Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. PR ihe” Sa we Se I. Miss ELLA V. BAINES | THE WOMAN. FLORIST LS PRINGEILELD, (- «On, FLORAL CENTER OF THE WORLD 20 MILLION PLANTS SOLD EACH YEAR Op irsaviw nissiony = eG WHICH ARE ROSS Important Read! This catalog is not issued annually, but from time to time as reguired. We do, however, issue a price list each year. Be sure when you are ordering that your price list is of the current year. All applicants and others to whom this booklet, “Peonies for P. leasure,” is mailed will each year get this new price list. It will be mailed without their asking for it. If for any reason you fail to get your copy notify us at once. The price list for current year is en~ closed in this book. Special Notice The Peonies named herein are only offered for sale during the fall months of September, October and November. Should you de- sire Peonies in any other months than the three named, see our Spring Catalog, for list of varieties, with prices, for winter or spring~ time planting Visitors Are welcome to our Peony fields at any time except Sundays. By expressing a desire in advance of the blooming, season, we will be glad to notify such persons of the best time to visit our fields to see them in bloom. Remember When you need anything in the floral line in addition to P eonies, such as Flower Seeds, Roses of all varieties, Chrysanthemums, Hardy Phlox, Iris, Geraniums, Carnations, Ferns, Begonias, Dahlias, Gladioli, Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Coleus —in fact, anything, in the way of flowers—always send to us, as we are headguarters. Catalog free. Write for it today. Upper—Tourangelle. Middle—Therese. Lower—Sarah Bemhardt. Arrangements have been made with The Good & Reese Co. so that we are privileged to use their book, “Peonies for Pleasure.’? All who entrust their orders to us will be assured of the same courteous treatment and full value. Coming trom the Peony fields. Happy? Yes! FO R E W O R D HIS TREATISE on the Peony is issued to create a more BY JOHN M. GOOD widely spread interest in this grand hardy perennial, by telling of its history, its culture and of its superlatively Great beauty. To the average person—that is, to ninety-nine out of every one hundred flower lovers—the word Peony is fixed in their memories simply as a Red P. eony or a White Peony or a Pink P eony, while the actual fact is that the Peony with very small outlay and attention on your part will reveal itself to you in such splendor that King Solomon nor the Queen of Sheba in all their grandeur could vie with the modern Peony in their magnificence. Indeed a plantation of choice Peonies is a veritable paradise of loveliness and fragrance. Should this little booklet in a measure correct this false opinion that Peonies are a subject that may be dismissed by a passing thought, it will then have accomplished its mission and thus aid in the wider dissemination of this much neglected plant. The above was written for the first edition of ‘“Peonies for Pleasure” just a few years ago. The results have fully justified our conclusions at that time, for as evidence of the ‘more widely spread interest” our sales at first doubled, then trebled, and last fall more than guadrupled. When we started in the peony business our annual sales amounted to twelve hundred roots simply to color—Red, White and Pink; while now we have sold in one season as many as fifty thousand Festiva Maxima, twenty thousand Felix Crousse, twenty-five thousand Edulis Superba, ten thousand Monsieur Jules Elie, etc., ete. Surely this is evidence of increased interest. In conmenting, on the statement, “I believe everyone is Peony mad,” Mr. A. P Saunders, Secretary of the American Peony Society, in Bulletin of P. eony News No. 2: says: “Tt will be good news to the nurseryman that people are going, Peony mad. It is high time they did, too; we are, of course, all Peony mad; at least all the world thinks us so, because we have known something of the charm and beauty of the flower, while others have been blind to them. What a day would dawn for the Growers if we should drift into a Peony mania like the tulip mania that struck the Dutch in the seventeenth century. How would some of our friends feel, I wonder, if some fine morning they should be offered fora precious root of Le Cygne the inventory of goods once swapped in Holland for a single (ee ee ee Miss EllaV. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. Page One tulip bulb of the variety Viceroy, to-wit: Two lasts of wheat, four lasts of rye, four fat oxen, eight fat swine, twelve fat sheep, two hogshead of wine, four tuns of beer, two tuns of butter, one thousand pounds of cheese, a complete bed, a suit of clothes, and a silver drinking cup?” Some thirteen years ago the writer became in terested in Peonies and it has been a pleasure to him to assemble the reatest collection of Peonies on this globe. By greatest we refer to guality and guantity; by guality as to the large number of choicest varieties; by guantity to the largest stocks of these varieties in the world. There are collections of Peonies that outdistance ours in num~ bers of varieties by many hundreds, but none that equal ours in the two points named of guality and Our planting em- braces near a million roots covering, about fifty acres of ground. the guantity of this guality. It has neither required a so~ called Peony expert nor a Peony specialist to bring, together this wonderful collection of Peonies, but rather a love for the flower with a will to work, plus the necessary means to secure the stock desired. An appreciation by Miss Jessie M. Good on seeing, our fields of Peonies in June, 1909: This spring, IT had the very great pleasure of visiting the Perennial Gardens of the Good & Reese Co., lying ina sheltered valley about eight miles from their greenhouses at Springfield, Ohio, where this year a quarter of a million peony roots will be ready for market. About six hundred of the best known varieties are grown here, and each year sees many varieties tried out, and added to their list or dis~ carded as their merits or demerits warrant. When I first saw the Peony field this spring, there were by low computation fully one million blooms in sight; these blooms were largely on three-year-old plants, the period at which a Peony after subdivision of the roots usually &ives normal bloom. The bloom on these carefully cultivated Peonies was a revelation. The Field of the Cloth of Gold was a tawdry hand-made affair compared to it. It was as if a softly tinted cloud had settled over the field through which the fiery sun slanted its scarlet rays, while the delicious rose-like fragrance met you from afar. In one block ten thousand Festiva Maxima was a mass of blooms that covered the field like snow; only when coning, close could any foli- age be discemed. This field, with Festiva Maxima in the foreground, is illustrated elsewhere in this catalog, but pho- tography can never give the color and perfume of these gorgeous blossoms. How large some of them were I dare not say, but a dozen of them made as heavy an armful as most women cared to carry. A convention was in progress in Springfield when the Peony blooms were at their best, and several hundred were sent in to decorate the stage. It nearly broke up the convention; for when the delegates were convinced that the blooms were really Peonies, and that they might be seen by the thousands at the field, every vehicle to be had was soon on the way to the Peonies. One delegate told me she felt as if she must fall on her knees at first sight of the field, “for I felt as if the heavens had opened and showed me a glimpse of the glories within.” PEONY NOMENCLATURE The first obstacle and the most serious one of a few years ago in the collecting of Peonies was the almost interminable tangle that the nomenclature of the Peony had fallen into; this had occurred partly by premeditated forethought and partly by pardonable ignorance, if we may pardon igno~ Page Two rance. But thanks tothe nomenclature committee of the American P eony Society this confusion of Peony names has in a large measure been elim- inated, so that today the Qrower and dealer in Peonies may both be honest and enlightened if he so wills. There are a few snarls yet to un~ tangle, but time will right them all. Letus hope this committee will be continued until everything along, this line has been cleared up. Among, the varieties in the trade that are iden~ tical are Avalanche and Albatre, Docteur Bois~ duval (Guerin) and Delachei, Felix Crousse and Victor Hugo, Golden Harvest and Jeanne d’ Axe, Mar:chal Valliant and Souvenir de Auguste Miellez. Among, the varieties that have well known synonyms are Augustin d’ Hour and General or Marechal MacMahon, Elwood Pleas and Lost Treasure, Floral Treasure and Delicatissima, Gi- gantea and Lamartine (Calot), James Kelway and Lady Derby, Lady Leonora Bramwell and Doc~ teur Bretonneau (Verdier), Mademoiselle Leonie Calot and Monsieur Charles Levecgue, Marechal Valliant and Souvenir de Auguste Miellez. Theoretically it is held by some that the first name it was known by should be maintained, but commercially our contention is that the name best known by and that really means something, to an American should be held. This may be done without deception to anyone by stating the syn~ onyims in the descriptions. To illustrate: Gigantea, one of the very best Peonies grown, will sell at least ten times the plants that Lamartine (Calot) will; thus you have disseminated ten times as much beauty and incidentally added to your profits. Some dealers may say the above would sound better in a Peony bulletin rather than coming from a descriptive catalog. We answer that we have nothing, that we wish to conceal from any of our patrons; we are doing, our best to sell Peonies. ONE HUNDRED VARIETIES At one of the meetings of the American Peony Society it was suggested by some one that the attempt— mind you, the attempt—be made to discard from the list of varieties of Peonies until it should embrace as the maximum number one hundred varieties—this elimination to be secured by a rule of judging to be adopted by the society. And right there is where the judges yan smack into a stone wall and the attempt failed as it should. One of the very first decisions we arrived at in Peony culture was that for ourselves we could no more confine our list to one hundred varieties and be satisfied with same than that the waves of the ocean could be kept back with a broom, and that for the very good reason that no one hundred, or for that matter no two hundred, varieties would or could embrace all the worth and charm of this flower. by Professor Leon D. Batchelor, when in one of the American Peony Society bulletins issued by In the above opinion we are sustained Miss Ella V. