seen some 
 beautiful things, but a field of fifty to 100,000 of these flowers trans- 
 cends anything we have ever seen. It does not seem possible that 
 so much splendor could be condensed in so small a space. Three 
 years ago this was a patch of brown earth. Now you are reminded 
 of that wonderful carpet captured from the Persians by the Sara- 
 cens, which was a mass of gems — emeralds, rubies, amethysts, 
 opals, pearls, sapphires, jaspers and diamonds, in one blend of 
 transcendent beauty, only your garden is on a grander scale. 
 
 First, your ground is a foliage garden. How rich and varied 
 the color of the plants, as they first appear. How divergent their 
 shadings, each kind differing in foliage as well as in bloom. Now 
 the buds appear. From them exude drops of purest honey. All 
 the glad insects are humming and singing their delight. Now they 
 begin to open; first the singles. You never tire of watching them. 
 There is Terry's Queen, a massive, fragrant white. When the sun 
 is shining all those petals open broadly to the sun. What a cushion 
 of gold in the center. Evening comes on and those broad petals 
 close over the delicate stamens as the mother shelters her child. 
 Those other single ones follow suit. The splendid Maj' Davidson, 
 Full Moon, Defiance and others are all folding their tents for the 
 night. Among the doubles, almost the first is L' Esperence (Duch- 
 ess d' Nemours), a radiant, fragrant flower. This seems the most 
 sympathetic of all, appearing to be anxious to be on hand for Dec- 
 oration Day to aid the friends to honor their noble dead. What a 
 profusion of bloom. Those strong plants seem covered with a man- 
 tle of beauty. The flowers are glowing, brilliant pink, large and 
 lustrous." Not sensitive like many, grieved with an unfriendly world 
 so they cannot show their charms, but ready every season, no mat- 
 ter how adverse the conditions, to give their aid to the soldiers and 
 their friends. 
 
 And now in rapid succession others fall into line. Never brides, 
 preparing for nuptials, pay more attention to their toilet than these. 
 They seem dissolving the rainbow to blend its colors in these man- 
 tles of beauty. Some have golden tints; here is one cream, pink, 
 sulphur and white; another is whiteness itself; there is one of solid 
 pink, and there are various shadings of scarlet, red, deep red and 
 crimson. Now look out over the field. There is one mantle of 
 gorgeous bloom, so full you can hardly see the green or the ground, 
 a glorious carpet woven b}^ viewless fingers, fit to be touched with 
 the feet of angels. It is as if a section of paradise were let down to 
 earth as samples of the "glory to be revealed." You look on in de- 
 light. Those blossoms are the interpretation of the Divine Love, 
 His precious thoughts translated to us. You are awed and thrilled 
 with the honor and the glory of it. "I said ye are Gods." You also 
 are a creator. In fields where feet of seraph do not go, you can 
 enter. You are in partnership with unseen armies, which, day and 
 night, are working with and for you. Had it not been for your ef- 
 forts this had not been. Eliminate 3'ourself as factor and the scene 
 
6o €. $. l>arrl$on'$ 
 
 vanishes and all reverts back to brown earth and weeds. Looking 
 at such a transformation a man feels his power and realizes the 
 honor which comes to him when the unseen forces salute him as 
 kintj: and fall into line to aid him in those marvelous creations. 
 
 This is not all. Yonder are thousands on thousands of seed- 
 lings on the way. Your hand planted the seeds. In one of those 
 little black balls there was slumbering the form which will yet 
 awaken the delight of the lovers of the beautiful. In such a con- 
 densed form once slumbered the resplendent Festiva Maxima, one 
 of the richest of floral gems, of more value than any jewel dug out 
 of earth. In another of those seeds la}' Golden Harvest, in another 
 the imperial Grandiflora, in another Rubra Superba, and you know 
 not what surprises are in store for you as those thousands upon 
 thousands will unfold their charms. You know that some will be 
 as queens in the floral world, demanding the attention of the lovers 
 of the beautiful, and your hand gathered and planted the seeds and 
 cared for the tiny plants. 
 
