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Each of these divisions based on form may be again divided on 

 a basis of color, as white, shell pink, solferino, crimson, purplish 

 red, magenta, and yellow or cream. The season of bloom embraces 

 about six or seven weeks and thus each of the color divisions may 

 be again divided into three sub-divisions based on season, such as 

 early, medium or late. 



What is a Variety? 



This question often comes up in dealing with peonies as with 

 other cultivated plants, for there are so many names that many 

 persons lose the true idea of what a variety really is. The question, 

 "Can an identical variety originate twice?" often comes up, and 

 has recently been the subject of some very sharp discussion in the 

 horticultural world. Before I attempt to systematize and arrange 

 the varieties of peonies, it may be well to state clearly my ideas on 

 this subject, and the policy I shall pursue. 



Much of the confusion in regard to what a variety is, is due 

 to two factions holding opposed views. One holds that a 

 variety is necessarily determined by its origin, and the other 

 that it is determined by its own characteristics or attributes. If we 

 consider a field of Blue Stem wheat, for example, some will main- 

 tain that though all the plants are seedlings, they all belong to one 

 variety because the plant has been fixed and comes true from seed. 

 But if we take a lot of seedlings of the Baldwin apple, the claim is 

 made that each seedling is a different variety because it is a seedling. 

 The only difference is that the Baldwin has not been fixed 

 in the character of coming true to seed. There are, how- 

 ever, certain races of the Russian apple, which will come fairly 

 true to seed, and it cannot be denied that many such seed- 

 lings would have to be placed in the same variety, if all the plants 

 in the wheat field were called Blue Stem. We find, therefore, that 

 there is no definite line of demarcation to prompt us as to what 

 seedlings to call separate varieties and what seedlings to group 

 within the same variety. It all depends on the matter of fixity or 

 ability to reproduce true from seed. Therefore I take the ground 

 that if there is no place to draw a line, no line should be drawn, 

 and varieties should be considered in groups which are made for 

 convenience, regardless of the origin of the members. As a matter 

 of fact, I do not believe that two seedling peonies ever have been 

 or ever will be produced which were identical. I do believe, how- 

 ever, that it often occurs that seedling peonies of different origins 