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. ee se est Cornell University he says in the introduction: “Tt is probably a con- servative statement to say that the Peony interests of the country would be better off if about sev- enty-five per cent. of the varieties were destroyed and future propagation made from the remaining twenty-five per cent. of superior varieties.” As there are about two thousand varieties of Peonies, say one thousand of them in commerce, to elim-~ inate seventy-five per cent of them would leave at least two hundred and fifty sorts as desirable. We are not pleading, for a long list of Peonies, but we contend that the merits of the Peonies that should be perpetuated are not found in any one hundred varieties. SIX POINTS OF EXCELLENCE In judging a Peony for exhibition the six points of excellence as suggested by the Directors of the American Peony Society are as follows: Color Ona LOG ho ico kaa eee ae oo Sizes uns 6 20 oH Stem Gncluding length, strength and foliage) 20 = orm sss ioe fo by Bs) Oe ono 15 Substance Bia a6 oct VOR Eee is 15 2 Fragrance Saige! hom ON iO) SRO!) SOP ath dali 10 > 100 Miss Ella V. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. Top: E. G. Hill (left) and J. M. Good judging a flower of Primevere. Center: A comer of our Peony fields; literally thou- sands of bloom. Bottom: “Awakening, to the glories of June.” Mr. Auten of Missouri makes a good suggestion when he says, “There is one character on which | think there should be a rating, outside of merely technical points. In declamation contests a rating is given on ‘General Effect’; in flowers I would give a rating, on ‘Charm’. For example, I do not know how, on technical points, Festiva could be counted any more than equal to Festiva Maxima if even equal to it; however, it makes an appeal to me that Festiva Maxima does not. The latter has size, form, color and carriage, all unsur- passable; but to me it is cold and forbidding; it commands admiration, yes, but when IJ see a fine opening bud of Festival want it. This has a charm for me, makes an appeal to me that Festiva Maxima does not.” May we add that there is certainly a charm about some varieties of Peonies? In addition to Festiva, such varieties as Marie Stuart, Alsace~ Lorraine, Monsieur Dupont and others possess an Page Three indefinable charm that may not be described. Inthe first and second editions of “Peonies for Pleasure” we included in the six points of excellence “Time of Blooming,” but as this point is a relative one as to the garden and not as to exhibitions it is dropped from the latter. However, in judging Peonies for your garden “Time of Blooming.” is the most important of all points that should interest you. You ask why in judging a Peony for the garden we place time of blooming the most valuable point ofall. Weanswer: Could we possess, say, a flower as fine as Festiva Maxima that bloomed one week earlier or one week later than that sort, then we would have the most valuable point possible in a Peony. A MONTH OF PEONIES Would you not rather have a month than a week of Peonies? Say, by planting, of whites, the early, early midseason, midseason, late midseason, late and very late, you could have a month of continuous enjoyment with the choicest blooms you ever beheld, would not that be preferable to one week of such bloom where you confined yourself to kinds that bloom at one and the same time? To illustrate, suppose you confine your planting, of White Peonies to Festiva Maxima you would have the best flower of that color blooming, at that time, but after your Festiva Maxima has done blooming your neighbor who has planted with Festiva Maxima other choice white varieties that are just as hand~- some and grand as that variety will prolong, her blooming, season three weeks longer, would that not be much preferable to your plan? Do you get that? Letus repeat, for this is important, by plant- ing a succession of the early, midseason and late varieties you can enjoy Peonies for one month in- stead of for only a week. Many persons come to Peony fields while in bloom and choose the varieties they desire, then when they bloom next year they have a week of Peonies. What they should do is to make several trips, or better still just “camp out” in the fields and enjoy a month of the grandest flowers imag~ inable. A Month of Peonies, or How to Select Varieties The time the Peony blooms for the average person is one week, for the reason that his selec~ tion of varieties embraces kinds that bloom at one and the same time. No P. eony grower that we know of has gone into this important subject, to our mind the most important of all in Peony culture. We here append a list of the different colors kept separate that will supply you the choicest of bloom that you may fairly revel in for a month. Page Four A Month of White Peonies Avalanche Madame Calot Crown of Gold Madame de Vermeville Duc de Wellington Madame Emile Lemoine Duchesse de Nemours Marie Lemoine Festiva Maxima Mireille James Kelway Monsieur Dupont A Month of Blush or Flesh Pink Peonies Albert Crousse L'Indispensable Dorchester Mademoiselle Leonie Calot Eugenie Verdier Marie Stuart Floral Treasure Officinalis Rosea Superba La France Tourangelle La Perle Umbellata Rosea A Mouth of Deeper Pink Peonies Claire Dubois Edulis Superba Elwood Pleas Livingstone Madame Forel Mathilde de Roseneck Fragrans Modele de Perfection Gigantea Monsieur Jules Elie Grand:flora Sarah Bemhardt A Month of Red Peonies Adolphe Rousseau Gloire de Touraine Augustin d’Hour Lord Kitchener Berlioz Madame Bucguet Docteur Boisduval Felix Crousse Meissonier Officinalis Rubra Plena Rubra Superba REMEMBER that these months of Peonies in the different colors may be repeated in most cases by other choice varieties. In other words, you need not confine yourselves to these lists alone to make Francois Rousseau up your month of Peony bloom. Also remember when planting Peonies, do not be stingy, but plant liberally and your reward will be commensurate. DESCRIBING PEONIES Another matter that has been discussed and that some decry is the using, of adjectives in de- scribing, a Peony. Dear friends, that is where we shine, for we make the statement without fear of successful contradiction that no person on God's green footstool may convey to another his im~ pression of a Peony flower without the use of adjectives and plenty of them. Try without their use to describe Monsieur Jules Elie with its enor- mous ball of loveliness before you, and you will be compelled to admit at once that it cannot be done. No, the stoicism of an Indian in describing Peonies will Get you nowhere; don’t be an iceberg, thaw out. “Neither inability to make rhyme; lack of se~ guence in thought; carelessness with the king’s English, or absence of sentiment will bar us from using adjectives in describing, Peonies. We step right in and air our muse; nobody has to read it unless desired and it gets it out of our system.” To satisfy yourself on this point try to convey, in cold type, the beauties of a Peony flower so that anyone may form an impression of what it is like in color, form, fragrance, etc.; then you will realize how futile the attempt. Overpraise? Why, Miss Ella V. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. or ee a that is the veriest folde-rol. Listen to this de~ scription of Monsier Jules Elie, the King of Peonies: “W hat shall we say of it? Enormous size, richest coloring, sure free bloomer, deliciously perfumed, the form so opulent of charm, so perfect in chisel- ing as to be beyond compare, the overlapping convex petalage—a marvel of curves and sinuosi- ties like fairy conyolutions. The sunburst of color, eloquent of divinest passion, radiating, from a core of glossy pink as from some mystic fountain con~ cealed under fluffy laciness, silvery pink here, pearl pink there, and baby pink everywhere. The colors blending and intermingling, to a sheen of satiny pink, lit by a_ sunset glow, a tiny flame from the lambent furnace of some angel’s heart; the form combined with the color in a harmonious whole difficult to describe; the petals winding, in and out and curved jauntily as if consciously recurving, from the mass of marvelous bloom and foliage around it; shimmering, silvery tones height- ening up toa climax of richest pink in a natural and indeed inevitable inflorescence. If you love beauty this flower shoots through you an unwonted thrill; you turn again and again that you might verify and prolong the pulsing wave of poetry by excluding the surroundings from your vision. The colors gleam with light as if it were burnished clouds touched by morning. It is indeed a won- der of fragrant loveliness. Great is the King I? Overpraise? Why, the above with its numerous tones and shades of pink does not tell half the story. Compare it with the earlier descriptions of some of the French varieties that read like this: “Violaceous Pink.” And then to think that any modern Peony salesman, after reading, these French descriptions, could only ejaculate, “Huh! me too!” NEW INTRODUCTIONS Many of the best Peonies have been introduced in the past ten or fifteen years, being, disseminated by those painstaking Frenchmen, M. Dessert and M. Lemoine. Nothing in the line of Peonies that had gone before equaled or approached such varieties as Alsace-Lorraine, Aurore, Bayadere, Germaine Bigot, Enchantress, Le Cygne, La France, Madame Emile Lemoine, Madame Jules Dessert, Mignon, Monsieur Martin Cahuzac, Sarah Bern~ hardt, Solange, Therese, Touran gelle, etc. Kelway, of England, has enriched Peonies for all time by such superb sorts as Baroness Schroe~ der, Kelway’s Glorious, James Kelway, etc. Mr. Blaauw, of Holland, added a grand variety recently in President Taft. These are necessarily higher in price than the older sorts as they have been so recently sent out and the stock of them is very limited, but let us tell you that you will miss a large part of the charm of the Peony until you see these wonders of the floral creation. We could sell you fifty thousand Festiva Maxima or twenty-five thousand Marie Lemoine at prices guoted and be glad to do so, but we could not sell you one hundred of such varieties as Le Cygne, La France, Solange, Miss Ella V: Baines,'‘Springfield, Ohio. etc., for the reason they are not to be had at any price, and at the prices guoted for them we are not anxious to sell them. We make this assertion and will stand by same that the 8reatest creations in Peonies the world has ever known are the recent introductions of Messrs. Dessert and Lemoine. