250 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE PAEONY. 



REV. C. S. HARRISON, YORK, NEB. 



In the land of the North, where old Boreas reigns, 

 Binding rivers and fields in his terrible chains, 

 Where the brilliant Aurora, with fingers of light, 

 Is painting her splendors on garments of night; 

 Where the chill arms of winter our beauty enfolds. 

 And wrap up her form in a mantle of cold, 

 She wakes from her slumbers and springs to the light. 

 And welcomes the warmth with her countenance bright. 

 How winsome her beauty! She floods all the air 

 With billows of fragrance, delicious and rare. 



Away in the Southland, in the land of the sun, 

 And out on the plains, where the wild tempests run. 

 She blooms in her beauty, revealing her worth. 

 Then hides from the heat in the sheltering earth. 

 Where the fair Rhododendrons in radiance glow. 

 And their wonderful glory of loveliness show; 

 And Azalias are robed in their princely attire. 

 All aflame in their vestments of crimson and fire; 

 There her fragrance and graces our senses allure. 

 Full as lovely in form, and in beauty as pure. 

 By the side of the Rose in her robes of the morning, 

 And graces exquisite, her beauty adorning; 

 To whose fairy sweetness will ever belong 

 The legends of story, and tributes of song. 

 She need never hide in confusion and shame, 

 Or cringe at the thought of the magical name. 

 The pond lily flings all her sweets on the air, 

 And opens before us a countenance fair. 

 But the queen of our love is as dear to the eye 

 As t4ie delicate blooms which on still waters lie. 

 In the great prairie empire so dreary and vast. 

 Where roses are slain by the terrible blast. 

 Where sirocco and blizzard in tournament vie. 

 And flowers of the Eastland grow homesick and die; 

 Where gardens are lonely and homes are forlorn. 

 There bravely our queen lifts her beautiful form, 

 And laughs at the tempest and smiles at the storm. 

 And mothers whose eyes have grown weary with waiting. 

 And girls whose sweet spirits for beauty are aching. 

 Shall smile on the march of our glorious flower. 

 And souls that are hungry her beauty devour. 

 No more shall the homestead be sad and forlorn. 

 An invasion of beauty the land shall adorn. 

 How sweetly her blossoms the senses beguile, 

 And the weary revive with the breath of her smile! 



The Ideal HorticulTurai, Society.— The purpose of a horticultura 

 society is to spread information. Growers can come together and exchange 

 experiences and information that will help each other, Members must come 

 together and exchange experiences and information that will help each other. 

 Members must come to the meeting ready to give this. All men should stand 

 on the same footing, and each one be ready to help. The program should not 

 be too long, nor the speechesj^lengthy. Great stress should be laid on the 

 question box. The executive officers should provide a suitable place ■where 

 the speakers can be heard and understood. The presiding officer should follow 

 up the business of the meeting, call upon men from their seats who can give 

 information of general value, and cut off useless discussion. — W. C. Barry^ 

 New York. 



