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HORTICULTURE 



December 20, 1913 



they seem glad to see me and put on 

 robes of splendor, fairer by far than 

 the raiment of a princess. We keep 

 180 kinds and know something about 

 them. 



The Peony. 

 Our modern peonies are mostly 

 from the Chinese Alblflora. I need 

 not speak of the wonderous beauty. 

 A field in full bloom is one of the 

 finest spectacles the world affords. It 

 is like a section of Paradise let down 

 to earth, while over the whole there 

 float billows of fragrance. Generally 

 they are free from disease, but of late 

 importations from France have a mys- 

 terious plague whicli hampers then- 

 growth and prevents their blooming. 

 They are the most uncanny looking 

 affairs — club footed, with no fibrous 

 roots to feed the plant. Cut off all 

 the root and just plant the bud and 

 you may dodge the difficulty. 



Our great trouble with peonies is 

 they will take their time to come to 

 their best. Take Karl Rosenfield, for 

 instance. This is probably the best 

 of the deep reds. It bloomed glori- 

 ously at home where it w^as born, but 

 it has been a sore disappointment 

 when sent away. The more robust 

 and grander the peony the more time 

 It takes to bloom. This one should 

 have four years to come to its best. 

 The Baroness Schroder, one of the 

 finest on earth, will often bloom freely 

 the first year. I saw a row of them 

 in full bloom among many others that 

 had hardly a bloom at the same age. 

 The worst abuse I ever had was from 

 a man who bought some high priced 

 ones and because they did not bloom 

 the first year he made the air thick 

 with maledictions. Then he sent me 

 some blighted buds. There had been 

 a heavy late frost that had nipped 

 them and he seemed to think that I 

 had done it. When there is danger 

 of a late frost, throw burlap over your 

 plants, for some of them cannot stand 

 the strain. There is a great change 

 of late years in the quality grown. 

 Most of the leading growers are dis- 

 carding the old sorts and raising only 

 the best. Too many kinds have been 

 thrown on the market. Father Terry 

 named one hundred when he should 

 have named only ten. Another promi- 

 nent grower has placed several new 

 ones on his list which should have 

 remained in obscurity. We have origi- 

 nated about thirty new sorts. But we 

 dare not put them on the market until 

 more fully tested. Young peonies will 

 lie like the mischief. They promise 

 great things and won't make good. 

 1 had one glorious, variegated double 

 one which was a splendor, but ever 

 after it bloomed an insignificant single 

 one. not worth ten cents. I had one 

 that bloomed at first pure gold and 

 ever after it was a m\iddy pink. I 

 had one Immense, radiant one — the 

 finest, by far, among one thousand 

 blooms. There, said I, "is $100," but 

 it never kept its promise. There is 

 dishonesty among peonies. That is 

 one trouble with propagators. They 

 will have a fine new one, and without 

 waiting to see whether it is honest or 

 not, they will go to propagating it 

 and they multiply a lot of sore disap- 

 pointments. There are 2.500 named 

 sorts — nine tenths should be elimi- 

 nated, for we now have some splen- 

 dors. Mons Jules Elie. Marguerite 

 Gerard. Livingstone, Lees Grandiflora 



ANGLO-AMERICAN EXPOSITION, LONDON (SH EPH ERD'S BUSH), 1914. 



Thk Coi ut of Ho.nok by Nu;ht 



The object of the Anglo-American 

 Exposition is to celebrate in a fitting 

 manner the hundred years of Peace 

 and Progress between the English- 

 speaking peoples since the treaty of 

 Ghent in 1S14. The Exposition will be 

 held at Shepherd's Bush. London, be- 

 tween May and October of 1914, and 

 will demonstrate in a practical man- 

 ner the progress which has been made 

 by the British and American people in 

 every branch of civilization during 

 that century, and will place on view in 

 chronological order the great achieve- 

 ments of that epoch--from inception 

 to perfection — showin.g not only how 

 each nation has improved on its own 

 inventions, but also where both have 

 worked hand in hand to perfect the 

 creation of the other. Thus there will 

 be unfolded the rich treasures of a 

 hundred years of British and Ameri- 

 can art. 