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it is almost the invariable rule of visitors to our Peony fields, while in bloom, to make choice of We go to some length in this matter as some dealers endeavor to create the impression that most of the new Peonies are fakes; these new varieties. we want if possible to correct this impression, which is absolutely erroneous. AMERICAN PEONIES Of Peonies originating, in America those by John Richardson, of Massachusetts, from 1857 to 1887, are prominent. His Dorchester, Grandi- flora, Milton Hill, etc., are of the finest varieties in existence. George Hollis, also of Massachu~ setts, and H. A. Terry, of Iowa, have sent out some good varieties, but unfortunately for us the labors of these three P. eony growers are ended. The Rey. Harrison and Mr. Rosenfield, both of Ne~ braska, also Mr. Shaylor, of Massachusetts, have very recently added to our P eony lists in Aimerica. Mr. Brand, of Minnesota, commenced his work with Peonies in 1886. His Archie Brand, Eliza- beth Barrett Browning, Frances Willard, Long- fellow, Mary Brand, Martha Bulloch, Richard Carvel, etc., are as good as the best. It behooves every Peony enthusiast to keep his eye on the Brand Peonies. Let me introduce to you Brand’s Peonies. (The little child is showing, youa flower of the famous Martha Bulloch.) Page Five E take very §reat pleasure in presenting to the Peony world the introductions of Mrs. Sarah A. Pleas, formerly of Indiana, now of Cali- fornia. Mrs. Pleas has the distinction of being the first woman in the world to introduce new varieties of Peonies, and good ones, too. She has been working for a number of years prac~ tically unnoticed and unheralded. In February, 1916, the writer sug- gested her name to the Secretary of the American Peony Society for hon- orary membership, which at the next meeting of the Society held in New York City, June, 1916, was con- ferred on her “in recognition of her services to Peony culture in America,” an honor well merited although late in arriving. Mrs. Pleas has been Giving her attention for upwards of forty years to Peony culture. There have been a number of her Peonies going under synonyms. The list we name is in- tended to be authentic and is compiled from information supplied by Mrs. Pleas and from her friends who have been interested in her Peonies. We here present a list of her Peonies most talked about, although by no means a complete list. In future editions of “Peonies for MRS. SARAH A. PLEAS The Pioneer Woman Peony Originator of the World. Pleasure” it is expected to add to this list: Alpha and Omega, Altar Candles, Bouguet of Flowers, Dr. Edgar Pleas, Elwood Pleas, Golden Nugget, Golden Wedding, Gypsy Queen, Joseph Griffin, Jubilee, Lady Emily, Lady Iris, Little Nell, Madame Pleas, Mary Anderson, May Davidson, Midsum-~- mer Night's Dream, Mrs. M. B. Beckett, Multiflora, Opal, Orange Prince, Pearled Rose, Queen of the Pleasance, Ralph, Rosy Dawn, Sarah, TB: Terry, The Gem, The Jewel, White Swan. THE QUEST OF LOVE By Sarah A. Pleas So in a sweet bewilderment I turn to leave my peony beds; I have not found the flower I meant To give the name [ love, but spent The morning hours where beauty spreads. Here’s one as pure, as white as snow Fresh fallen on this world of ours No hint of hue its petals show; Shall I my name of names bestow On this to make it King of flowers? O! garden mine, what pleasure waits Among your rows of gorgeous bloom For one who finds within your gates The title deeds to vast estates Of wealth, in beauty and perfume. Today I come with new intent Here’s one so bright it glows like flame, To find the fairest flower of all In form and color, size and scent, Ah, he will know how much is meant When by his name the flower I call. How beautiful the flower must be To make it worthy of his name, That other eyes than mine can see What his dear memory is to me Whose love I count as more than fame. Here’s one that’s white with heart of gold A censer cup, fer incense rare And here is one of perfect mold Whose silken petals seem to hold The secret of all beauty there. What glorious color it has caught From days and nights of June that came To make it worthy the dear name Which I have ever in my thought! Ah, look at this! So large, so sweet, A fluffy ball of pink and gold In form and color all complete Would we might stay the summer’s feet To keep such beauty in our hold! O, which to choose! so fair are they— So rich in color, form, perfume! But which the fairest, who shail say? I needs must come another day To find my garden’s richest bloom. Read what a heart full of praise says of the Peony: THE LURE OF THE PEONY A Eulogy by Ces? Harrison, of Nebraska, Written June, 1909. Such charms before me that I fear I cannot-choose among them all Since each and all, I hold so dear And yet—The one flower must be ere, That love by his dear name would call. O, here, I see! Close to me nods A flower the color—soft blush rose, So large, so sweet! Ah, by all odds, This is a flower to please the Gods— The best that in my garden grows! My auest ends here, no farther I Need seek among my peonies To find the fairest flower, I cry “O, royal bloom!”’ and he seems nigh “T christen thee the Elwood Pleas.”’ lt you should receive the announcement that you were to have a visit from thousands upon thousands of the best dressed and most beautiful visitors that ever came to earth you would naturally feel like taking a vacation and enjoying such delightful companionship. Iama busy man, but there is no resisting, the lure of all this bewitching loveliness. They have come, the advance guard, the Sreat masses of dazzling splendor; the rear guard, strong, full orbed and stately, will shortly bring up the last of the procession. Page Six Miss Ella V. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. “O, here I see! An old man Yet I secured a somber piece of weedy ground and planted those unsightly bulbs gathered from various portions of Europe and America, and so secured this harvest of delight. Why should I be so highly honored and treated like a God? Thousands of the most gorgeous flowers are putting them- They vie with each other to see Who am I that I should have this army? laid aside from professional work, broken in health. selves on dress parade. which can make the most alluring and winsome appearance. Such a trousseau no bride ever wore. Whence came all these tints of woven splendor which 60 into this rich carpet spread out before me? © You have read of that Oriental Carpet of Gems, the wonder of the world, where rmmbies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds, yea, all the unfading, flowers of earth’s under garden, are min- gled in a fabric which shimmers, flashes and blazes in the sunshine. But that gem of gems cost millions. It is made of dead flowers which cannot breathe and which 8ive out no fragrance. My garden of gems is alive. Its beauty does not last as long, but it is mine, and while it lasts I am a millionaire. All of these acres are my bouguet. Whence did they derive these rich perfumes? The mingling of the rose and the violet, the pond lily and the heliotrope, the hinting, of cinnamon and the spices. Up from the masses there rise viewless clouds of incense which float above and wander away in the distant air, then sweep earthward so that you wade in billows of aroma. Whence came all this rich coloring— as if the tints had been taken from the sunsets and the mantles from the stars, all woven by deft and unseen fingers into these forms of entrancing, loveliness? Among, the crimsons what splendid flowers. There is stately Prince Imperial, further on is La Sublime and Louis Van Houtte and the showy Ville de Nancy. Among, the pinks the beautiful L’Esperance, the radiant Madame Geissler, Livingstone and a host of others. There is Jeanne d’Are with petals of gold and a center of snowy white, emblem of the fair soul of the war maiden, and in the heart of the flower, drops of blood as if the iron had entered her soul; and here is her daughter Golden Harvest; stately Festiva Maxima rises like a gueen in her snowy whiteness; Monsieur Dupont is a sturdy massive white with carmine sprinkled in the center; Couronne d’Or with heart of gold is one of the latest. Among, the somewhat variegated you find Faust, one of the most floriferous, overwhelmed with floods of bloom each year. But we cannot go into details when we have two hundred varieties all striving for recognition. Reverently I stand in this imperial presence. Instinctively I say, “How precious are Thy thoughts unto me, O God; how great is the sum of them.” All these radiant forms are the revelation of the love of the Father, interpreters of His thoughts, prophets of our own resplendent future. Close to me nods.” (A single flowering stem of Elwood Pleas.) How much the Great Florist would do for His children if they would only give This was His opportunity and He took it. His oldest daughter, good mother nature, was on hand to My garden teaches this lesson. Him a chance. How much What possi- Above us Divine ideals waiting, for a chance to alight and élorify the earth. work with me and evolve the plans of God. she would do for us if we would only help. bilities all around us. Come around to these rows. These plants are mine. I grew them from seed. See this lovely one with soft vel- vety petals of pink; see that one of purest white; look at that one robed in dazzling red with heart of gold. How happy and cheerful they look. They are mine. My eyes * * * And back in the unknown are other masses of undiscovered loveliness waiting, your beck first saw them. and mine. Sometimes it seems as if they would break open the gates and flood us with a glory yet unseen. Who would live in desolation when he might live in fairyland, where Nature and all her unseen forces will work day and night to lavish on him her choicest treasures? Plant in masses. Match God's great out-of-doors with abundance. Don’t be stingy when a little will bring, so much. Open all the gates and let the waiting, beauty of an earthly elysium settle around you. If you have only a small city lot, beautify that and give a kind Providence a chance to smile on you through the countenances of your flowers. Then again from the same author: Get Peonies, the most gorgeous flowers on earth; plant in masses, and