go 



" In Belgium an amateur, M. Buyck, about 1835 produced 

 amongst others Festiva Maxima ; and M. Parmentier of Enghiem, 

 some fine dark sorts such as Due d' Arrenberg." (This origin for 

 Festiva Maxima is doubted by some.) 



In England, the work of producing new varieties was not begun 

 as early as in France. While Pallas, Anderson, Sabine, Sir J. Potts, 

 Sir Abraham Hume and others were doing much to arouse interest, 

 it was not till 1850 that a nurseryman, a Mr. Salter, began to plant 

 P. albiftora, and cross such varieties as Pottsi and Reevesi. About 

 1863. Kelway of Langport in Somersetshire, began to make his 

 collection, and at once began hybridizing, but his letter published 

 by Paul, 1890, does not make it at all clear what species he started 

 with. He says he procured a plant of each of the species in a"" 

 old lady's garden on Somerton Hill, and after adding a plant of 

 coraUina began work of hybridizing. Soon Kelway began to make 

 a specialty of peonies, and in 1884 offered 250 varieties in his 

 catalog. Of these, 63 were new and single, and 41 doubles of his 

 own raising (Watson, 1904). The first variety of the genus 

 Pcuonia to receive a floral certificate in England was " Snowflake '' 

 in 1885 (Journal of Horticulture, Vol. 46, 559). 



Other men whose names have been more or less connected with 

 the history of the development of the peony in England and on the 

 Continent are Fortune, Parmentier, Loddiges, VanGeert. Delache, 

 VanHoutte, Gombault, Pele, Delecourt-Verhille, Paul, Ketelier, 

 Donkalaer, Barr, Wilks, Foulard, Miellez, Mechin, Dessert. 

 Mathieu, Hooper, Thomas, Baumann, Hiss, Paillet, Verdier, Kel- 

 way, Lemon, and many others. 



History of the Peony in America 

 The rise in popularity of the herbaceous peony in America was 

 contemporaneous with that in Europe. We do not know just when 

 the first introduction of herbaceous peonies took place, but Mc- 

 Mahon in 1806, in a list of perennials suited to the open ground in 

 the Middle and Eastern States, mentions five kinds: P. officinalis, 

 aJbiflora, laciniata, hyhrida and tenuifoUu; and we infer from this 

 that these existed in America at that date. 



Prince, in 1828, in his " Treatise on Horticulture," in speaking 

 of peonies says : "Anticipating that a similar taste would be evinced 

 in this country, the author has by a great exertion obtained every 

 possible kind from Europe, and also a number from China." He 

 describes at length Whitleyi, Humei, and Fragrans. He also 



