July 21. 1906 



HOKTicu lturje; 



55 



The Peony 



Abstract of Annual Address of President C. W. Ward Before the American Peony Society at Boston. 



In his address before the American 

 Peony Society at Boston, President C. 

 W. Ward said that in order to secure 

 a large display of flowers at the annual 

 exhibitions, from different sections of 

 the country, it would be found neces- 

 sary that growers in those sections 

 where the peony blooms early in the 

 season, ship their flowers in the bud 

 form for cold storage. For this, he 

 said a regular cold storage plant, with 

 even temperature and dry atmosphere 

 would be much preferable to florists' 

 ice boxes. 



When placed in cold storage the 

 bloom should be tied six to twelve in 

 a bundle and the buds wrapped in wax 

 or oiled paper extending six inches 

 beyond the buds but open at the ends, 

 and the stems plunged in water one- 

 half to two-thirds of their length. 

 This uncertainty in storing and keep- 

 ing peony blooms renders the gather- 

 ing together of a representative ex- 

 hibition from different paints of the 

 country at one time an exceptionally 

 difficult task and it is a foregone con- 

 clusion that our peony displays must 

 depend very largely upon those grow- 

 ers in the immediate vicinity of the 

 locality where the annual exhibition 

 is held. 



On the question of nomenclature he 

 had this to say: 



The necessity of continuing ever- 

 lastingly at the task of straightening 

 out the nomenclature of the peony has 

 been most emphaticaly impressed up- 

 on me by my experience in purchasing 

 peonies from both foreign and Ameri- 

 can growers during the last three 

 years. This spring the attempt to de- 

 termine whether the names attached 

 to certain varieties growing in our 

 peony test plot were the true names, 

 developed a state of affairs which has 

 caused me not a little chagrin and I 

 find that I have the same peony in 

 many instances under several names. 

 Some two years ago I purchased from 

 one of the most reliable firms in Hol- 

 land quite a quantity of a peony un- 

 der the name of Mons. Charles Leve- 

 que. paying therefor an exceptional- 

 ly large price under the impression 

 and representation that I was getting 

 something especially good. The plants 

 are blooming for the first time this 

 season and prove to be nothing less 

 than the variety sold by French grow- 

 ers under the name Mils. Leonie Calot. 

 introduced by Calot in ISfil * * * 

 Two distinct sorts came to us from 

 reputable firms under the name of 

 Delachii, one being a deep purplish 

 amaranth, the other much darker in 

 color and with a decided crimson cast. 

 I have not as yet been able to deter- 

 mine which is the true sort as either 

 one would answer fairly well to the 

 introducer's description of Delachii 

 which is "Deep purple". From one of 

 the most responsible American peony 

 firms we got the" variety Mad. Ducel 

 under the name of Model of Perfec- 

 tion, others have the name of Mons. 



.Tules Elie attached to thtir stoclv of 

 A<ad. Ducel. Under Modiste Guerin 

 come two varieties somewhat similar 

 in habit and similar in color, but the 

 true variety is much better in color 

 and a more valuable peony than the 

 false one. Mad. Coste comes to us un- 

 der the name of Souv. d L'Exposition 

 Universelle. Under the same name 

 we get two dark pink varieties which 

 are far inferior to Souv. d L'Exp. Uni- 

 verselle and which we have not as yet 

 been able to identify. Marie Stuart 

 comes to us from one of the most 

 prominent western peony firms under 

 the name of Baroness Schroeder. Un- 

 der the name of Mad. de Verneville we 

 get a mixture of Mad. de Vatry, 

 Jeanne d'Arc and the true Verneville. 

 Jeanne d'Arc comes to us under the 

 name of Marguerite Gerard, Agnes 

 Marie Kelway came under the name 

 of La Tulipe and La Tulipe comes al- 

 so under the name of Multicolor. 



Two common dark pink peonies 

 come to us under the name of Mad. 

 Camille Bancel. Under La Tendresse 

 we get a common flesh pink semi- 

 double peony which shows the seed 

 pods prominently in the center. The 

 true La Tendresse is creamy white, 

 absolutely double and shows no center 

 or seed pods and is much dwarfer 

 grower than the false variety. 



