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PEONIES SERVE 



MANY PURPOSES 



In greater variety and better quality, anmudly in larger quantity, 

 peonies have ceased to he only a Memorial day flower. If you are not using 

 them in their many useful ways, read this article and note how you can add 

 variety to your offerings to customers. 





ONG strides of progress lie 

 between the few bunches 

 of peonies which a few 

 years ago florists obtained 

 from gardens to eke out 

 their Memorial day sup- 

 ply and the tremendous 

 quantities which are 

 shipped annually from pe- 

 ony farms comprising hun- 

 dreds of acres operated under one man- 

 agement in localities from Mississippi 

 to Minnesota, supplying the market 

 with this flower for as many weeks as 

 the number of days they were formerly 

 obtainable. In the same period that 

 the growing of the peony for cut flowers 

 has progressed so markedly in regard 

 to quantity, it has progressed no less 

 importantly with regard to the selec- 

 tion of varieties, methods of cutting, 

 handling and shipping, and the market- 

 ing. In former days there were white 

 peonies and there were pink peonies, 

 without other distinction. Each season 

 in recent years, however, has seen a 

 better selection grown, 

 and while the old va- 

 rieties are still pro- 

 duced in considerable 

 numbers, others are 

 grown which have 

 shown themselves bet- 

 ter adapted to florists' 

 use. Today, for anyone 

 who is particular, 

 there is a wide assort- 

 ment of peonies to be 

 found in the large cut 

 flower markets, and 

 the numbers handled 

 by various houses run 

 up each season into 

 thousands of dozens. 



Better Varieties. 



Part of this in- 

 creased popularity 

 must be credited to the 

 efforts of nurserymen 

 in conducting experi- 

 ments to determine 

 which varieties are 

 best adapted for use 

 as cut flowers. Two 

 or three articles have 

 appeared in The Re- 

 view, for instance, by 

 William A. Peterson, 

 who is nationally 

 known not only as the 

 grower of probably the 

 largest number of va- 

 rieties in this country, 

 but also aa an author- 

 ity on the flower, in 



which he has given freely the results 

 of his experiments and study that those 

 who grow peonies for cut flowers might 

 benefit. Other nurserymen have done 

 similar able work. 



At Market. 



Furthermore, there has been marked 

 improvement in the methods of han- 

 dling the flowers for market. Today 

 these are far different from what they 

 were when a florist gathered a few arm- 

 fuls from a neighboring nurseryman's 

 patch in order to provide visitors to 

 the cemeteries on Memorial day low- 

 priced cut flowers with which to deco- 

 rate the graves. Now the large acreages 

 which are grown solely with a view to 

 producing cut flowers are so cared for 

 that the blooms will come from the 

 plants in the best condition possible. 

 After they are cut they are placed in 

 water until they become completely 

 laden with moisture and then are care- 

 fully packed for the long ride to dis- 

 tributing centers, which are sometimes 



Peonies with Their Own Foliage Make an Attractive Basket. 



!i thousand miles away, though usually 

 much less. 



Storage facilities have been provided 

 in which the cut peonies may be stored 

 against the big demand for them, which 

 is still principally at Memorial day. 

 Some are kept for weeks after that 

 holiday and come out of the chilled 

 chambers in excellent condition. Vis- 

 itors to the S. A. F. convention at 

 Washington last year will remember the 

 vases which a Chicago house displayed, 

 the third week in August, of blooms 

 which had been in a cold storage ware- 

 house more than two months. 



Too frequently retail florists regard 

 peonies as something necessary to Me- 

 morial day, but not otherwise useful — 

 a sad mistake. More wide-awake mem- 

 bers of the trade have, learned that 

 these flowers can be used in a wide va- 

 riety of ways and make an excellent 

 showing at reasonable prices. This sea- 

 son, particularly, the last factor appeals 

 strongly to customers. 



Every florist knows that peonies 

 make good - looking 

 bunches of flowers, 

 with their own foliage 

 setting off the blooms, 

 but that is the least of 

 the ways in which 

 they may bo used. In 

 basket work they can 

 be employed to good 

 advantage either by 

 themselves, as shown 

 in the illustration on 

 this page, or mixed 

 with other flowers. The 

 big, full blooms, if 

 used at the right stage, 

 give an effect not un- 

 like American Beau- 

 ties. The striking bas- 

 kets such as used to be 

 made in large numbers 

 of this famous rose can 

 be formed of peonies. 



In Boxes. 



Of course, the boxes 

 of flowers at popular 

 prices, such as those 

 used in week-end sales, 

 jirovide a good outlet 

 for peonies, which lend 

 tlic effect of giving the 

 customer much for his 

 money. 



In funeral work pe- 

 onies can also be effec- 

 tively employed. The 

 white buds make 

 most pleasing funeral 

 sprays. The flowew 



