How many of our members made a planting of peonies or iris last year 

 that can be expected to bloom this season? Spring is the best time to plant 

 iris, but the fall season is the proper time to plant peonies. 



There is certainly a great source of satisfaction in planning your 

 garden so that it may contain new varieties each season that may possibly 

 be strangers to you. It is not too early to become familiar with the location 

 of large representative collections and plan an excursion of investigation 

 with a view of bettering the collection you may already possess. A great 

 number of the recent productions of both the peony and iris are wonderful 

 and greatly excel some of the older varieties. Others, of course, are not 

 to be compared with the varieties that have been in existence for many 

 years, but which are comparative strangers to most of us. 



It is a pleasure to report a satisfactory growth of the society, but our 

 aim is high and our ambition is to enroll many more members this spring. 

 We want each member of our society to become a missionary to the cause 

 and send us at least one application for membership or, failing in this, the 

 names of parties to whom we may write with a view of interesting them 

 to join us in our work. Can we depend on you for this? The larger our 

 society becomes, the more we do for you. 



Have you labeled or properly marked your plantings so there will be 

 no danger of injury to the tender shoots as they are about to burst through 

 the ground? If you have them protected with a covering, extreme care 

 should be exercised in removing same if the season is well advanced. 



As soon as possible this spring, start constant and thorough cultiva- 

 tion, using care not to work too close to your plants, as it is only by thor- 

 ough cultivation and care that you may expect the most out of them. Re- 

 member that any plant must be firmly established and planted where con- 

 ditions are satisfactory in order to obtain the best results. 



One of the chief aims of our society is to familiarize each member with 

 the different meritorious varieties of peony and iris and to encourage their 

 cultivation, propagation and improvement, and we will gladly welcome any 

 inquiries or suggestions that you may have to make along this line. 



Don't fail to read Mr. Bonnewitz's paper, "A Business Man's Pleasure 

 With His Peonies," which will appear in the columns of the Horticulturist. 

 It is intensely interesting and brim full of enthusiasm, and was heartily 

 received when read before our society at our mid-winter meeting. We want 

 more enthusiastic members like Mr. Bonnewitz. 



We have in preparation material for another bulletin that will be issued 

 in the near future. Each of our members will receive a copy as soon as 

 completed. 



The committee appointed to arrange for a flower show this season will 

 doubtless have something definite to report in the near future. 



Be free to write your experiences in the growing of peonies and iris, 

 whether they have been successful ones or failures. If failures we feel that 

 we can help you, if successful your experience may be helpful to others. If 

 you have propagated new varieties, send us descriptions so that we may 

 advise others of your efforts. We want to make this a real, live society in 

 keeping with the Horticultural Society of Minnesota, of which we are an 

 auxiliary.— Phone No. 37658. 



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