 Peonies 
 
 The following is from the writings of A, Dessert, one of the 
 most renowned and successful peon}' growers of Europe. We are 
 much indebted to his carefully compiled list, which has been a great 
 aid to us in this work: 
 
 "The peonies are perfectly hardy and so robust that they grow 
 well in any ordinary garden soil. However, they furnish the largest 
 and most desirable flowers when planted in good, deep-trenched 
 ground, and in situations where the soil retains a moderate degree 
 of dampness. If the soil be poor it should be copiously mixed with 
 rich old manure. Cow manure is the best for all the soils which are 
 of a light character. Manure must not come into direct contact 
 with the roots. 
 
 "Tree peonies must be set as deeply as they were before in 
 nursery. In setting the herbaceous peonies, the plants should be 
 inserted with the crowns, or dormant buds, about three inches be- 
 low the surface of the soil and should then be well watered. 
 
 "When planted in autumn in strong plants, peonies can pro- 
 duce a few flowers in the following spring, but it is only the second 
 or third year after planting that they will produce normal flowers. 
 
 Peonies rapidly thrive, increasing in strength and beauty every 
 year, and the third year after planting, they have already become 
 large clumps which produce many blossoms; therefore peonies need 
 about three feet between each plant for their development. To 
 maintain a luxuriant vegetation, add to the soil every autumn a co- 
 pious dressing of old manure. 
 
 "Peonies may be planted either in borders, groups or beds; they 
 are always very ornamental in whatsoever way they are planted. 
 They succeed, no matter what the situation may be, but the flow- 
 ers remain fresh longer when they are in partly shaded places. When 
 they are exposed to the full sun they can be covered with a light 
 
Peony manual 6i 
 
 cloth; the flowers thus protected acquire a really remarkable, fine 
 color, and the flowering lasts much longer. 
 
 "Peonies are not delicate plants; however, you must avoid 
 planting them too near voracious shrubs, the rootsof which exhaust 
 the soil. But you may plant by the peonies plants of a not cum- 
 brous nature, the roots of which do not exhaust the soil, such as 
 standard roses, gladioli, etc. 
 
 "Peonies do not require frequent watering, but during the sea- 
 sons of extreme drought, and on light soils, copious draughts of 
 water or liquid manure once or twice a week will assist in the for- 
 mation of good, stout buds for the following season. In the spring 
 when the buds are well formed, little side buds should be taken off 
 when the largest blooms are desired, but when peonies are planted 
 for the ornament of the gardens, I should advise to leave them, be- 
 cause these secondary flowers (which are still generally very fine) 
 prolong the duration of flowering for some time. 
 
 "It is useful to surround the stems of herbaceous peonies with 
 a few light ties, such as raffia fixed to a little prop to protect them 
 from a gust of wind. 
 
 "The best time for planting peonies is September and October, 
 as soon as the temperature is cool enough for the plants to be sent 
 without damage. However, peonies may be planted safely at any 
 time that the ground is in good condition, from September to March. 
 
 "Peonies carefully packed in boxes with moss are never damaged 
 during the longest jOurne3's, even if they are overtaken on the way 
 by the hardest frosts. It is sufficient to put them, when arrived, in 
 a cellar or other place of moderate temperature, during two or three 
 days before getting the plants out of the boxes." 
 
 Z\)z Great national Peony $bow of \m In Boston 
 
 These annual gatherings have become national events. These 
 winsome, beautiful and attractive flowers have their devotees in all 
 parts of the land. They gather from most of the northern states, 
 some going 1,500 miles, and are amply repaid. Reports of the 
 meeting are sent to all parts of the Union. Boston leads in all 
 floral attractions. The Horticultural Society is the richest in the 
 world. It owns a mammoth building and there is ample room for 
 the display of the gathered tributes from the different states. Peo- 
 nies are sent in by the ton. Some of the wealthy people near the 
 city have splendid collections, often reaching into hundreds of vari- 
 eties, gathered, regardless of cost, from Europe and America. Here 
 is a physician whose fad is peonies. What a collection he has ! 
 There for the first time we saw some of Richardson's best. There 
 was Milton Hill, which we never had seen before, and it was a case 
 of love at first sight. Here is quite a collection from Ohio. They 
 look faint and weary from the long journey, but they revive and 
 
62 €. $. garrison's 
 
 take the prize. There are many from New York and the neighbor- 
 ing" states. 
 
