866 



HORTICULTURE 



June 19, 1909 



AMERICAN PEONY SOCIETY. 



The annual meeting and exhibition 

 of this society was held at C"ot;age 

 Gardens, Queens, N. Y., on Fiiday and 

 Saturday, .lune 11 and 12. President 

 Ward being unable to be present. Prof. 

 Craig of Ithaca served as temporary 

 chairman at the two meetings held 

 Friday afternoon. Geo. C. Thurlow, 

 Guy A. Bryant and A. H. Fewkes were 

 appointed judges of the exhibition. 

 Adjournment was made until Saturday 

 and the visitors spent the afternoon in 

 looking over and admiring the un- 

 piecedented display of i)eonies bloom- 

 ing in the fields of the Cottage Gar- 

 dens Co. 



Address of President C. W. Ward. 



It is my e.xtreme resri't tli.Tt I am com- 

 pelled to aiiounce my iiiiihility to be with 

 our beloved society at tbe fourth annual 

 meeting and to also announce that here- 

 after I shall be unable to take any labori- 

 ous part or position with you or any other 

 horticultural body. My connection with 

 anil laliors among horticulturists have 

 been most agreeable, pleasant and instruc- 

 tive anil I "would much like to continue 

 them ; but the condition of my health dur- 

 ing the past year warns me that I must 

 out off all detail work possible and save 

 my strength for tasks that I canont avoid. 

 I wish, however, to assure yon all that 

 my sympathy and support will always 

 be heartily exerted in aiding all horticul- 

 tural societies, not only in America but in 

 other lands as well, in the grand works 

 they have undertaken. 



The work for which the Peony Society 

 was organized to perform has been Imt 

 fairly begun. Some errors and omi';-ii"Ti-; 

 liave likely been made, but these sliMiihl 

 not discourage you all in continuin;: i In- 

 work already planned nor in planning ad- 

 dltional work that experience shows to 

 be needful, but we all should rather work 

 with renewed vigor and a determination 

 to accomplish all that which we set out 

 to accomplish. 



Nomenclature: With the data at my 

 command I am at this time unable to 

 make many suggestions of value, but the 

 work already mapped out should be con- 

 tinued to the end that American peony 

 growers should have at least an authentic 

 list of named varieties most desirahle for 

 general culture ou our continent and that 

 duplicate names should as far as prac- 

 ticable be eliminated from that list. 



Your nomenclature committee should_.be 

 composed of practical men who are willing 

 and able to give it the necessary time, 

 observation and attention. 



Essays: — There should be provided at 

 each annual meeting two or three able 

 essa.vists. covering subjects of interest to 

 peonv growers both amateurs and profes- 

 sional. Among the subjects tli.it will likely 

 prove of interest might be mentioned: 

 Cultivation of the peony. Propagation of 

 the peony. Originating new varieties by 

 cross fertilization. Commercial peony 

 growing. The value of the peony for 

 eut " tlowers. The peony for the ama- 

 teur. The peony as a decorative plant. 

 The use of the peony in landscape garden- 

 iit.g. I'eony colors — painting and shades 

 of color that are not desirable and not 

 worthv of cultivation. The peony at ex- 

 hiliitioTis illustrating l)eKt methods for 

 keepini;. shipping and staging peony 

 blooms at exhil.itions : and several other 

 sulijccts that will suggest themselves as 

 time passes. 



The Cornell Kxperimental Plot:— The 

 Cornell experiment has not proved as suc- 

 cessful as might be desired, owing very 

 largely to the unfavoralile nature of the 

 soil and the lack of continued culture and 

 fertilization, and the condition of the plants 

 at the station is not such as to enable a 

 correct study of the varieties nor to cu- 

 ablc one to judge as to the value of differ- 

 ent variciics. Some means should be 

 nd.';N.l !■ i.i.\in. C.I- ii.-p.-i- ciiUure, fer- 

 tili,- ! r,,---.i,ii.i.- ~--iI . -iu.liiions, for, 



uiii ii -I- - - ;i" I" --I--. TV C.I in fairly 



f.-n I.I iiii: -- -hii.ii~ ,1 iisi-rvations and 



the itcdii. ■ - I h. n-fr.iin will not likely 

 prove of - I ^- 1 1. il \alue. 