have a splendid carpet of loveliness fit for Don’t be stingy with the front yard. A fine house in a neglected yard is like a one Plant abund- ance and do not depend on two or three flowers to glorify a the touch of angels’ feet. thousand dollar picture in a ten cent frame. whole lawn. Beauty is wealth; raise a crop of it and be rich. Let us get a combination and fix up the home so it will be a blessed memory in after years. The home is not a kennel, a stable, a sty, ora bam. Itisa dwelling, place for immortals, who stand on the borders of the eternal beauty, where the stars are planted in the vast flower gardens of the Father. If you have beautiful grounds, adorm them with an abund- ance of flowers. You will have your children associated with the most charming, companions, and they will have their influence. Your boys will not be boors, but gentle- men; your Girls will have lives moulded by the pure and the beautiful. What a soul hunger often comes to the wife and mother! Too often the front yard is neglected. Perhaps it is a hog pasture, or a hospital for disabled machinery, The farmer's She should have her When you have 160 acres can you not spare her wife needs an attractive home. toilet room as well as her city sister. one, and enjoy it yourself with from early spring, till the hard frosts of autumn you can her, so that be welcomed by a pro- cession of beauty? The farmer is king by divine right. His domain reaches from the center of the earth up to the stars. He gets his title from man the Creator. Taking such a ait, he is under the highest obliga- and from tion to make the most of it, and not to rob it, but to keep it at its best. The Farm Beautiful should be a charming, pic- ture in Nature’s Sreat frame work all around it. nw Page THE PEONY BEAUTIFUL History and Development of This Wonderful and Magnificent Hardy Perennial With the exception of a few travelers, botanists, and amateur growers, all lovers of flowers, the only Peony known in America until about the middle of the nineteenth century was the old-fashioned double red one of our grandmothers’ gardens. Today, after years of exploitation, when Peonies are mentioned, nine-tenths of the public recall this one sort only with its rank odor, Recall it, too, with an inherited prejudice, for owing, to its ease of culture it was a favorite flower about the peasant’s dooryards of Europe, and there~ fore the sentry called it coarse and common, admiration of which betrayed low taste. But within the last one hundred and fifty years new va~ rieties were introduced that have caused a vast change in the attitude of the public towards the Peony, and today it is accounted the most splendid flower in cultivation. There are three distinct varieties of Peonies: Peony Officinalis, the old-fashioned sort spoken of above, formerly grew wild over southern Europe, and to it we owe its name, for it is the Paeony of Greek and Latin literature, and was named for Paeon, a physician of the Trojan war, who at- tributed his miraculous cures to his use of the Peony. Fable has it that Paeon, who was a pupil of Aesculapius, first received the Peony from Leto, the mother of Apollo. With this Peony Paeon cured the wounds Pluto received from Hercules; but the cure caused so much jealousy on the part of Aesculapius that he secretly caused the death of Paeon. Pluto, however, grateful for his cure, turned the physician into the flower which has since borne his name. For him, too, physicians were often called “Paeonii.” The root was much used in medicine, and a piece of it worm about the neck preserved the wearer from enchantments. But, ah, today the Peony is weaving enchantments of its own more enthralling than those of any Delphic priestess. It is strange that with the exception of P. Browni, the only Peony as yet found in America, that the P. Officinalis is found in southern Europe alone, while P. Moutan and P. Albiflora were found only in China and Siberia. However, the Officinalis Peonies of today are so improved in growth, form and color that they are esteemed most highly for their beauty and earliness. There are the three beautiful colors, red, white and pink. Peony Moutan, or tree Peony, as we commonly call it, has a most interesting history, and to Mr. Eliot Coit, formerly of the Horticultural Department of Comell University, Iam indebted for much of the material facts of this article, for possibly no man in America is so conversant with the history of the Peony in Europe and America as he. The facts are as follows: In 1656, by special permission and protection of the Chinese government, the Dutch East India Company sent an envoy through part of China. This envoy sent home the most Blowing account of the Peony. His account is as follows: “In the province of Suchue, near to Chung King, grows a certain flower called Meutang (Moutan), in high esteem amongst them and therefore called ‘King of Flowers: It differs ven little in guality from the European rose, but is much larger and spreads its leaves further abroad. It far surpasses the rose in beauty, but falls short in richness of scent. It has no thoms or prickles, is generally of a white color, mingled with a little purple; yet there are some that are yellow and red. This flower grows upon a bush and is carefully cherished and planted in all gardens belonging, to the Grandees, for one of their most cherished flowers.” Nothing was done towards bringing this plant to Europe until one hundred and thirty-tive years later, when an Eng- lishman, Sir Joseph Banks, reading, the volume on China written by the envoy, became interested and instructed certain merchants trading at Canton to have specimens of the “Moutang” sent to him. Repeated attempts were made to bring a living plant to England, but owing, to lack of knowledge in packing, and the length of time it took sailing vessels to make the journey, it was not until 1794, four years later, that he was successful in setting, alive from China two Page Eight By MISS JESSIE M. GOOD. living tree Peonies. They proved all that the envoy had declared them to be, and other importations quickly fol- lowed. In “Memoires des Chinois” by the Missionaries, Paris, 18735, we are told that the Moutan, as we call it, had been the pride and glory of the Chinese for fourteen hundred years. They had developed between two and three hun- dred varieties, which they valued as much as did the Dutch their tulips. The finest specimens were sent to the emperor's garden, where it was prized for its reat beauty and fragrance, for the Chinese florists had developed fra- érance in the Moutan. We need not wonder at their enthusiasm, when we know that well Srown specimens are in existence that are eight and nine feet high, bearing ina single season more than five hundred of their Sigantic fra- érant blooms. As long ago as 536 A.D. the Chinese distinguished two kinds of Peonies: The Sho Yo, or common kind that modern florists usually call Chinensis in catalogs, and the Mow Tan (outan), or tree Peony. The splendid tree Peony was called Hwa Wang, “King, of Flowers,” and Sho Yos were called Hwa Seang, “King’s Prime Ministers.” Until about 600 A. D. the Peony was grown largely for its medicinal qualities, but about this date they were intro- duced as omamental garden plants, and at once came into high favor. Soon after this a genealogical register was established by Gow Yang Sew, to record the gualities, parentage, and other characteristics of the kinds grown from seed; so that nearly twelve hundred years ago the Chinese had a register, while the American Peony Society is only ten years old, and is still compiling theirs. With the new colors being offered each season, this register or check list promises to bea long-continued task. About 724 A. D. the Peony was introduced into Japan, where it at once attained high favor with that beauty- loving nation, a favor continued to this day. The Japanese callit Botan, and the root was largely grown for medicinal purposes, whole districts devoting themselves to its culture, while the country about Nara became femous for flowering plants, many selling as high as one hundred ounces of silver fora single plant. P. Albiflora has a history similar to that of Moutan, for its importation followed so closely that of the tree Peony that no exact record of its introduction is known. It is the Peony that is destined to become the most popular flower in the world, the rose excepted. Like the hybrid perpetual roses, all Peonies bloom but once each year, but unlike the rose they are almost free from diseases. In its wild state it was a native of Siberia, Srowing, to its northernmost confines; single, semi-double and fragrant. Soon after its introduction to England its roots were taken to France, and there the real cultivation of the Peony began. Its habit of sporting, into new colors, and the freedom with which it seeds, were taken advantage of. Climate, soil, high feeding were all used to develop the plant, but cross- fertilization did more than all else to bring new varieties. The first Peonies from seed were raised and sold in France by M. Lemon, of Port St. Denis, in 1824. M. Jacques, gardener to King Louis Philip, originated some of the first of the fine varieties. His collection was inherited by his nephew, Victor Verdier. Other early French Peony enthusiasts was the Comte de Cussy, the Prince de Salm-Dyck and Modeste Guerin. Also M. Buyck, a Belgian amateur. M. Calot of Douai inher- ited the collection of the Comte de Cussy, which in tum passed into the hands of M. Crousse of Nancy. Then later it came into the possession of its present owner, M. Lemoine. Other early Peony hybridists were M. Parmentier, Mayor of Enghein, Belgium, and the following, Frenchmen: Delache, Delacourt-Verhille, Donkelaer, Foulard, Gombault, Mechin, Miellez, Van Houtte. Some of our very best Peonies orig- inated with these men. M. Dessert and M. Lemoine, of France, are the leading originators of Peonies in the world. OOOO Miss Ella V. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. Peonies originating in America will be found in another chapter. In a monograph on the Peony written by Mr. J. Eliot Coit, for Cornell University, he Gives seven most excellent reasons for the popularity of the Peony, as follows: 1. They are easy to grow; anyone can raise glorious Peonies with less trouble than it takes to 8row roses. 2. Peonies well established are pennanent features in the garden, or at least as permanent as is desirable. 3. Peonies are perfectly hardy wherever ap~ ples can be Grown, passing, through the most severe winters without injury, and very easily protected where not hardy. 