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PREFACE 



^LTHOUGH the peony has been a favourite 

 jn gardens for very many years, and although 

 experts and hybridisers have been developing and 

 ^ improving the flower for over half a century, no 



^ book has yet been published containing the widely 



i scattered facts as to its history and cultivation. 



f^ In France and England both amateur and 



^ professional horticulturists lavished time and de- 



votion on its improvement. The marked success 

 Qj attained by them in producing incredibly beau- 



tiful types caused the greater appreciation of the 

 ^ peony to extend to this country. In America 



^ such men as Richardson, Hollis and Terry have 



-^ done work along similar lines to that of the foreign 



experts. 



^ The peony — at present extensively grown — 



is constantly and rapidly increasing in popularity. 



n Certain enthusiastic commercial growers have 



^ made peonies their specialty — sometimes peonies 



(j^ alone and sometimes peonies together with a few 



other perennials. Their judgment in specialis- 



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