MYTHOLOGY, AND HISTORY OF THE PEONY 



and West meet in the kindred pleasures of the 

 garden if nowhere else: 



" When Spring is on the wane, 

 Then men are apt 

 To turn their thoughts 

 To peonies again." 



At the present time, there are several nurseries 

 in Japan which grow both herbaceous and tree 

 peonies. One of these, which does a large export 

 business to England and America, maintains 

 an office in each country. Twenty-nine varieties 

 of the herbaceous peony are listed in the catalogue 

 of this nursery, the names of some of which are 

 delightfully quaint. Someganoko — painted fawn, 

 Shishi-Odori— dancing lions, Kame-no-Kegor- 

 omo — turtle's holiday attire, are among the most 

 diverting. The present exportations from Japan 

 of herbaceous peonies consist principally of a 

 form of peonies of a distinct type known as the 

 Japanese, which constitutes a separate class in- 

 termediate between the single and double types. 



IN ENGLAND 



The knowledge of flowers and plants in Saxon 

 times (about 477-1017) and for several subse- 

 quent centuries, was chiefly based on the works 



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