4. The blooms are large, showy, of various forms and of all shades of color from white to purple, and even pale yellow. 9} Many of the new varieties are deliciously fragrant. 6. They are practically free from insects and disease. No spraying, dusting, or hand-picking of worms is necessary. Ths They are equally successful as a cut flower and for artistic landscape effect. THE MODERN DOUBLE HERBACEOUS PEONY (Paeonia Herbacea Sinensis) By JOHN About Its Culture, Soil, Drainage, Etc. The Peony is of such easy culture that it is not at all particular like most plants as to the soil; they will grow in rich, in poor, in clay, in sand and in black soil and thrive in all of them. We prefer a sandy loam such as we have here in the fertile lands of the Great Miami Valley of Ohio. Prepare your ground by digging at least two feet deep; your beds should be well drained so that all surplus water gets away guickly; Peonies will not stand wet feet. Another very important matter is that your soil must be free from acid. This is caused by a com-~ bination of too much humus and poor drainage. Peonies will not thrive in a soil containing, same. A simple test for acid is to geta nickel’s worth of litmus paper at the drugstore, place a piece of this paper inside a handful of moist soil—not wet —that you wish to test. If the paper turns from blue to red it detects the presence of acid; the redder the paper turns the more acid. To coun- teract the acid place lime in the soil and this will sweeten it. Fertilizers, and How Not to Use This is the particular part about Peony culture. If there is one thing that a Peony dislikes more than another, it is to have such fertilizers as con- tain ammonia and potash to come in direct contact with the roots, especially in allopathic doses. You had better put on the soft pedal and 8° carefully; it causes two things to happen, burning, and de~ caying the Peony roots. To avoid this we never use the land to plant Peonies soon after manure has been applied, until a couple of years have elapsed, Giving the manure time to become disin~ tegrated and thoroughly incorporated with the soil; neither do we cover the Peonies with manure during the winter as some do, for the reason that the stem of the Peony is hollow and by covering, them the substance of the covering, by rain and melting snow, is carried down to the heart of the Miss Ella V.. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. M. GOOD plant and the manure water will play havoc by almost annihilating, your roots. You ask By turning, under a crop or two of cow peas and rye before planting and after planting to use any kind of stable manure between the rows, care being, taken to avoid getting it near the stems of the plant. Manure should be applied during, early winter. Amateurs may apply all their fertilizer in the form of manure after planting, as stated here and be assured of grand results. Liguid manure may be applied after the buds appear in the springtime. Get a barrel that holds water; fill with manure and pour on water till barrel is full; let it stand a few days, stir, and apply liquid once or twice a week to the ground immediately around the Peony roots then how we fertilize. Planting Time, Where, How Peonies may be planted any time the ground is in condition to work from September Ist till March 15th. In Ohio we prefer September, October and November for three reasons: Usually the ground is in better condition to work during these months; then again, when the time comes for the root to start in the Spring it is in its proper place ready to grow instead of coming, from the Grower or in your cellar, and maybe the ground is not in condition to plant, while the root you planted in the fall is Growing, all the time; and again, it saves storing and caring for them during the winter time; then again, Peonies can be sold cheaper in the fall time as the expense of storage is avoided. We never put high priced Peonies in storage. You must get them in the fall if you buy from us. The loss of what would remain unsold would more than wipe out the profit on what we would sell at that season of the year. Peonies may be planted effectively in several positions, in beds by themselves, as a background to plantings of other perennial borders, as a fore- ground for shrubbery Groups or borders, in single Page Nine rows indeed they make a delightful hedge effect where one sort is planted, so the hedge blooms all at one time. This hedge makes a fine effect when used as division lines between city lots or to act as a screen along alleyways or unsightly fences or buildings, for remember after the Peony is done blooming, the plant itself is desirable for foliage effect. Simply cut away the seed pods and trim in the few tips of branches that may be longer than the others so as to make a uniform hedge. Planted to border a walk Peonies are pretty (see front cover page for this effect). Where you plant Peonies in beds set at least 31% to 4 feet apart each way; where planted in rows as for hedge effect plant 2 feet apart, setting the eyes in the ground two inches below the surface. A covering, of forest leaves held in place by ever- green boughs or other weight to keep the leaves from blowing away will be found very beneficial during the severe cold weather of winter. Peony roots are perfectly hardy; this coverin§g, keeps the newly planted roots from being, lifted out of their Do not apply this covering, until Remove after hard freezing in the early spring. It's the freezing and thawing, that do the damage. Freezing, the roots does no damage, but every freeze and _ thaw lifts the roots a little. Let Nature keep repeating this operation and you will find your roots on top of the ground. This is a good time to apply fertilizer, taking care to keep the manure clear of the stems. Cover the stems with some other substance, such as leaves, The manure acts as a protection and at the same time supplies the necessary fertilizer. places by frost. the ground is frozen. etc. Peonies as Cut Flowers If Peonies are to be used as cut flowers they should be cut just as the color begins to show; never by any means allow the flowers to open on the plant. After cutting, if to be used at once place the stems in water and set in the shade away from the wind; should you desire to keep the flowers some time, then after cutting as above in the bud keep them away from all water, lay them down in a cool dry cellar and twenty-four hours before you wish to use them, give the stems a fresh cut and place the stems in water. Keep them in a cool room and you will find they will open up into the most glorious flowers. Never mind how wilted they are. You will exclaim they are no good, but follow directions and see results; you will have much finer flowers than the pickled flowers from storage that the florist sup~ Always water the ground in the beds of late flowering, Peonies. Usually we have a dry spell during, the middle or last of June. You will be well repaid for your trouble. plies. Flowers for Exhibition The largest flowers for exhibition are obtained in the following manner: The plant should be at least five years old, eight years old would be Page Ten better. After the shoots appear in the spring select one, two or three of the stronger ones and nip all the others to the ground. This will cause the entire strength of the plant to center in the stems you allow to remain. Then as the buds appear pinch out all but the crown or terminal bud on each stem; this crown bud may always be distinguished by its coming on the end of the main stalk. The buds that come on the smaller side shoots or branches are called lateral buds; these lateral buds are the ones to pinch. This has the effect of throwing all the strength of this one stalk into this lone flower. The size of the flower as well as the color is helped by giving liquid manure once or twice a week just as the buds begin to form. The best colored flowers for exhibition are cut in the bud state just as they begin to show color and opened in a cool room by placing the stems in water. The reason for this: The sunlight affects a Peony flower the instant it strikes it by changing the color. While in all these varying changes of the Peony flower as the sun shines on it there is no flower more beautiful, yet you get the true color of the flower as developed in the shade. To get this color effect in the open ground, shade your plants with cheese cloth held about four feet above them. This should be supplied just as they show color in the buds. Some tie paper sacks over the buds. One by experiment~ ing soon finds out the proper stage to cut the buds so as to develop them in water. The fewer petals a flower has, the tighter the bud may be cut. A safe rule is when they first show color they are practically in the tight bud stage, but ready to open. ways give your flower stems a fresh cut each day, also fresh water. flower is woody with a center of pith; make a long cut up the side of the stem into the pith so it will take up water faster. that seals up the ends of the flower stems; by 8iv- ing a fresh cut this is done away with. The stem of a Peony There is a waxy substance The Peony Disease The greedy 8rowers have by their methods of over-propagating, and feeding, produced a disease variously known as nemetodes, club-root, root gall, and the so-called “Lemoine’s Disease.” This disease did not originate with Lemoine, but with the greedy growers who bought his new produc— tions and “put them on the track,” in other words, “speeding them up.” Over-propagating, thus weakening; over-feeding, thus producing indi- gestion; result—root-gall. The disease is from within and not from without; it is neither infectious or contagious. It is a curious fact that a root that has the disease up to a certain point will produce more flowers than a perfectly healthy root, thus it is really a better cut flower subject, but not so good In the stage above noted the dis~ ease is conquered by cutting, away most of the root and planting in soil free from acid and fertil- izers and left undisturbed for at least three years. for root sales. Miss Ella V. