TREE PiEONV GARDENS IN CHINA. 



cics, had finely cut leaves, and flowers of a dark velvety purple, like the Tuscany Rose 

 of our gardens. This the Chinese call the " black" Moutan, and I believe it is the same 

 Mhich Dr. Lindley has described in the Journal of the Horticultural Society, and named 

 P. atrosanguinea. Another kind called the " tse," or purple, has double flowers of a large 

 size : this is probably the variety reported to have 1000 petals, and which is said to exist 

 only in the garden of the Emperor. The third is called the " Ian," or blue: this is a lilac 

 variety, with flowers of the color of Glycine sinensis. There are others of various shades 

 of purple, perfectly distinct fi'om these, and equally fine. 



The double whites are also numerous and handsome. The largest of these Dr. Lindley 

 has named P. globosa, but there are four or five others nearly as large and double. Some 

 of them have a slight lilac tinge, which gives a richness to the color. The most expensive 

 is one called " wang," or yellow, by the Chinese: it is a straw-colored variety, rather 

 pretty, but not so handsome as some of the others. 



The reds, (Hong,) are also numerous. Curious enough, those kinds which are com- 

 mon in Canton and England, are rare here. There are about half a dozen of new varieties 

 of reds in these gardens: one of them, called " Van-yang-hong" by the Chinese, is the 

 finest flower I ever saw. The flowers are of a clear red color, unlike any of the others, 

 perfectly double, and each measures about ten inches across. Altogether I numbered about 

 thirty distinct varieties in these gardens. 



Nearly all these fine varieties of the Moutan are quite unknown in Canton. This may 

 seem strange in a country where the people are proverbially fond of flowers, but the Chi- 

 nese are so machine-like in all their movements, that after a little acquaintance with them, 

 we cease to wonder at the apparent anomaly. The fact is, the Canton gardens are suppli- 

 ed with jSIoutans by another district, which lies much farther to the west than Shanghae. 

 From time immemorial the same gardens have supplied these flowers; they came always 

 by the same road, and at the same time of the year. Shanghae, until the close of the last 

 war, never seems to have had any connection with Canton, in so far as flowers were con- 

 cerned, consequently these fine varieties of the Tree Pseony never found their way to the 

 south, and from thence to Europe. 



The Jiloutan gardens are numerous, but each is upon a very small scale. They look more 

 like cottage gardens than anything else, and are managed in the same way as gardens of 

 this description generally are, namely, by the members of the family. The female part 

 of the community seem to take as much interest in the business as the males, and are very 

 avaricious and fond of money. I invariably found I had to pay higher prices for the plants 

 when they were consulted on the matter. The soil of these gardens is a rich loam, well 

 manured, and thus rendered lighter in texture than that of the surrounding country in 

 which the cotton grows. 



The propagation and management of the Moutan seems to be perfectly understood by 

 the Chinese at Shanghae, much better than it is in England. Our nurserymen always 

 complain that they cannot propagate it with facility, and consequently this fine flower is 

 invariably high in price. I will tell you how the Chinese manage the business, in order 

 that your nursery readers may give the system a trial. 



In the beginning of October large quantities of the roots of a herbaceous Peeony* are 

 seen heaped up in sheds and other outhouses, and are intended to be used as stocks for 

 the Moutan. The bundle of tubers which forms the root of a herbaceous PaBony is pulled 

 to pieces, and each of the finger-like rootlets forms a stock upon which the Moutan is des 

 tined to be grafted. Having thrown a large number of these rootless upon the pott 



* A variety with small single flowers 



