PEONY SOCIETY NOW 



LARGELY AMATEUR 



The American Peony Society, at its fourteenth exhibition and meeting, held at 

 Philadelphia last week, shelved the result of its special effort to interest amateur 

 growers. Membership gains are steady, but participation in meetings and 

 exhibitions does not increase. 



Mm 



THE fourteenth annual 

 meeting and exhibition of 

 the American Peony Soci- 

 ety, combined with the 

 exhibitions of the Penn- 

 sylvania Horticultural So- 

 ciety and the Flower Show 

 Association of the Main 

 Line, were held in Horti- 

 cultural hall, Philadelphia, 

 June 13 and 14, About eighty per cent 

 of the show was provided by the Peony 

 Society, the balance being divided be- 

 tween the Horticultural Society and the 

 Main Liners in the ratio of three to one, 

 showing that the latter are 

 going in for vegetables this 

 season. 



The show filled the main 

 hall and, while there was 

 no attempt at decoration, 

 the effect was good. There 

 were not so many large 

 vases of fifties and hun- 

 dreds as at recent shows, 

 but the individual blooms 

 were fully as fine as any 

 ever staged by the society. 



amateurs. It was in keeping with the 

 policy pursued in recent years of en- 

 couraging the nonprofessional element, 

 from which the society has been obtain- 

 ing a considerable increase in member- 

 ship. 



The Principal Exhibitors. 



Bertrand H. Farr, of Wyomissing, Pa., 

 for eight years president of the Peony 

 Society, brought a large exhibit, includ- 

 ing many choice sorts. Mr. Farr con- 

 sidered La Lorraine, a lemon yellow 

 Lemoine hybrid tree peony, as the gem 

 of his collection. Prof. A. P. Saunders, 



Can't Be National. 



OFFICERS ELECTED 



PRESIDENT 

 James Boyd, - - - Haverford, Pa 



VICE-PRESIDENT 

 Arthur H. Fewkes, Newton Higfhlands, Mass 



Of all the special flower 

 societies, that devoted to 

 the peony suffers more than 

 any other because of the 

 unreliability of the seasons. 

 The short duration of bloom 

 and the vagaries of the 

 weather make it impossible 

 to give adequate notice of 

 the exhibition, so that at- 

 tendance and number of 

 exhibits both suffer. In 

 fact, the meeting of the 

 American Peony Society has 

 become scarcely more than 

 a local affair, participated 

 in by, perhaps, half a dozen 

 growers in the locality vis- 

 ited and followed regularly 

 by only a few peony spe- 

 cialists, this year only one trade grower 

 competing for the prizes. 



Two postponements were considered 

 necessary for this year's exhibition, and 

 the second postponement, from June 11 

 to June 13, was made so late that no 

 notice could be published. This condi- 

 tion of affairs undoubtedly did much to 

 cut down the number of exhibits. 



As the trade interest has waned, the 

 premium list has tended more and more 

 to the amateur side. This year eighteen 

 classes were provided open to all, with 

 eight classes open only to what were 

 designated as "advanced" amateurs, 

 and six classes open only to "novice" 



SECRETARY 

 Prof. A. P. Saunders, - - Clinton, N. Y 



TREASURER 

 John H. Humphreys, - Germantown, Pa 



DIRECTORS 

 Bertrand H. Farr, * - Wyomissing, Pa 



Lee R. Bonnewitz, - - Van Wert, O 



1918 Meeting 

 Cleveland, O. 



of Clinton, N. Y., also brought a collec- 

 tion of choice varieties. 



Tlio star decorative exhibit was made 

 by the Henry F. Michell Co., of Phila- 

 delphia. It consisted of more than 1,500 

 blooms in fifty-five varieties. 



L. R. Bonnewitz, of Van "Wert, 0., 

 was the only western exhibitor. His 

 flowers added much to the show. 



Henry A. Dreer, Inc., staged a choice 

 assortment of handsome varieties from 

 Riverton. 



