A BUSINESS MAN'S PLEASURE IN HIS PEONIES. 253 



Lady Alexandria Duff, for I know with the first he is getting the 

 right start, and that he will grow into the desire to own the 

 rarer sorts. 



It is a pleasure to own a fine, mature plant of any of the 

 world's best peonies, but it gives me more pleasure to own three, 

 four, or five of a variety, because I can then give each of them 

 individual treatment, and I can see how each one responds to 

 the treatment given. 



It was a pleasure to see some wonderful Jubilees develop in 

 my own and in my neighbor's gardens, and to suddenly make up 

 my mind to show those peonies at the New York show last June. 

 It was a pleasure to meet other amateur peony growers at the 

 show, and to become acquainted with the professional growers 

 who attended the business meeting of the society. 



I do not need to tell you of the pleasure I had in seeing and 

 studying the hundreds of varieties which were staged in the 

 show, for I suppose at no other place in the world could so many 

 different varieties be seen in one day. It was a pleasure to see 

 that some of the very best flowers were exhibited by amateurs, 

 and it was delightful to see how each amateur's face glowed with 

 pleasure as his flowers excited favorable comment. I liked to 

 listen to each one of them as he told me of his garden and his 

 favorite peony. 



It was a pleasure to find some of my flowers among the prize 

 winners, and to make up my mind to strive for a place among 

 the prize winners next year. But the greatest pleasure of the 

 whole show was the delightful friendships formed through our 

 mutual interest in this lovely flower and the fact that these 

 friendships have been cultivated through correspondence in the 

 ensuing months. We look forward with great pleasure to the 

 next peony show, for we have promised to meet the same friends 

 and hope to make other new and lasting friendships. 



Returning home is always a pleasure, but this return was 

 particularly enjoyable, for I gave three extra days to it so I 

 could visit the peonies at The Cottage Gardens, Queens, Long 

 Island, and also Mr. Farr's peonies at Wyonising, Pa. These two 

 great peony fields were revelations to me, and it was a great 

 satisfaction to meet the expert growers who are responsible for 

 the correct cultivation and selection of varieties. They gave 

 their time to me willingly, and I tried to express my apprecia- 

 tion, for a visit to these extensive fields under the guidance of the 

 grower is a long step in peony education. 



