THE PROCESSION OF FLOWERS FROM SPRING TO FALL 99 



not put them on the market until more fully tested. Young peonies 

 AvlU lie like the mischief. They promise great things, and won't make 

 good. I had one glorious variegated double one, which was a splen- 

 dor, but ever after it bloomed, an insignificant single one, not worth 

 ten cents. I had one that bloomed at first, prize gold, and then ever 

 after it was a muddy pink. I had one immense radiant one, the 

 finest by far among 1000 blooms. There, said I, is $100, but it never 

 kept its promise. There is dishonesty among peonies, and that is 

 one trouble with propagators. They will have a fine new one, and 

 without waiting to see whether it is honest or not they will go to 

 propagating it. They multiphy a lot of sore disappointments. There 

 are 2500 named sorts — nine tenths should be eliminated, for we have 

 now some splendors. Mons Jules Elie; Margaret Gerard, Livingston, 

 and a large number of others are of exquisite beauty and fragrance. 

 It costs to get them started. In multiplying, don't cut the roots too 

 small. It discourages the plant, and it takes years to attain blooming 

 size. You can propagate as fast, and get better results by not being 

 in such a hurry yourself. For you will find out sooner or later you 

 can't hurry a peony. 



These radiant flowers have come to their own. Last June there 

 was a notable wedding in Minneapolis. A daughter of one of your 

 If-ading lawyers was married. The home was decorated with /!000 

 radiant and fragrant peonies. 



PHLOX. 



This is a very showy flower, for the wedding and so forth. If you 

 use it as a cut flower, you must take the precaution to shake it well, 

 and shatter off the loose flowers. The phlox loves cool moist weather. 

 iSlinnesota is the ideal place for it. Take one of the larger sorts with 

 single florets, the size of a dollar, and in hot dry weather they will 

 be no larger than a quarter. They can be multiplied with great 

 rapidity. 



Save the seeds before the pods open. If they do this, the Eeeds 

 will fly quite a distance. This is natures provision for extending them. 

 Keep the seeds dry, and crush the pods, and then you can plant them. 

 If you wish to clean them, throw them in a tub of water. The 

 seeds will sink like shot, and the chaff will rise on the top. Dry 

 them immediately, if you are not ready to plant, or if you wish to 

 sell them. Plant always in the fall. They will not grow if planted 

 in the spring. Cover with about a half an inch of light earth, or 

 sand, and see that they do not dry while germinating. They love the 

 slush and slop of a wet spring, and glory in adversity. Keep saving 

 Feed of the best, and you will stand a chance to produce new ones 

 tetter than you can import. Most of these coming from Europe, can- 

 not stand our hot dry summers, and often they will blight out of 

 existence in wet weather. They seldom reproduce themselves from 



