IN THE FRONT YARD. 195 



methods are in wide contrast to most of our American 

 firms. Visiting the grounds of Rosenfield, I found he 

 had the different kinds in beds by themselves, and while 

 blooming every plant was watched, and if perchance 

 there was a stray, it was marked with a stake. 



A noted firm in England, which has done more to 

 bring this flower to the front than anyone else, has 

 fallen into careless ways. So one dealer says, ^'We get 

 only the sweepings of their fields." This is bad, for 

 we supposed we had a firm Ave coukl absolutely depend 

 on. Their' prices were very high, but we did not care 

 so much for that, provided we got pure stock. Some 

 time ago I sent for Iavo roots of Lady Alexander Duff, 

 supposed to be the best Paeony on earth. They were 

 five dollars a root. I watched them grow, and had my 

 friends look at those plants which were to surprise us 

 with the grandeur of their bloom. When the flowers 

 opened we looked on in a daze of expectancy, when lo, 

 they showed us some inferior single blossoms, on stems 

 about a foot high. They were very short lived, the 

 petals falling in two days, along with our expectations. 

 They were just fair 10-cent plants. When I ordered, 

 I charged them to return the money if they did not 

 have the genuine plants. 



What is the lesson from all this ? Patronize Amer- 

 ican growers. They are responsible. They keep as good 

 kinds as the world produces, and will gladly correct 

 mistakes. They do not hide behind an ocean. We 

 must o-o to raising new varieties on a large scale. Our 



