I20 



from floating summer spores borne from some diseased plant grow- 

 ing in the neighborhood." 



Besides this Botrytis there is a disease reported by Mr. C. S. 

 Harrison of York, Neb., which he describes as being a diseased con- 

 dition of the roots, causing enlargements. He asserts most em- 

 phatically that the disease is of fungous nature. Professor E. L. 

 Bessey, to whom he sent specimens, informs me that he is very 

 doubtful as to whether it is a fungous disease. Professor Bessey 

 is growing plants and making a further study of this disease at 

 Miami, Florida. 



On the Cornell plots in 1906 appeared what seemed to be a 

 physiological disease, probably caused by the sun shining upon the 

 leaves when wet. Small dead areas were noticed on the leaves in 

 a few cases, but the trouble was not carefully studied. Little harm 

 was occasioned by it. 



In looking over peony literature, remarkably few references were 

 found to diseases of any kind. The following are the only ones 

 found of any note : 



1890. The Garden, Vol. 37, p. 562. Simple mention of the rot- 

 ting down of the stems. 



1898. Gardeners' Chronicle, Vol. 24, p. 125. Professor George 

 Massee gives a good discussion of this rot-down of the stems. 

 Illustrated. Quoted at length above. 



1898. American Florist, p. 380. Byron D. Halsted gives a short 

 discussion and calls the fungus Botrytis vulgaris. 



1899. The Gardeners' Magazine, Vol. 42, p. 143. Byron D. 

 Halsted gives an account of a peculiar attack of this disease during 

 a very wet season. 



1900. The Gardeners' Assistant, Vol. i, p. 130. Merely a good 

 illustration with full legend. 



1903. Flora and Sylva, p. 157. Mention is made that this dis- 

 ease had been noted by M. Dessert in his gardens in France. 



Insects 

 The peony is also exceptionally free from insect troubles. Many 

 emphatic statements might be cited to the effect that peonies were 

 entirely free from insect depredations. William Kelway, the famous 

 peony specialist of Langport, England, states on page 425 of the 

 Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society of 1890: " The peony is 

 never attacked by any blight, game, vermin, slug, or snail, and my 

 connection with it has been a source of renewed pleasure from year 



