408 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



that spring in his part of the country opens up earHer than does 

 ours, and they have more difficulty with late spring frosts. I 

 never had my orchard injured by late spring frosts and never 

 knew the lilac to be injured. The dwarf forms of lilac have 

 been very successful on my place. 



NURSERY PROPAGATION OF THE PEONY. 



JOHN HAWKINS, MINNEAPOLIS. 



The peony is .generally propagated by divisions. The roots 

 can be dug and divided any time in the fall after the plant has 

 matured, which is generally about the first of September, until 

 the stalks commence to appear in the spring. As a rule the best 

 results are obtained by dividing and planting roots during the 

 early fall, because this gives the roots that are cut time to callous 

 and new rootlets to form before winter sets in. Care should be 

 taken in digging the plants to get all the roots, especially if the 

 same ground is to be planted to peonies again, because if any 

 roots are left in the ground, even if they have no eyes, they will 

 often remain in the soil two years before forming new eyes and 

 commencing growth. The different varieties can easily get 

 mixed in this way. 



The peony will grow and bloom in most any kind of soil, but 

 the best results will not be obtained unless the soil is liberally 

 enriched and thoroughly pulverized to the depth of about two 

 feet. The roots should be planted so that the crowns are about 

 two inches below the surface. For propagating purposes the 

 plants are generally set in rows three to four feet apart and 

 eighteen to twenty-four inches apart in the row. Where the 

 plants are to remain permanently more space should be allowed. 

 The plants commence growth early in the spring, and as they 

 have only a few weeks time to make most of their growth and 

 produce their immense flowers, it is necessary that cultivation 

 should commence as early in the spring as possible and should 

 continue once or twice a week until the flowering season is 

 over, when it will not be necessary to cultivate quite as often. 

 The plants should be kept free from weeds and grass at all times, 

 as they will grow and bloom in proportion to the care and treat- 

 ment given them. You should not expect much from plants that 

 are half starved. Plants that are old, and inclined to produce 

 too many stalks, should be thinned to fifteen to twenty shoots 

 in order to produce good large blossoms. The plants are gross 



