April 14, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



noi 



how many of our boys who joined the carnation 

 society two years ago are still members. I 

 remember there was some talk of everyone 

 Joining for one year out of courtesy to the 

 society. I think that is a very poor kind of 

 courtesy, though. Why not join and stay joined? 

 The $2 won't break you, and just think how 

 much better you will enjoy it all whenever you 

 can, attend the convention and know that you 

 are a member and have a real interest In 

 everything that is going on. And when the 

 banquet n^ght draws near, you won't have to 

 cause some friend the embarrassment of taking 

 you into the banquet hall some way. 



Have you ever stopped to think what th<» 

 American Carnation Society has done for you? 

 I won't say that it has caused the Improvement 

 of tho carnation. The carnation had been 

 greatly improved and was being steadily im- 

 proved before the society was organized, but 

 here is what did happen: Before the American 

 Carnation Society came into existence there 

 were a few firms who raised seedlings to get 

 new and improved varieties. Each, firm imag- 

 ined that it had to put on the market from 

 three to half a dozen or more varieties each 

 year. It did not take a very good bloom to 

 be as good as the average of that day and 

 every variety that was about as good as the 

 average was put on the market. Most of yon 

 will remember the blooms that were shown at 

 your chrysanthemum shows about twelve to 

 fourteen years ago. It did not take long to 

 glut the market with a lot of inferior varienes 

 and you did not know what to buy. lest you 

 throw your good money away. Only a very 

 few were of any value whatever. It was the 

 American Carnation Society that put a stop 

 to this by requiring a variety to score up to a 

 certain standard before it could receive its 

 approval, and It was soon found that its ap- 

 proval was essential to the successful lauuching 

 of a new variety. This caused a more uniform 

 improvement in the varieties offered to the 

 trade, and a decided cutting down in the num- 

 ber offered. Those firms which offered half a 

 dozen each year are now glad to have one or 

 two each year. I don't say that the carnation 

 society's plan of awarding certificates is per- 

 fect; in fact. I know it is not, and it is trying 

 now to evolve a better plan, and no doubt it 

 T^-ill materialize soon. 



You all know these things, but do you ever 

 stop to think that you are the men who really 

 profit by the work of the society? Tou do, 

 more than anyone else. While you do occa- 

 sionally buy a variety that does not live up 

 to its promise, you do get a much larger per- 

 centage of improved varieties than you used to 

 get. And the varieties are very few that will 

 not make you as much money per square foot 

 as the old timers did. to say the least. Indi- 

 ana stands right in the front rank in the pro- 

 duction of new carnations and a large percent- 

 age of our bread wimiers. as well as prize win- 

 ners, were born in Indiana. Indiana ought to 

 be well represented in the American Carnation 

 Society and I wish that every one of our mem- 

 bers could be a member of that society, too. 

 It would be nothing more than showing an hon- 

 est appreciation of favors rendered. 



A FEW HINTS ON PEONIES. 



They love a well-drained bed or border, 

 and should uot be planted where water 

 will stand during winter or spring, but 

 they will grow and bloom most beautiful- 

 ly in almost any kind of soil. If possi- 

 ble, avoid planting them directly under a 

 tree, or too near a hedge, for that would 

 rob them of the necessary moisture which 

 they should have during the summer, in 

 order to lay up strength for the flowers 

 produced the coming season. For the 

 same reason do not allow blue-grass, or 

 any other weed, to grow and share with 

 your peonies the plant-food which they 

 alone should have. Keep the bed well 

 stirred for at least eighteen inches all 

 around the plants. All herbaceous or 

 perennial flowering plants bloom in pro- 

 portion to the amount of care and treat- 

 ment received the previous season. You 

 should not expect much from anything 

 that is half starved. 



In making your peony bed or border, 

 do not use fresh manure; it should be 

 well rotted and thoroughly mixed with the 

 soil for at least a foot in depth ; eighteen 

 inches of such fertilizing would give most 

 wonderful results. Be quite liberal with 

 the manure; if old and well rotted it will 

 not harm the roots. Do not have the bed 

 higher than the surrounding ground, but 

 rather a little lower. Apply a coating of 

 more manure each fall, and fork it into 

 the ground in the spring. Always be 

 careful not to disturb the buds that are 



Design for Funeral of M. A. Hanna. 



(By Westroan & Getz. Cleveland.) 



just then getting ready to push through 

 the surface. This kind of treatment will 

 give you extra-large, bright-colored flow- 

 ers, and lots of them, during May and 

 June. Thin out a few of the weaker 

 shoots after the clumps are several years 

 old; fifteen to twenty should be the limit 

 allowed to each clump. The flowers on 

 those that remain will be just so much 

 finer in proportion to this thinning. 



Peony roots should not be disturbed 

 when once planted; it takes several years 

 for them to recover from shocks thus 

 received. They cannot be divided while 

 in the ground; the whole clump must be 

 lifted. 



In all my experience of fifteen years in 

 growing peonies, I have yet to see an in- 

 sect or bug infesting them. Ants will 

 sometimes visit the buds and flowers to 

 obtain some sweet substances found 

 there, but they are absolutely harmless. 

 It is a general belief that they injure 

 the buds of flowers, but my observation 

 and experience assure me that if the buds 

 do not open or bloom, this is due to some 

 other cause. In nine cases out of ten 

 such plants were starved the previous 



summer, and cannot open their buds for 

 lack of the necessary strength to do so. 

 Neither gophers nor moles will touch a 

 peony root, but will often carry away 

 many varieties of lily bulbs and store 

 them in their burrows. 



Spring is when the amateur wants to 

 ]ilant peony roots. Early in April, or 

 even in March, if the frost is out of the 

 ground and it is not wet or soggy, is the 

 best time to plant the roots. The ground 

 should be mellow and in good condition. 

 If you have ordered peony roots, and 

 they arrive before you are ready to 

 plant them, simply place them in moist 

 farth in some cool place; they will be 

 safe there for one, or even two or more 

 weeks. Always turn the buds upward, 

 so that if they should start they will 

 grow straight. When planted the buds 

 should be about two inches below the sur- 

 face. 



For the commercial grower of peonies 

 September or October planting is by far 

 the better practice, provided the ground 

 is not too dry, which is often the case, 

 especially here in Nebraska and through 