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. Then, upon lifting, if it still has some disease, repeat the operation. Should the plant be so badly diseased as to fail either to grow or bloom, then land it in the discard unless it is valuable enough to graft the eyes on clean roots. The Best Fifty Do not think for one moment that I would at- tempt to choose fifty varieties for you. To illus~ One day in the Peony field a lady asked, pointing to a certain variety, “What Peony is that?” After being, told she said, “That’s the ugliest Just then a couple of young, trate: flower I ever saw!” ladies came along, and one of them seeing, the variety the lady had called the “ugliest,” ran “Oh! come, Mary, here is the prettiest flower I ever “And you would have me tell you which is the prettiest ahead of her companion and exclaimed: saw!” Turning, to the woman I said: Peony?” At another time after conducting, a couple of women through our fields and selling them guite an order, I remembered that I had overlooked that charming, variety Asa Gray. AL though worn out with our tramp through the fields we retraced our steps to the farthest corner of our fields, and while they vere looking, Asa Gray over they spied several rows of Victoire Tricolore which we had decided were so worthless that we had marked them to dig and throw away. They left Asa Gray and fairly waded across the rows of plants between, and each of them purchased, to our way of thinking, a variety not worth Growing. No, it can’t be dene; I would uot be so pre- sumptious as to name the best fifty. I would be as silly as the fellow who claims that the best can be found in one hundred varieties. Read my descriptions of the different varieties and where I have fairly poured out my soul about them that will be the telltale of my Own opinion. List of Peonies According to Color To enable purchasers to guickly find from the alphabetical list the colors desired, we have ar-~ ranged the following lists, including some of the principal varieties of the early, medium and late of each color: WHITE Avalanche Baroness Schroeder Boule de Neige Couronne @Or Duchess de Nemours Festiva Festiva Maxima Florence Nightingale Frances E. Willard James Kelway Lady Alexandra Duff La Rosiere Le Cygne Madame de Vatry Madame de Verneville Madame Emile Lemoine Marie Lemoine Mireille Monsieur Dupont Queen Victoria Jubilee YELLOW, CHANGING TO WHITE Alba Sulfurea Philomele Blanche Cire Primevere Canari Soltatare Candidissima Sulfturea Due de Wellington Miss Ella V: Baines, Springfield, Ohio. BLUSH OR DELICATE FLESH Madame Emile Galle Mdlle. Leonie Calot Marguerite Gerard Marie Jacquin Marie Stuart Midsummer Night’s Dream Octavie Demay President Taft Solange Tourangelle Umbellata Rosea Achille Alsace-Lorraine Eugenie Verdier Floral Treasure Germaine Bigot Golden Harvest Kelway’s Glorious Kelway’s Queen La Loraine La Tendresse La Tulipe Loveliness Madame Calot LIGHT OR MEDIUM PINK Albert Crousse Asa Gray Dorchester Edmond About Elwood Pleas Madame Boulanger Madame de Galhau Madame Ducel Marie Crousse Marie d’Hour Etta Martha Bulloch Gismonde Modele de Perfection Gloire de Chas. Monsieur Jules Elie Gombault Princess Beatrice Grandiflora Sarah Bernhardt Humei Carnea Therese La France Tri. de Expo. de Lille La Perle Venus L’ Indispensable Welcome Guest DEEP PINK AND ROSE Alexandre Dumas Auguste Villaume Beranger Claire Dubois Clementine Gillot Duke of Devonshire Edulis Superba Elie Chevalier Lady Leonora Bramwell La Fayette Leviathan Linne Livingstone Madame Forel Madame Geissler Madame Thouvenin Fragrans Mathilde de Roseneck Gigantea Modeste Guerin Humei Ne Plus Ultra Irma Walter Faxon Jenny Lind RED Agida Felix Crousse Atrosanguinea Marechal Valliant Monsieur Krelage Rachel (Terry) Shabona The Gem Auguste Lemonier Augustin d’Hour Berlioz De Candolle Edwin Forrest CRIMSON OR DEEP RED L’Ecletante Madame Bucquet Madame Gandichau Meissonier Mons. Martin Cahuzae Rubra Superba Adolphe Roussean Dr. Boisduval Eugene Bigot Gloire de Touraine Grover Cleveland Karl Rosenfield Size of Roots The size of Peony roots varies as to variety, some sorts making, strong, roots with few eyes, while others make smaller roots with eyes in plenty, and then again this rule will be reversed. Some va~ rieties do not throw normal bloom after division inside of two years, then again other varieties will throw grand flowers first year from division. We have seen as fine flowers on Monsieur Jules Elie at one year from division as we have at thsee years, but not as many of them per plant. The newer varieties that are scarce, the smaller the roots sent regardless of price. Do not for one moment think that we are Going, to pay $5.00 for a small Peony root and then grow it a year or two, dig, and sell to you for what we paid for it. Mr. Welsh puts it tersely thus: “The man who cheats himself is about as bad as to cheat the other fellow, and that if we sold Peonies at any lower price we would be cheating, ourselves,” and we know you do not wish us to do that. Page Eleven We grade our roots as follows: 1st Size, Divided Roots—This is a root divided un~ til it has from 2 to 5 eyes. This is the size we always plant and we recommend this for general planting, both as to the desirability of its low cost and the results obtained. Many varieties throw normal flowers the first year from planting. 2nd Size, One-Year Roots—This is a Ist size di- vided root of 2 to 5 eyes planted and grown for one year, then dug and sold you as it comes from the ground. This is a most desirable size and is well worth the additional price asked for it. You simply for the difference in cost between this size and Ist size save one year in This size will throw more bloom the first This is time. year from planting than the Ist size. the popular size. 3rd Size, Two-Year Roots—This is the 2nd size left in the ground one year longer and sold you as it comes from the soil. This size you gain two years of time. 4th Size, Three-Year Roots—This is the 3rd size left in the ground one year longer and sold you as it comes from the soil. This size you gain three years of time. Our aim is to always Bive value for the money entrusted to us for Peonies, and the fact that our Peony sales have reached the enormous amount they have, running into the hundreds of thousands each season, should be proof that we are amply satis~ fying our customers. letters saying: It is not unusual to get “We have bought Peony roots from all the growers and yours are the best of any we buy.” OUR GUARANTEE—We Guarantee our Peo- nies true to name and will cheerfully replace any that prove to be otherwise after they have reached their normal blooming, period. Classification The Peony Albifiora, or Chinensis as it is more commonly catalogued, has by the American Peony Society been divided into eight types as follows: SINGLE—Those with a single row of wide guards, and a center of yellow pollen-bearing stamens. SEMI-DOUBLE—Those with several rows of wide petals, and a center of stamens, and par- tially transformed petaloids. Many of the reds are of this type. JAPANESE—These have wide guards the same as the Singles, but with the stamens and anthers greatly enlarged into narrow, thick petaloids of various colors, tipped with ves- tiges of the yellow anthers without pollen. ANEMONE—A_ step further doubling, with the stamens all transformed into short narrow petals, forming a round cushion in the center of the flower. in the process of CROW N—In this type wide petals are developed in the center of the flower, forming a high crown with the narrow, short petals forming a ring or collar around it. Often the crown and guards are one color, and the collar another or lighter shade. BOMB—The next step in which all the center petals are uniformly wide approaching the guards, but distinctly differentiated from them, forming a globe-shaped center without collar or crown. SEMI-ROSE—F lowers in which the petals are all uniformly wide, but are loosely built, with a few pollen-bearing stamens visible or nearly concealed. ROSE—The process of doubling is completed, all stamens fully transformed into evenly ar- ranged wide petaloids, similar to the guards, forming a perfect rose-shaped bloom. “The Quest of Love’’—Mrs. Pleas in her garden at the Pleasance. Page Twelve Miss Ella lV’. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. ALPHABETICAL LIST OF PEONIES The name and year in parentheses following the variety is that of the originator and the year in which it was disseminated. blooming. Following this the type of flower (see page 12) is given with time of IMPORTANT ABOUT PRICES The prices of the Peonies here listed are given in a price list enclosed in this booklet. As these prices will vary somewhat from year to year, be sure you have the price list for the current year in which you are ordering. The Peonies we name in this catalogue are only offered for sale dur- Doubly Important ing the fall months ef September, October and November. After this month see our current Spring Catalogue for the succeeding year for Peonies we offer for sale in the springtime. Patrons may order by the number preceding the name of each variety if they so desire, as our tield labels run by number and not by name, but mistakes are less liable to occur if you order both by number and name. shown. 6S—ACHILLE (Calot, 1855.) Rose type, mid- season. Fine large five-inch bloom on three- foot stems, very floriferous in clusters. Opens light pearl or shell-pink, finishing delicate blush or lilac white with an_ occasional creamy-white spot. The flower in its make-up and color somewhat resembles an immense Carnation. Foliage crimpled like the foliage of an Ardisia. Fragrant. Excellent for all purposes. 262—ADMIRAL DEWEY (Hollis, 1903.) Bomb type, midseason. Large light built flower. Color a delicate rose-pink shaded heliotrope. Sweet scented. SI—ADOLPHE ROUSSEAU (Dessert & Mechin, 1890.) Semi-double type. Early midseason. Very large dark velvety-red with garnet hues and a distinct metallic reflex; one of the dark- est and a very brilliant color. The petals are very large and shell like, ideal habit with tall stiff stems keeping well when cut; dark foli- age veined red, one of the best reds for land- seape effect. Extra fine. : 114—AGIDA (Origin unknown.) Semi-double type, midseason. If the color of this Peony was not so bright and attractive we would have discarded it long ago. A grand bright showy red in contradistinction to the purplish- erimsons that are so prevalent among red Peonies. In fact it might well be called a scar- let color. Very bright, gay and showy; free bloomer. 183—AGNES MARY KELWAY (Kelway, 1890.) Crown type, early midseason. Deep violet rose guard petals enclosing a thick collar of nar- row cream-white petals. Within this collar a crown of same color as guards. Very free bloomer in clusters; fragrant; tall and vigor- ous grower, an exceptionally striking and handsome tricolor variety. 