THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 231 



them to the very holes they were taken out of, if the holes were 

 first improved by forking up a little of the subsoil, and adding a 

 good dressing of rotten manure. But it would be better practice to 

 give them a new position, as in the fresh soil the growth would be im- 

 proved, and the flowers next season would be enormously large and 

 superbly coloured. But where preonies are doiug well, people will 

 hesitate to incur the trouble of disturbing them, and very properly. 

 It is very well to let well alone, and very ill to disturb anything for 

 the sake of making work. I know of some few good clumps of 

 pseonies that have not been disturbed for ten years at least, aud they 

 flower very freely and delightfully. A private cultivator may have no 

 great desire to multiply the pseonies he has, but where multiplication 

 is desirable, it is as easily done as cutting bread aud butter. Every 

 one of the finger-like tubers will make a plant. I believe that the 

 roots of peonies are about the hardest things to kill that we have 

 in our gardens. I have known bits of root not larger than a horse- 

 bean that have been exposed to sun, wind, rain, and frost for months 

 together, and were then buried two feet deep, throw up leaves 

 in the month of June following, and if left alone would in due time 

 form as good plants as any in the garden. A great many have been 

 destroyed here, yet it has been slow work : wmerever a bit of root 

 got buried at not more than two feet deep, it persisted in publishing 

 the fact of its existence in a sort of never-say-die display of a tuft 

 of leaves where nobody looked for it, and everybody hated it. I 

 mention this persistence of vitality in order to add force to the 

 remark that amateurs not accustomed to garden work have no need 

 to fear that they will kill their panmies by lifting them. If there 

 are fifty prcony plants in a garden where a hundred are required, all 

 that needs be done is to take them up at the end of August or early 

 in September, cut every large plant into two or three, aud leave the 

 small ones uncut ; and plant them again immediately. 



As to the planting, the non-practical operator is advised to take 

 notice that on the crown of every stool — that is near the point 

 where the stems of their present leaves spring from — are certain 

 plump buds, which if left unhurt will produce leaves and flowers 

 next year. If these plump buds arc destroyed in the process of 

 replantiDg, there will be no flowers ; but if all the visible buds were 

 rubbed oil', the roots would not be killed, because they are capable 

 of forming new crowns, aud in due time will at least produce leaves, 

 and after one season's fair growth will, if left alone, flower freely. 

 Where a great stock is required, they may be divided into as many 

 pieces as there are separate tubers ; and if there are not enough 

 then, all the tubers may be cut into pieces, and be sown like peas, 

 and every one will be a plant in time, and will flower in the third 

 year after being so planted. Almost any soil will suit these plants, 

 but the proper soil is a damp rich loam : they will grow finely in 

 well-manured clay, and the worst of the London soils would answer 

 very well with the help of deep digging, and the incorporation of 

 plenty of good manure. As to position, that also is not of great 

 consequence. Some amount of sun they must have, aud an open 

 position is better than one shaded by walls or trees ; yet shade 