 T. C. Thurlow, the prince of peony growers, is there with his 
 wife and daughter and three enthusiastic sons. Their collection is 
 from France, Holland and England, besides many American fa- 
 vorites. They carry off prizes, of course. They always do. 
 
 J. E. Shaylor is there with his marvelous collection, chief among 
 them Mme. Emile Lemoine, a French queen of imperial beaut}' and 
 radiance. He has one of the fine collections of America. Presi- 
 dent Ward is there with his favorites. Mr. Hollis is on hand with 
 his splendid new creations. He is a magician, who has been calling 
 forms of wondrous loveliness out of the unknown. He has many 
 exceedingly fine ones, so many that, if all other varieties were wiped 
 out, his family of new ones could stand as fair representatives of the 
 whole race. His crosses between the Chinese and Japanese are 
 very attractive and claim much attention. We are glad to know 
 that there are now hundreds in different states at work along the 
 same lines developing new varieties. 
 
 Here are exchanges going on. One man has ver_v fine sorts, 
 and another has others, and so they swap. Some are sold at high 
 prices. And here let me say that the best varieties must go up. 
 Mr. Hollis asks from $i to $15 a root for his new ones, and they are 
 worth it. Baroness Schroeder soars to $5. And why not ? Scoring 
 all the points of excellence and multiplying as rapidly as any, the 
 original cost would be lost in a short time. What are five dollars, 
 when you can get thirty or forty roots in four years, and $1,000 in 
 ten years .-^ People have been fooled so much in importing worth- 
 less sorts. They had much rather pay $5 or $iofor something they 
 can depend on. The west may learn a lesson from the east and se- 
 cure the very best, regardless of cost. They are doing this with 
 cattle, horses and hogs, but haven't come to it 3-et \\ith flowers. 
 But they will, for there is plenty of room for growth along all lines. 
 
 Start Ridbt 
 
 Begin with thoroughbreds instead of scrubs. The lessons of 
 these great floral exhibitions are many. One is, those thousands of 
 people who come to enjoy all those attractions are not fooled by 
 fads. The}' are sensible, appreciative people, allured thither by 
 real worth. Again, people learn to aspire for the best. They be- 
 gin to understand the possibilities of the Home Beautiful and see 
 how much is in store for them. They see also what they can do 
 along the lines of new creations. Besides, there is a commendable 
 rivalry. 
 
 Pconv Growing as a Business 
 
 Young people, boys and girls, are desirous of doing something, 
 but are deterred by lack of capital. A boy wishes to raise cattle, 
 
Peony manual 63 
 
 and he is confronted with bills for first cost — the high price of ani- 
 mals, to begin with, then the cost of feed and shelter. A girl thinks 
 she will raise poultry, but there must be ceaseless vigilance. She 
 can't go awa}' on a visit, and even the cost of buildings is quite an 
 item. A poor widow wishes she might in some way lay up for a 
 rainy day, or for old age, which she feels is creeping on; but she is 
 without means. Yet all can enter this field with little ex- 
 pense, provided there is a little plat of ground which can be se- 
 cured somewhere. 
 