R. T. Brown, of the Cottage Gardens, 

 Queens, N. Y., was present, but at the 

 time the judging began his flowers had 

 not arrived and this exhibitor is not 



represented in the list ; of prize awards. 

 The balance of the erahibits were from 

 the large private estastes about Phila- 

 delphia. 



The Awaards. 



In the classes opea_ to all, in which 

 trade growers were porivileged to com- 

 pete with the amateurrs, B. H. Farr was 

 the only commercial exhibitor who liad 

 his flowers staged wTlien the hour for 

 judging arrived. Thoe awards in these 

 eighteen classes werer: 



CoUection of not more »tlian lOO named varie- 

 ties, one bloom of each— Jsjimos Boytl, H.iverford, 

 Pa., first; liertrand H. Farr, 

 Wyomissinfs^, pa., second; John C. 

 Wister, Ge-srmnntown, Pa., third. 



Vase or hnsket of peonies, not 

 less than 100 blooms, arranged 



for effect James Fox, Wyncote, 



I'n., first; Miss Gwen Baugh, 

 Media, Pa. ., second. 



ColIectiflOB of twenty -five varie- 

 ties, doublae, three blooms of each 

 — Hertrand 1 H. Farr. first; .Tames 

 Fox, seco -nd; John C. Wister, 

 third. 



Collectio--n of single varieties, 

 one bloom of each — Bertrand H. 

 Farr, fir^st; A. P. Saunders, 

 Clinton, NTI. Y., second. 



Colleotioon of Japanese varie- 

 ties, one fc)loom of each— Bertrand 

 EI. Farr, first; John C. Wister, 

 second. 



Twent.v — five blooms, white or 

 cream, 'ilooiiWo, one variety — Ber- 

 trand H. Farr, first; C. B. New- 

 bold. JonUiintown, Ta., second. 



Twent.v--five blooms, light pink 

 or pink ajind cream, do\ible. one 

 variet,v-?^[rs. Charles T. Jones, 

 Pitman, ;!Ts. J., first; Bertrand H. 

 Farr, sec* ond. 



Twcnt.v -tivc blooms, dark pink, 

 double, o«ro variety — Bertrand H. 

 Farr, fir^t; C. B. Newbold, sec- 

 ond. 



TwentyN/five blooms, red or 

 crimson, double, one variety — 

 Rertraml H. Farr, first: C. B. 

 Newtwld, second ; Arthur H. 

 Scott, Oimk Lane, Pa., third. 



Six sripecimen Vilooms. double, 

 any one variet.v — Miss Clara An- 

 derson, '•Tan Wert. 0., first; M. 

 Kdmuml Maule, :Moorestown, N. 

 J., secon »d. 



One s specimen bloom, double, 

 any vart iet.v— James Boyd, first; 

 E. Irwia^ Scott, S^va^thmore, Pa., 

 second. 



Specimncn bloonn of new va- 

 riety, (FJnuhle. introduced since 

 19U>-,Ia *nips Boyd, first. 



Collec»^ion of new varieties, 

 double, introduced sinc»<' 1900, one bloom of each 

 — James Uoyd, first; I- bertrand H. Farr, second. 

 Vase of six blooms, cfilouhle, any variety, grown 

 more than 300 miles from Pliiladelphia — Miss 

 Clare Anderson, Van \^Vert, 0., first; Mrs. L. R. 

 Bonnewitz, Van Wert. 0., second. 



Most artistic arrangsenient of not more than 

 twenty-five peonies irwi either a vase, bowl or 

 basket— Mrs. Arthur FT^. Scott, first; Mrs. F. H. 

 Bachman, Jenkintown, . Pa., second. 



Of the three clasBses in w"hich premiums 

 were not awardecxl, two failed to fill. 

 There were two emtries for the coveted 

 prize of $100, offesred by Mrs. Harding, 

 for an American sseedling peony of out- 

 standing merit, tioiit neither entry was 

 staged, because or f the condition of the 

 flowers on arrivaLI, it was said. 



Special mentioiui was given B, H. Farr 