Some three or four years since we 

 purchased from a Holland firm quite a 

 stock of a good solid pink peony under 

 the name of Rose d'Amour. All of 

 the stock we received from the firm 

 the first year proved to be true to 

 habit and color. The second order to 

 the same firm for the same variety 

 brought a mixed lot of pink peonies, 

 all varying shades of dark and light, 

 pink and purple and but eleven plants 

 out of one hundred received proved to 

 be the same kind sold us originally 

 by this same firm as Rose d'Amour. 

 An investigation of the variety and 

 comparing it with the true Rose 

 d'Amour which we purchased from a 

 French firm and which answers to the 

 originator's description, disclosed the 

 fact that none of the peonies shipped 

 us by the Holland firm in question 

 were the true variety. * * * 



Our own American firms do not 

 seem to be in much better condition 

 than those in Holland and it would 

 seem as if we are at present almost 

 hopelessly mixed in our peony nomen- 

 clature, which seems to be too con- 

 fused even for our American firms to 

 deal intelligently among themselves. 

 Take for instance, the peony Delachii. 

 Should we need 1000 of this variety 

 for massing in a large piece of land- 

 scape work, if we ordered it froin two 

 or three different American firms, we 

 would receive probably two or three 

 different shades of purple that would 

 spoil the effect of the mass of color if 

 used together, and barring a very few 

 sorts if we should get an order for a 

 thousand plants of one variety, I do 

 not know where we could get the or- 

 der properly filled. Before peonies 

 can he used largely and effectively in 

 landscape work the nomenclature must 

 be straightened out so that peonies 

 can be purchased in quantity from 

 dift'erent firms true to name, color, 

 height and time of blooming. 



We have found three or four 

 firms in Europe who are making 

 an honest effort to send out reliable 

 stock true to the originator's name 

 and who are willing to guarantee their 

 stock. We have adopted the practice 

 of requiring such guarantees and not 

 paying for stock until it has bloomed 

 with us and proved true and the most 

 reliable firms are willing to guarantee 

 their stock in this way. 



But even with such guarantees we 

 get too great a percentage wrongly 

 labeled probably due to ineflicient 

 systems of keeping stock or carelessness 

 of workmen in handling and packing 

 shipments. As it takes three years 

 to fully identify peonies, this receiving 

 unreliable stock is a most serious de- 

 triment and obstacle to the commer- 

 cial dealer as well as to the amateur 

 who is often keenly disappointed in 

 getting something entirely different 

 from what was expected from the 

 catalogue description or from what 

 was seen and noted on the exhibition 

 table. 



TWO NEW PLANTS. 



Honorable mention was given to 

 Joseph Tailby for a new hybrid rich- 

 ardia named Mrs. Joseph Tailby, 

 shown at Horticultural Hall. Boston, 

 on July 14. The variety has the same 

 spotted leaves as EUiottiana, the spots 

 being rather larger and more pro- 

 nounced; the flower is considerably 

 larger than that of EUiottiana but of 

 slightly paler yellow, and the plant 

 appears to be a much stronger grower. 

 Mr. Tailby also showed at the same 

 time Lonicera tragophylia, this being 

 the first exhibition of the species in 

 this country, and received honorable 

 mention for it. The question of a 

 higher award will turn upon the test 

 of the hardiness of the plant in this 

 country. The flower is pale yellow 

 with a greenish cast and, as seen on 

 this occasion, does not bear out the 

 sensational introduction this novelty 

 has been, given in England. After the 

 plants get stronger a larger truss and 

 bigger flowers may better demonstrate 

 its excellence. 



SMOKE TO SAVE TREES FROM 

 FROST. 



Vice-Consul Risdorf reports that the 

 experimental gardening association, 

 Frankfort-Sachsenhausen, has made 

 some trials with fumigation against 

 night frost, which in the present sea- 

 son is frequently very injurious. In 

 April nearly all the trees in the 

 orchard were in full bloom. In ex- 

 pectation of night frost an experiment 

 was made by fumigation with naph- 

 thalene. It was a success and the 

 trees were soon enveloped in dense 

 smoke, but it was a very expensive 

 proceeding, seven flames having con- 

 sumed 120 lbs. of naphthalene in one 

 hour. A new preparation of the 

 chemical manufactory at Floersheim 

 that was tried on April 30 gave a bet- 

 ter effect. The production of a com- 

 paratively large volume of dense 

 smoke during one hour required only 

 about 40 ounces. These experiments 

 are being continued. 



