

JULY 10. 1919. 



The Florists^ Review 



15 



they really love the flower, and find in 

 it a fascination that cannot be resisted. 



A Few Words of History. 



The peony is a true aristocrat of the 

 hardy garden. I do not apply this as a 

 mere phrase, for it is true in every sense, 

 both as to its lineage and its associa- 

 tions. In China it is said that the tree 

 peony has been their chief pride and 

 <rlory for nearly 1,500 years. This Asiatic 

 peony must not be confused with the 

 old-fashioned, early-flowering red peony 

 of our grandmothers ' gardens, which be- 

 longs to an entirely distinct species, 

 officinalis, a native of Europe, the early 

 history of which is intricately woven 

 with a haze of superstition, allegory 

 and myth. Its magical charms were 

 sapposed to ward off witchcraft, and the 

 name peony is derived from a Dr. Peon, 

 who used its roots as medicine. 



The modern Chinensis peony has only 

 l)een known in Europe a little more than 

 half a century. It was under the care 

 of M. Jacques, gardener to King Louis 

 Philippe, that one of the first collec- 

 tions was formed, and some of the first 

 of the fine varieties of today originated. 

 M. Jacques' collection was inherited by 

 his nephew, M. Victor Verdier, who 

 raised a number of fine seedlings. The 

 collection of the Comte de Cussy, an 

 amateur collector, was inherited by M. 

 Calot, of Douai, who continued to raise 

 seedlings till 1872, when his collection 

 ])assed into the hands of M. Crousse, of 

 Nancy, who made careful selections from 

 the Calot seedlings and sent them out 

 annually until 1879. From 1882 until 

 1899, Crousse sent out seedlings of his 

 own raising. The Calot-Crousse varie- 

 ties are noted for their uniform high 

 quality, raising the standard of excel- 

 lence to a height that has never been 

 surpassed, unless it be by the splendid 

 varieties introduced in recent years by 

 that greatest of all the world's hybrid- 

 izers, Victor Lemoine, whose establish- 

 ment at Nancy is at Crousse 's old place. 

 All the Lemoine varieties are exquisitely 

 beautiful, but most of them so rare they 

 are but little known outside of the 

 larger collections. 



Another famous French collector of 

 peonies, contemporary with Calot and 

 Crousse, was M. Mechin, also an en- 

 thusiastic amateur, whose grandson, 

 M. A. Dessert, of Chenonceaux, succeeds 

 him, and is considered today the great- 

 •"st living authority on peonies. Among 

 Ills most recent introductions may b? 

 found some of the most beautiful addi- 

 tions to the many fine varieties for 

 which we are indebted to the French 

 specialists. Recently a number of fine 

 new varieties, which are yet but little 

 known in this country, have been origi- 

 nated in France by Riviere, Paillet, 

 Kroehct and others. To these must be 

 added the beautiful varieties raised by 

 •lames Kolway, of England, who began 

 Ills work on' the peony in 1864, and 

 twenty years later catalogued forty-ono 

 "pw varieties of his own raising. 



Other Americans. 



Among those who have been most 

 prominent in the introductions of new 

 peonies in America which equal those 

 f'f the finest French introductions, was 

 •^ohn Richardson, of Dorchester, Mass. 

 ^lis varieties are all of unusual merit. 

 Milton Hill and Paul Fisher are among 

 Tlie best; Walter Faxon stands alone, 

 'inapproached by any other peony in its 

 'f'lor, the nearest true deep pink; while 



FRANK D. PELICANO. 



WHEN the hot weather lightens the load of business in the store of Pelicano^ 

 Rossi & Co., Frank p. Pelicano leaves San Francisco for the mountains for 

 his annual fishing trip, this year at Byron Hot Springs. During the rest of the 

 year Mr. Pelicano keeps at work pretty closely, for the firm of Pelicano, Rossi & 

 Co. is an old one in San Franciscp, and does a trade of considerably importance 

 among the retail stores there. A trip up among the evergreens and redwoods — 

 Mr. Pelicano is seated on the stump of a departed one — casting for fish instead 

 of for orders, renews the zest for business for another year. The annual habit has 

 l<ecn productive of such good results in the past that it becomes more fixed, and 

 perhaps more successful, as the seasons pass. 



Rubra Supcrba, crimson, and Grandi- 

 flora, soft shell-pink, still stand at the 

 head, as the best and very latest of 

 these colors to bloom. H. A. Terry, of 

 Crescent, Iowa, early became interested 

 in peonies, and produced many varieties, 

 the best probably being Grover Cleve- 

 land, Etta, Emma, Princoss Ellen, Eu- 

 phemia and Stephanie. 



It was in Boston, in 1906, that I first 

 met Mr. Hollis and saw his beautiful 

 l»looms on exhibition. I thought them 

 fine then, and in my garden since they 

 have not disappointed me. He was a 

 genial, kindly gentleman, with means 

 and leisure to devote his time to his 

 favorites. I visited him in 1910 when 

 his peonies were in bloom. Although 

 stricken then with a fatal illness, unable 

 to walk alone, he sat in the little sum- 

 mer house overlooking his peonies, 

 happy in the sight of them, still able to 

 talk with enthusiasm about his treas- 

 ures and call them by name. Among his 



many fine ones are Paradise, Welcome 

 Guest, Maude L. Richardson, Standard 

 Bearer, George Washington, Bunker 

 Hill and Tragedie. Mention must also- 

 be made of his Japanese types, of which 

 ho raised a number which are distinct 

 and fine. 



Western Workers. 



V 



Mrs. Sarah A. Pleas, now living in 

 Whittier, Cal., at the advanced age of 

 over 83 years, is as actively interested 

 in poonies as when at her home in Spice- 

 land, Ind., she raised anil introduced 

 Opal, Elwood Pleas and her now famous 

 Jubilee, which carried off highest honors 

 at the National Peonv Show in Philadel- 

 l)hia in 1917. A. M. Brand, of Fari- 

 bault, Minn., for many years has been 

 giving his attention to the raising of 

 seedling peonies. His varieties are now 

 attracting a great deal of attention; his 

 Martha Bullock, best known, was one- 

 of the prominent features in the show 