 Get some of the best, hard}' and constant bloomers. For in- 
 stance, $3.00 will get a dozen L'Esperence, which sell readily and 
 are always in demand. The same amount will get a dozen white 
 Queen Victorias. The whites are alwaj'S wanted. Six dollars will 
 now get a dozen of those resplendent Festiva Maximas, the queen 
 of the whites. These are very vigorous, the}' multiply rapidly and 
 are always in demand. A full supply has never yet been raised. 
 You can get a root or two of some superior sort like Avalanche, 
 Amazone, Mm. Emile Lemoine, Mme. de Vernville, Ville d' Nancey, 
 Plutarch or Duke of Devonshire, follow directions in this manual, 
 dig and divide every two years, and you will be surprised to see 
 3'our fortune grow. The widow can have something for old age, a 
 life insurance secured with small cost. The girl can have some- 
 thing with which to commence housekeeping, and the boy will be 
 sure of a start in life. 
 
 "Can't lUe Oi^erdo the Business?" 
 
 Yes, when the love of the beautiful is dead in the souls of the 
 people,, when billions on billions have been raised to fill all the em- 
 pires of the west and northwest. 
 
 The love of the beautiful is growing, not dying, and when you 
 get to raising the most charming, as well as the hardiest, flower on 
 earth, you may be absolutely sure of success. 
 
 If you want to be gone a week, your plants will not be like 
 chickens, dying for lack of care. All the long, cold months of win- 
 ter they are independent of you. There is no enterprise which will 
 give you such congenial employment, which will so compound in- 
 terest for you on such a bountiful scale and bring in such returns 
 for the capital invested. Be sure and begin right. Get the best 
 kinds and give them good care and your reward is certain. 
 
64 > C. $. garrison's 
 
 B tribute 
 
 In the land of the North, where old Boreas reigns, 
 
 Binding rivers and fields in his terrible chains, 
 
 Where the brilliant Aurora, with fingers of light. 
 
 Is painting her splendors on garments of night; 
 
 Where the chill arms of winter our beauty enfold, 
 
 And wrap up her form in a mantle of cold. 
 
 She wakes from her slumbers and springs to the light. 
 
 And welcomes the warmth with her countenance bright. 
 
 How winsome her beauty ! She floods all the air 
 
 With billows of fragrance, delicious and rare. 
 Away in the Southland, the land of the sun, 
 And out on the plains where the wild tempests run,. 
 
 She blooms in her beauty, revealing her worth. 
 
 Then hides from the heat in the sheltering earth. 
 
 Where the fair Rhododendrons in radiance glow. 
 
 And their wonderful glory of loveliness show; 
 
 And Azalias are robed in their princely attire. 
 
 All aflame in their vestments of crimson and fire; 
 
 There her fragrance and graces our senses allure. 
 
 Full as lovely in form, and in beauty as pure. 
 
 By the side of the rose in her robes of the morning. 
 
 And graces exquisite her beauty adorning; 
 
 To whose fairy sweetness will ever belong 
 
 The legends of story, and tributes of song. 
 
 She need never hide in confusion and shame. 
 
 Or cringe at the thought of the magical name. 
 
 The pond lily flings all her sweets on the air, 
 
 And opens before us a countenance fair. 
 
 But the queen of our love is as dear to the e3'e 
 
 As the delicate blooms which on still waters lie. 
 
 In the great prairie empire, so dreary and vast. 
 Where roses are slain by the terrible blast. 
 Where sirocco and blizzard in tournament vie. 
 And flowers of the Eastland grow homesick and die; 
 Where gardens are lonely and homes are forlorn. 
 
 There bravely our queen lifts her beautiful form 
 
 And laughs at the tempest and smiles at the storm. 
 
 And mothers whose eyes have grown weary with waiting,. 
 
 And girls whose sweet spirits for beaut}' are aching, 
 
 Shall smile on the march of our glorious flower. 
 
 And souls that are hungry her beauty devour. 
 
 No more shall the homestead be sad and forlorn, 
 
 An invasion of beauty the land shall adorn. 
 
 How sweetly her blossoms the senses beguile. 
 
 And the wear}- revive with the breath of her smile. 
 
 41^ 
 
FiKLD nr Xkbraska Peoxies 
 
11907 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 000 910 357 
 
 1 
 
 George Hollis' Japanese Hyi^rids 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 i