306 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. 



President Brongniart. Vigorous ; leaves glaucous 

 green, tinted yellow ; flowers large, well raised in the cen- 

 ter, rose amaranth, softer towards tlie outside, velvety- 

 white, very lightly tinted with carnation towards the 

 center ; a superb variety, of which the flowers are of ex- 

 cellent form. This variety was offered for sale in 1863. 



Du Mont de Courset. Vigorous ; leaves deep-green ; 

 flowers large, nearly full, clear satiny amaranth, of uniform 

 shade ; a fine variety, not yet distributed. The same gen- 

 tleman has produced a great number of beautiful seedling 

 herbaceous varieties. Other florists in Paris and else- 

 where in France, have raised many splendid seedlings of 

 Tree Peonies, as well as of the herbaceous sorts. To 

 these must be added those introduced direct from China, 

 by Mr. Fortune. Several of these Tree Peonies remain as 

 yet without an equal, in respect to the regularity of their 

 form and the beauty of their colors. 



"The propagation of Moutans, upon their first introduc- 

 tion, was a matter of considerable difficulty. They have, 

 consequently, borne a high price in the nurseries; and 

 though they are now multiplied extensively, yet, with all 

 the experience which has been acquired, the obtaining 

 strong new plants is a tedious operation. All modes of 

 propagation have been tried with them, viz. : by seeds, 

 suckers, grafts, cuttings, and layers. They rarely produce 

 seeds that are perfect, unless the impregnation of the stig- 

 mas is properly attended to. Most of the seedlings of 

 late production are from seeds, grown from fertilized 

 flowers. Suckers, or rather root shoots, may sometimes 

 be severed successfully from large old plants, and such 

 soon become strong enough to flower. If the work is 

 carefully executed, grafts of the rarer sorts may be fixed 

 on pieces of the roots of the more common. These pieces 

 of roots must be established in pots, and in the spring, a 

 bud with a little wood attached to it may be joined to the 