Annual i , i . Should be held in 

 localities ^^ ic - 111 iin-active and effective 

 i'Nhibition of peony 1. looms may be a.ssured, 

 and at sucb seasons as would enable near- 

 by growers to stage fine displays to good 

 advantage. 



Premiums: — Substantial premiums should 

 be offered under such conditions as will 



ulil 



entries and thereby as- 

 and rules and regula- 



c so technical or severe 

 drive away cxhibitoi-s. 



ulilc 



to all impi-ovenieiits of niciit. it sliould 

 carefully avoid Uie ciid..rsciiieiit of the 

 commercial value of any new peony, and 

 Us awards should be of sm-b a character 

 as would prevent the use of the Society's 

 name in advertising worthless varieties or 

 v;u-ieties that may be practically duplicates 

 of kinds already existing in commerce. 



In co;i'-lnsion I desire to express my 

 great gratitude tct the members of this 

 Society for the uniform, kind and courte- 

 ous treatment they have one and all ac- 

 corded ine, and for the generous assistance 

 all have ren.lercl the Soi-lcty. as well as 

 for the .'nthusiasm niaiiifestfMi in our work. 

 1 feel that 1 ought to apologize for the lit- 

 tle time I have Ijceu able to devote to the 

 duties of the otlice with wliich you have 

 thrice honored me and to offer as the only 

 explanation lack of srffieient strength to 

 attend to them proper^- and at the same 

 time care for the business duties which 

 have crowded upon me and which could 

 not be avoided. I feel certain that any one 

 of .vour nicml)ers v\hom you ma.v choose as 

 m.\' successor will more alily fill the office 

 than I hi\\e been able to do .-ind that under 

 his guidance our society will prosper and 

 acf-omplish the needi-d work. 



C. \V. Ward 



Yon all have my best wishes for success 

 collecth-ely and individually and I desire 

 to express to each and everyone of you 

 mv warmest ft-ieudship and sincercst 

 wishes for a long, successful and happy 



Secretary's Report. 



The pre.^eiit membership of the Society, 

 not ineluiliug f(.-.ii- honorary members, is 

 VA. Vk'e hn\e lost during the vear one mem- 

 ber by death. Mr. E. V. Hallock. who 

 joined tbe Society at the last meeting at 

 Ithaca. Although his membership was of 

 short duration his loss will be keenly felt, 

 for his horticultural attainments and genial 

 personalit.v made him a most valued mem- 

 ber. 



The \\ork of the Nonn-.ncl.-nm-p rnmmlt- 

 tee is progressing. The r.-.niy i;nlli-tin 

 published by Cornell Universiiy w.is issued 

 early in the year and distrilmtcd t.i mem- 

 bers. It ciiiaiiicl ilii Coir essay on the 

 peon.v and a ii.ntiil .l.-ci-iptive list of va- 

 rieties. This 11^1 ii.ini^ the beginning of 

 the olHcial .aiili-ne ..f the Society. In 

 his lutiodnetoi-y note Professor Craig says: 

 "It is to be regarded as a preliminary step, 

 and therefore subject to modilication in the 

 light of future experience." I will there- 

 fore say without other .-inth..i-ity fn.ni the 



chairniau of the N ii.latuic- c-niijiuittee 



that tht>se descript imi- an- sni.niitled to 

 vou for vour appro\-.-il ei- criti.-ism I.oth as 

 to methoil and ac-i-nracy. If they do not 

 meet with your approval it is suggested 



that .vour objet-tions be communicated di- 

 rect to Professor Craig or his representa- 

 tl\;', Mr, Leon D. Hatchclor, as it is 

 through a frank expression of opinion on 

 these umtters that the best results will be 

 obtained. 



