180 THE GOLD MINE 



come lip readily. If sown in a seed bed they can be 

 removed when a year old. Though the roots will be 

 small they will be full of vitality. If far enough apart 

 so they can have a fair chance to develop, it is better to 

 let them remain till they bloom. But it takes some 

 years for them to fully show their individuality so you 

 can know what to depend on. Don't be in a hurry. 

 I have known rejected ones to develop flowers equal 

 to almost any, and I have one which was discarded while 

 young, which is now near the head of the procession. 

 Young plants do not often go back, but show up better 

 as they grow old. The Paeony has almost infinite pa- 

 tience, and you must have a little even in this age of 

 steam and lightning. 



THE HAEDINESS OF THE PAEONY. 



We know of nothing in the vegetable world which 

 has the vigor and hardiness of this plant. The root 

 is like the gripsack of the traveler, which contains the 

 supplies for his journey. It will come to us from 

 Europe and bring in compact form foliage, flower and 

 life. We know of nothing that will stand more hard 

 treatment, exposure and neglect. It may be left on 

 the ground, exposed to the sun, for days, and be badly 

 withered, and yet it will revive and grow. Often we 

 find, where we have cut up plants in the fall, that tiny 

 buds, so small as to escape notice, after freezing and 

 thawing all winter, will throw out shoots and tiny root- 

 lets, and we have often saved them. One spring two 

 roots of La Tulipe were left in the barn two months, 



