358 



HORTICULTURE 



December 9, 1920 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



At the peony exhibition in Reading 

 last spring many peony growers met 

 Mr. Harry A. Norton, of Ayers Cliff, 

 Quebec, for the first time, and were 

 greatly surprised to learn of the large 

 collection of peonies to be found on 

 his estate at Bdgewater Farm. The 

 fact is that Mr. Norton has opened the 

 eyes of Canadian gardeners to the pos- 

 sibilities of peony culture in the Do- 

 minion. He has demonstrated that it 

 is perfectly possible to grow nearly 

 dU of the good varieties in Quebec, 

 and that, indeed, they are much easier 

 to handle than some other perennials 

 which are in general cultivation. 

 The temperature often goes to 20 de- 



grees below zero, and sometimes 

 much lower in Quebec, and yet Mr. 

 Norton's peonies go through the win- 

 ter with practically no loss. 



The faith of Edgewater Farm's own- 

 er in the ability of peonies to with- 

 stand Canadian winters was shown 

 recently by his purchase of a root 

 from Mr. A. J. Shaylor, of Auburndale, 

 for which he paid $100. This was a 

 root of the variety Mrs. Harding, and 

 in addition to the original price it cost 

 him $30 to get it through the custom 

 house; some of the men who had the 

 handling of the bulb en route thought 

 that Mr. Norton must have parted 

 with his senses as well as his dollars. 



Of course they could not understand 

 the devotion of a peony enthusiast to 

 his hobby. As it happens, Mr, Norton, 

 being a wealthy man, and the owner 

 of a big business, is able to have in 

 his collection all the best novelties, 

 regardless of the price. As a result 

 his peony display each year is one of 

 the finest to be found anywhere on the 

 continent. Last spring his gardener 

 remarked with a sigh, "What a pity it 

 is that our peony season lasts only 

 ten days." "A mighty good thing I 

 think, " replied Mr. Norton, "for other- 

 wise my business would go to pieces. 

 As it is, I spend almost every waking 

 moment in the peony garden as long 

 as the flowers last, regardless of what 

 ever other demands there may be on 

 my time." 



Mr. Norton dreams of peonies, how- 

 ever, when he isn't flowering them, 

 and in order that his friends may 



Cattleya Dowiann .Memorial Julius Roehrs. 