In connecticm with the nomenclature 

 wni-U the question suggests itself to me 

 whether as individual members we are do- 

 ing all we i-a.i to Inrlh.'r the work of the 

 committee? It certainly is not enough for 

 ns to simply send nur collections of roots 

 t() Cornell and expect the confusion to be 

 straightened out by the tommittec there 

 while we keep on selling and distributing 

 doubtful varieties under the names we hap- 

 p(Mi to have attached to them. We should 

 cease being too confident of the accuracy 

 of our own list of names unless we have 

 taken extraordinary Uicans for proving 

 ti.em to be correct. 



For instance, if some of us have invested 

 in the Lady Alexandra Duff "gold brick" 

 we should not pass it along as the true 

 thing, but sell it iii'oii lis own merits, if 

 we are fortunate .-iii.ugli to have received 

 one of the few g.....l ( in s .mt of the dozen 

 or more varieties sent heie for it and .solve 

 the problem as one member at least has 

 done, hy advertising it as having been re- 

 ceived for the true variety, but expressing 

 a doubt of its accuracy while giving It full 

 credit for (inality. There are manv other 

 varieties of uncertain identity which should 

 be treated in the same way and if we are 

 to be consi ;t?nt members of the American 

 Penny S"i.-ietv somc such course as the 

 .iiiuv ■ should be followed, 



Anoilie]- matter which should receive at- 

 teiirioii .-It tills meeting is the prcmlutu list 

 for our exhil.itions and tlie w.-ivs and means 

 ..f i.rovidiiig for it. The exhibitions form 

 an imiiortant adjunc-t to the meetings and 

 some siK'clal provisions should be made 

 wln-ri-liy prizes can be oft'ered and naid 

 willnnjt making too heavv demands upon 

 the treasury. 



Tbe exhibition at the last meeting at 

 Ith.-ica \^■as a fairly good one but was 

 made up principallv of Howers cut from the 

 test collections. T. C. Th,urlow Co!. West 

 N'l'wl.ury, Mass., and Professor A. P. Saun- 

 'lei-s. Clinton , N. Y., were the only other 

 ,-\liiliitors and great credit is due tliem for 

 ni.-iking so good a showing of blooms. The 

 lormer entered in the commercial, and the 

 latter in the amatetu* classes. 



A. H. FEWKES, Secretary. 



The society reconvened at 11.30 a. 

 m., Saturday. Many localities were 

 lilaced in nomination for the next 

 iiipftiiig and Messrs. A. H. Fewkes, R. 

 T. Brown and W. A. Peterson were 

 appointed a committee to select a suit- 

 alile place. The Treasurer's report 

 showed a balance on hand of $456.89. 

 a substantial increase since the last 

 report. The membership is 55. 



Officers were elected as follows: 

 President, B. H. Farr, Reading, Pa.; 

 vice-president, C. .1. Maloy, Rochester, 

 N. Y. ; secretary, A. H. Fewkes. New- 

 ton Highlands, Miass. ; treasurer, J. H. 

 Humphreys: director to succeed Theo- 

 dore Smith, Prof. A. P. Saunders of 

 Hamilton College. 



Prof. Craig and others spoke appre- 

 ciatively of Mr. Ward's liberality and 

 kindness and Messrs. Saunders, Batch- 

 elor and Bryant, who had been ap- 

 pointed a committee on resolutions, 

 recommended a message of good 

 wishes to Mr. Ward, which was car- 

 ried. On recommendation of Prof. 

 Craig, Mr. Ward was made honorary 

 president of the society. L. D. Batch- 

 elor was elected an honorary member 

 and resolutions of regret on the death 

 of E. V. Hallock were adopted. 



The judges report showed B. H. Farr 

 winner of first in classes 1, 8, 9. and 

 second in classes 2, 4, 5, 7, Geo. H. 

 Peterson first in classes 2, 5, 7, and 

 second in classes 1, 9. S. G. Harris 

 first in classes 10, 11, The prizes in 

 the amateur classes were all awarded 

 to T. S. Havemeyer, gardener; A. 

 Lahndny. Special mention was 

 made of collections by B. H. Farr and 