A hundred years of the history of 

 the two nations — their famous States- 

 men. Authors. Artists Inventors. Phil- 

 anthropists. Financiers, Merchants 

 .Manufacturers and others. Men and 

 women who have helped in the ad- 

 vancement of civiliz;ition and in mak- 

 ing each nation what it is today wi 1 

 l)e represented, with such objects of 

 historical interest as are associated 

 with them and their times. 



A hundred years of progress in Ed 

 ucation. Science. Literature, Inven- 

 tions and Productions. Improvements 

 and Comforts in Social Life. Better- 

 ment of the conditions of Working 

 Men and Women. 



Rubra, Asa Gray, Albertre and a large 

 number of others are of exquisite 

 beauty and fragrance. It costs to get 

 them started. In multiplying, don't 

 cut the roots too small. It discour- 

 ages the plant and it takes years to 

 attain blooming size. 



The Phlox. 



The Phlox loves cool, moist weather. 

 They can be multiplied with great 

 rapidity. First, by seeds. Save the 

 seeds before the pods pop open. Keep 

 the seeds dry and crush the pods. 

 Then plant them. If you wish to 

 clean them, throw them in a tub of 

 water. The seeds will sink like shot 

 and the chaff will rise on the top. 

 Dry them immediately if you are not 

 ready to plant, or if you wish to sell 



Schedule of the Horticultural Com- 

 mittee. 



1. Rock, Water ami Korniiil Garden 

 IManters for ttie whole of tbe season. May 

 to October. 



2. Herbaceous Plant C rowers of the 

 whole of the season. May to October. 



3. Fruit Trees, Ornamental Trees, 

 Climbers and Shrubs not crown for their 

 flowers, and Hard.v Flowering Shrubs for 

 the whole of the season. 



4. Growers of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, 

 Flowering Shrubs, Sweet Peas, Dahlias, 

 Sub-Tropical Plants, Chrysanthemums, 

 Fruit Trees in pots, for a period of 

 about two months each in succession. 



5. Roses, for the period of the Expo- 

 sition. 



The Court of Honor. Groups of Palms, 

 Bamboos, Bays and other decorative 

 plants In pots and tubs, to be arranged In 

 artistic groupings around this court. 



"A" Sfctlon. I'ourt of Arts. May-flower- 

 ing Tulips whlcli must be In bloom by the 

 opening of the Kxhibitlon; the flrst week 

 In .May. 



"B" Section. To be followed by Sub- 

 Tropical F.)liage and Flowering IManls, 

 .May-flowering Tulips, to be followed by 

 sult;it)le flowering plants. 



"C" Section, In Front of Building No. 21. 

 American Trees. Shrubs, I.illes, etc.; and 

 on the Island In front of this building. 

 Bamboos and Grasses. 



"D" Sw-tlon, In Front of Fine Arts 

 Palace. Climbing and Dwarf Roses. 



•*E" Section, Kiite (.lardens. Roses. 



"F" Section. Court of I'rogress. The 

 centre plot being an existing sunken gar- 

 i\Qn, to be an Knglish form:)I garden, six 

 large spaces on citiier si*ic surrounded by 

 4-li|)pc4l hedges oeing deviitetl to herbaceous 

 pl:ints slmwing artistic groui)lng effect: 

 certain of the plots of this Court being 

 reserved ftir Rose Gardens and others for 

 Rhododendrons. 



"G" Section. Ornamental Trees and 

 Shrubs. 



"H" Section, Back of nulldlng No. 21. 

 Ornamental Trees, Rock Gardens, Glass- 

 houses, Summer-houses, Horticultural Sun- 

 dries, etc. 



them. Plant always in the fall. They 

 will not grow if planted in the spring. 

 Cover with about a half an inch of 

 light earth or sand and see they do 

 not dry while germinating. They love 

 the slush and slop of spring and glory 

 in adversity. 2nd. You can multiply 

 rapidly from the roots. Take a sharp 

 spade, run it straight down half way, 

 and then turn it square and cut off 

 the roots. The roots you leave in the 

 ground will put a head on themselves 

 and there will be a great mass of them. 

 Seedlings bloom the first year, these 

 do not. Take them up in the fall and 

 plant them out and next year you will 

 have fine blooming plants. You sepa- 

 rate the stools you take up and plant 

 them out and in a year you will have 

 fine showy plants. 