146—ALBA SULFUREA (Calot, 1860.) Bomb type; midseason. Very large globular com- pact bloom, color creamy-white; center slight- ly flecked red; stigmas red. Tall, erect grow- er, distinct from Sulfurea, which has cream- white stigmas. For cut bloom and landscape work this variety is fine. Miss Ella V. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. We would prefer you to do so, letting the name follow the number as here 12—ALBERT CROUSSE (Crousse, 1893.) Bomb type; late. Immense, very full convex bloom, as perfect in outline and contour as a Show or Fancy Dahlia flower, so perfect in shape is it that from stem to stem it forms a perfect ball. The petals are imbricated like a Carnation and overlap each other. The color is as wonderful as its form and is best described as an even delicate sea shell-pink without fleck or mark- ings whatsoever; indeed it is rather a tint than a color or shade; in this regard it is in- deed remarkable and unapproachable by any other variety. Scorces easily the six points of excellence. Our stock of this variety, some six thousand plants (we have good reason to be- lieve), exceed in number that held commercial- ly by all other other growers in the world. 217—ALEXANDRE DUMAS (Guerin, 1862.) Crown type; early. Lively brilliant pink crown interspersed with white, salmon and chamois; creamy-white collar of narrow petals mingled with the wide central petals. Exceptionally floriferous. A very pretty pleasing multi-col- ored sort, one of the best for massing and an excellent keeper after being cut. One of the earliest of the Chinensis type to bloom. 218S—ALICE DE JULVECOURT (Pele, 1857.) Crown type; midseason. One of the freest and best landscape sorts. Large double flowers of globular form. Guards and center lilac-white, prominently flecked with crimson. Collar a creamy-white; fragrant, dwarf and free. 769—ALPHA AND OMEGA (Pleas, 1903.) Anemone type. Very early. Among the first to open and has a charm all its own. After the bud has opened into a beautiful convex bloom with deep rose guards and bright yellow petaloids, there develops in the center a ring of glowing salmon-pink petals, ruffled some- thing like a huge Chrysanthemum, which in turn changes to white. It has the appearance of a flower growing out of the center of an- other. In other words, a double decker. One blooming stem with side buds and main cen- tral flower make a bouquet in itself. “Have tested it for five years and consider it a find.” Page Thirteen Alsace Lorraine. 7 P age 281—A MA ZONE— (Lemoine, With an indefinable charm. 1683—ALSACE LORRAINE (Lemoine, 1906.) Semi- rose type; late midseason. Evidently has La France blood in it, having the same habit of growth of that famous variety; growth erect, upright, with the foliage standing off in a marked way from the plant. Very large im- bricated flowers in clusters. The petals are pronouncedly pointed, and the center petals are arranged like a water lily. The color is a rich creamy-white, center of the flower delicately tinted brownish-yellow or Havana brown; is best described as a fried butter color of a pe- culiar reddish-brown. A very striking shade, unlike any other Peony we know except Claude Gelee and Solange. A most attractive flower. Extra fine. Easily scores the six points of ex- cellence. Alsace Lorraine has an indefinable charm that is very pronounced. No collection is complete without it. 1899.) Rose type; early midseason. Well formed. Large, perfect flower, guards rosy-white, center creamy- white, flecked crimson; fragrant. 98—ANDRE LAURIES (Crousse, 1881.) Rose type; very late. Very dense compact globular bloom of the largest size. Color dark tyrian- rose or solferino-red.shading deeper in the center with red reflex; guards same color, oc- ecasionally splashed with green, center mottled with white. An all around good Peony. 37—ANEMONEFLORA RUBRA (Guerin, 1854.) Anemone type; midseason. Deep brilliant ty- rian-rose, carpels dark crimson. Strong, tall, free bloomer in clusters. A good variety. 540—ARCHIE BRAND (Brand, 1913.) Bomb type; midseason prize Peony. An enormous flower of an even, deep, seashell-pink, with silvery border. The petals, closely massed, form a solid head which is surrounded by broad, drooping guard petals. There is a charm about this flower in its even, soft, uniform color and the peculiar perfection of its form which at- tracts the eye from a long distance. One of the chief attractions about it is its delicate fragrance which closely resembles that of the Rose. We believe it has a stronger, true Rose fragrance than any other pink variety. This delightful fragrance, added to the charming beauty and grace of the flower, makes this va- riety especially fine for cut blossoms. It rivals the Rose in fragrance and beauty, and far sur- passes it in size. Fourteen 132—A VALANCHE (Crousse, 1886.) 279—BARONESS SCHROEDER (Kelway, 102—ASA GRAY (Crousse, 1886.) Semi-rose type; midseason. From the formation of the flower it is designated as a double decker. Very large, full imbricated bloom; guard petals salmon-fiesh, center of bloom very full and perfectly formed; color delicate lilac plente- ously sprinkled with minute dots of deeper lilac. Striking, imposing and beautiful. Here is a fiower you want to linger over. No Peony produces more bloom year in and year out than does Asa Gray. Fra- grant and distinct. This variety at a local flower show swept the boards. S4—A TROSANGUINEA (Calot, 1850.) Semi-double; midseason. A marvelous flower of globular form. Color brilliant rosy-magenta, outer guards streaked with white. Strong, vigorous grower with spreading habit; free bloomer. 23—A UGUSTE LEMONIER (Calot, 1865.) Anemone type; midseason. Superb brilliant red with velvety finish; fragrant. One of the very best reds for hedge effect or for landscape work where color effect is desired. Many who saw this superb variety in our nurseries in bloom in June were highly im- pressed with its beauty and great value. Fragrant. 170—A UGUSTE VILLAUME (Crousse, 1895.) Rose type; late. Enormous full round bloom with closely set large petals; indeed the petals are unusually large for a Peony. A uniform color through- out the entire flower of rich vio- let-rose. Very fragrant. A Peony which, when well done, is one of the very fetching sorts. This and all late sorts need watering to properly develop them. 228—AUGUSTIN @HOUR (Calot, 1867.) (Syn. Marechal MacMahon.) Bomb type; midseason. Extremely large, showy, perfectly built bloom; primary petals narrow and built up close and high. Color very deep, rich, brilliant solferino-red with slight silvery reflex; the largest of all red Peonies. Indispensable. This is as high class a Peony in its way as Felix Crousse, al- though they are entirely distinct and in no way conflict. It is a taller grower and larger flower than Felix Crousse. 17—AURORE (Dessert, 1904.) Semi-rose type; late. Extra large, flat loose bloom. Color lilac-white with collar of milk-white flecked with crimson, guards prominently flecked car- mine. The very center of the bloom is of the same shade as the guards. Fragrant. Superb. Commenting on this variety at the New York Show, Mr. Bonnewitz said: “Mr. G. made a display of Aurore which just made you think of an early spring morning. When I first saw it I involuntarily said, ‘Sunrise,’ and a learned friend at my elbow said: ‘Exactly right, for that is what Aurore means.’ ” Crown type; late midseason. It has taken some people a number of years to tumble to the fact that this is a first-class Peony. This magnificent variety opens like a rose bud. Color pure snow-white, with a few delicate pencilings of carmine on the edge of the central petals; very waxy and chaste; fragrant. One of the most superb Peonies, in fact it is unsurpassed by any other white Peony. The variety Al- batre is identical with Avalanche. 574—A VIATEUR REYMOND (Dessert, 1915.) A very large and beautiful flower; bright cherry- red, shaded garnet and brilliant amaranth; very showy. 1889.) Rose type; late. Taken all around this is one of the finest Peonies in existence. You may pick three flowers and one of them will have a delicate, faint, lingering reflex of gold in the center, the next may have the center suffused with heliotrope, and the next a pinkish glow, the whole flower giving the impression of a huge pyramid of baby-pink fading away to purest white. Its immense flowers of great substance with high chalice-shaped center are freely produced, lasting a long time. It is as sweet as the rose with the true June rose fra- grance, and in form and outline surpassing any of the rose family. Miss Ella V’. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. S5—BAYADERE (Lemoine, 1910.) Rose type; midseason. Lemoine’s later eony productions all seem to _have a common parentage. This is shown in their admirable habit of growth, which is quite pronounced, being strong, sturdy and erect, bearing their large bloom upright accompanied with grand foliage. Those acquainted with the variety Le Cygne will understand what we mean. Bay- adere has large flowers produced freely, pure white in color. A gorgeous variety. 179—BEAUTE DE VILLECANTE (Gambault, 1856.) Crown type; late midseason. Guards and crown violet rose. Collar lilac- white. Free bloomer; fragrant. 76—BEAUTY’S MASK (Hollis, 1904.) Crown type; late. Very large compact flower of clear blush-white tinted lilac, guards elear lilac, collar lighter than guards, mixed with creamy-yel- low petaloids, giving it a dis- enct appearance. Fragrant and ne. 77—BELISAIRE (Lemoine, 1901.) Semi-rose type; midseason. Large globular flowers of great beauty. Color delicate lilac splashed with minute dots of deeper lilac, guards and center of flower flecked crimson. Tall, strong grower. A gay variety. ‘“With- out a fault.” 308S—BELLE ALLIANCE (Crousse, 1892.) Rose type; midseason; very full double bloom; lilac- pink with silvery border; beauti- ul. 242—BELLE CHATELAINE (Guer- in, 1861.) Bomb type; midsea- son. Medium-sized flower, color mauve-rose with amber-white collar and center; fragrant. 230—B ELLE DOUAISIENNE— (Calot, 1861.) Rose type; mid- season. Large, globular flower, color hydran- gea-pink, center prominently flecked crimson. Very fragrant. 229—BELLE MAUVE (Lemoine, 1903.) Rose type; midseason. Very large, compact, flat bloom, delicate lilac-rose, tipped silver. Tall, strong, compact grower; fragrant. 66—BERANGER (Dessert, 1895.) Rose type; very late. Fine bud. Form of bloom very flat, imbricated and compact. Color clear vio- let-rose, guards clear rose, collar same as guards, center brighter; fragrance superb. A fine Peony. 2—BERLIOZ (Crousse, 1886.) Rose type; late midseason. Enormous full globular imbricated bloom, bright currant-red. Center tinted rose and shaded with amaranth. As the flower ages and becomes fully finished each petal is distinetly tipped silver, say to one-half of its length. This characteristic is quite pro- nounced and makes it on this account a really phenomenal variety. It is extremely showy and fine, and probably attracts more attention from visitors to our fields while in bloom than any other variety. 222— BLANCHE CIRE (Origin unknown.) Semi- rose type; early. A variety catalogued first by M. Dessert, of France, in 1908, the origin of which is unknown. Translated Blanche Cire is “Wax White.’ Pretty glossy wax- white buds with sulphur-yellow center with a greenish reflex. The leading variety in the Paris cut flower markets. 118S—BOULE DE NEIGE (Calot, 1862.) Semi- rose type; early midseason. Translated is “Ball of Snow.” Large, cup-shaped full bloom of good substance and perfect form. Color milk-white with sulphur center, both guards and center prominently flecked crimson. Erect, tall grower; fine cut flower variety; follows Festiva Maxima and is often sold for that va- riety. They are, however, easily distinguished, as Ball of Snow shows some stamens through the flower while Festiva Maxima never does. 11—CANARI (Guerin, 1861.) Bomb type; mid- season. Primary petals white flushed delicate pink, changing to pure white with deep prim- rose-yellow center. Collar next to guards white; a large bloom on tall stems; richly fra- grant. One of the freest blooming of all Peonies. Miss Ella V: Baines,'Springfield, Ohio. Claire Dubois. 142—CANDIDISSIMA (Calot, 1856.) 265—CARMEN (Lemoine, 1898.) 187—CARNEA ELEGANS (Calot, 1860.) 536—CHESTINE GOWDY (Brand, 1913.) Color rich, clear, satiny pink. Rose type; Guard petals creamy-white, center sulphur-yellow, delicate- early. An attractive Peony. ly tinted flesh with a light green heart. Very chaste and refined. Has true honey fragrance. Strong grower, free bloomer, with great big flowers; blooms a couple of days ahead of Festiva Maxima. This is a hummer. Semi-rose type; midseason. Very large, full, double flowers of hydrangea-pink, center flecked crimson, this color sprinkled with fine dots like Asa Gray. Tall, erect, healthy grower. “Good in every respect.” Crown type; midseason. Perfect Shaped pretty flow- ers, broad petals, clear flesh color with glossy reflex mixed with small yellow petals. Extra fine bloomer. 34—CHARLEMAGNE (Crousse, 1880.) Rose type; late. Very double, large globular flow- ers; color lilac white with a deeper salmon- pink center. Free bloomer, pleasant fragrance. Buds so crowded with petals that in warm, rainy weather they are liable to become water- logged. When well done a beautiful Peony. Crown type; late midseason. Prize Peony. A strik- ing specimen of the cone-shaped Peony. The broad, outer petals are silvery pink. These enclose a zone of fine irregularly shaped, close- ly set petals of deep, rich cream which in turn surround a prominent cone of broad, pink petals splashed and tipped with crimson. The perfection of its form and its rich and deli- eately varied coloring have repeatedly caused it to be singled out for special admiration from a group of the finest varieties. The stems are long, slender and strong, bearing a single flower. The flower is of good substance and when cut just as the bud is bursting this variety makes one of our best cut flowers. It has a delightful fragrance, penetrating, lasting and sweet. 184—CLAUDE GELLEE (Lemoine, 1904.) Rose type; late. A dwarf blooming creamy-white shaded with Havana-brown with an occasional faint crimson fleck on center petals. Exquisite fragrance. Not more than one of this variety will be sold to any one customer. Page Fifteen Very waxy and chaste. Avalanche. 127—CLAIRE DUBOIS (Crousse, 1886.) Rose type; late midseason. Very large, double, glob- ular flowers; convex and tufted; petals in- curved and laciniated, overlapping each other in a charming effect; color rich, clear satiny- pink with glossy reflex. Has the beautiful silvery sheen in a pronounced way seen in that wonderful variety Monsier Jules Elie. A gem of the first water. Some describe this as a glorified Monsieur Jules Elie. How it is pos- sible for anyone to be stoical enough to write a description of Claire Dubois without using a few adjectives is beyond our comprehension. You cannot say too much in her praise. Say all you can and then you have left something unsaid. S9—CLEMENTINE GILLOT (Crousse, 1885.) Crown type; late. Large double flowers of great beauty; color a uniform shade of light tyrian rose. Strong, erect, tall grower; very good. 349—COMTE DE NANTEUIL (Calot, 1858.) Bomb type; midseason. Guards violet-rose, collar lighter, center clear salmon-pink. Fragrant. A really good Peony. A perfect mass of bloom. 183—CONSTANT DEVRED (Calot, 1868.) Rose type; very late. Very large, full flower, dark carmine-rose, with chatoyant reflex. One of the best brilliant red varieties. 237—COQUELIN (Dessert. 1905.) Semi-double type; early. Large, glorious bloom of perfect cup-shaped form, petals imbricated, bright ty- rian-rose becoming distinetly silver tipped. Very rare. S3—COQUETTE (Lemoine, 1915.) Bomb type. Late medium sized globular full flower; flesh overlaid with white. 128—COURONNE WOR (Calot, 1873.) type; late midseason. This is the famous Crown of Gold. Immense, very full, imbricated ball-shaped bloom. Solid and compactly built from edge to center. Color snow-white refiect- ing golden-yellow stamens that show through the petals when looking at the flower from the side. These stamens light up the whole fiower with a glow that is simply indescribable and which suggests the name “Crown of Gold.” Delicate carmine pencilings on edges of a few central petals. Incomparably lovely and one of the very choicest and best Peonies in cul- Semi-rose Page Sixteen tivation. An enthusiast on seeing this variety blooming in our fields exclaimed, “Why, Crown of Gold is Festiva Maxima dressed up in her wedding clothes.” It is in our opinion the attainment of perfec- tion in the Peony. One grower says: “T believe I could detect Couronne d’Or by its white water lily fragrance anywhere.” 157—DE CANDOLLE (Crousse, 1880.) Rose type; late midseason. Very large, imbricated, full cup-shaped bloom; currant-red shaded with vivid amaranth. A novel and at- tractive color, blooming in clus- ters. One of the most effective landscape varieties. Do not over- look this variety if you desire a decidedly novel color. No other like it. 201—DOCTEUR ANDRY (Calot, 1864.) Rose type; midseason. A grand Peony that is very showy; makes extraordinary strong bushes. Color purplish violet-red. Extra good. 119—DOCTEUR BOISDUVAL (Guer- in, 1850.) Rose type; late midsea- son. The largest of all dark red Peony flowers, of regular, fine form, with large rounded petals. A row or even a Single plant of this Peony is conspicuous among the reds across a field for its bril- liant, dark maroon coloring. Sim- ply dazzling; nothing finer in all dark red varieties. It’s a race be- tween Dr. Boisduval and Felix Crousse as to which is the better Peony, although they in no way conflict, Dr. Boisduval being much darker than Felix Crousse. Des- sert, in his manuscript on the Peony, Says: “Doctor Boisduval (Guerin) is like Delachei.”’ If this is true, then Dr. Boisduval claims precedence, it being sent out in 1850, while Delachei was not dis- seminated until 1856. 363—D OC TEUR BRETONNEAU (Guerin, 1850.) Rose type. Large, compact flower, midseason; guards pale lilac; center milk-white shaded amber; fragrant. Tall, strong grower; very free bloomer. Extra commercial variety. 52—DOCTOR CAILLOT (Verdier, 1856.) Semi- rose type; midseason. A grand flower, coming in large clusters; rich, fiery amaranthine-red. We doubt if there is a finer general purpose red. It will surprise you. Very free bloomer. 5S7—DOCTOR EDGAR PLEAS (Pleas, 1900.) Anemone type. This is one of the most beau- tiful and wonderful productions without pol- len or seed follicles such as man alone could have created and one of the most delicately charming of its type. Guards light lilac-pink; center of flower canary-yellow. When the bloom has obtained its full strength of stem and heritage of beauty the petaloid filaments in the center put on the airs of nobility by donning snow-white plumes midway over the bright yellow surface, being of greater width than on the recurved filaments themselves, each plume being cupped and curved like the white caps on the waves of the ocean—as if it were on dress parade. Mrs. Pleas says in regard to the yellow ones: “I think the Dr. Pleas best, else I had not named it that.’ Cer- tainly unique. 327—DOCTEUR H. BARNSBY (Dessert, 1913.) Rose type; late. Very large, full, globular bloom. Color solferino-red, tinged purplish-crimson, changing to clearer tint with very pronounced bluish reflex. Strong stems and good habit; free bloomer in clusters; beautiful and showy. 795—DOCTOR H. VAN DER TAR (Nieuwenhuy- zen, 1916.) The total effect of the flower is Wine red, sometimes showing a few stamens with a pronounced shade of crimson towards the center, while the rims of the petals are shaded somewhat lighter. This is a very free blooming variety. Stems strong and the red flowers show off beautifully against the dark shiny foliage. First class certificate of merit given by the Pomological Society of Boskoop. 316—DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE (Kelway, 1896.) Rose type; late. Extra large, compact, flat bloom, solferino-red, narrow fringed petals in- termingled with the wide petals; color effect uniform deep rose. ‘Tall, strong grower, fra- grant, distinct and beautiful. Miss Ella V. Baines, Springfield, Ohio. 97—DORCHESTER (Richardson, 1870.) Rose type; very late. This is an extremely valuable Peony for several reasons. First, it is an upright, shapely growing plant. Second, the color is a del- icate Hydrangea-pink or salmon- pink, a color that is very rare in Peonies. Third, it blooms very late, thus extending the time at which we may enjoy the Peony fully a week. This Peony by its distinet, clean, salmon-pink color was the lodestone that caused our Mr. John Good to take up Peony culture. 22—DUC de WELLINGTON (Calot, 1859.) Bomb type; late midsea- son. If it were not for the fact that comparisons are odious, we would make the statement and without fear of successful con- tradiction that there is no va- riety of white Peonies that has so many points of excellence as this same old Duke of Welling- ton.