580 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



JOLY 26, 1906. 



FERTILIZER FOR PEONIES. 



We have soil ranging from a sandy 

 loam to a very stiff clay, and some kin<i9 

 of peonies that are planted in all of our 

 soils show almost a week's difference in 

 period of blooming, while on the lighter 

 soils near ua it is over ten days' differ- 

 ence. Banking the soil around the 

 plants quite deeply in the fall, just be- 

 fore severe cold sets in, will also retard 

 the blooming by several days. 



We cultivate often, with a cultivator, 

 going through just before severe freez- 

 ing sets in. After severe freezing we 

 completely cover the ground with well- 

 rotted manure, or manure from the 

 stables that has been thoroughly heated, 

 at the rate of about fifty to sixty tons 

 to the acre. The second year we use 

 about half that amount, and every second 

 year thereafter. On newly planted stock 

 we aim to manure heavily the spring pre- 

 ceding planting, cropping with potatoes 

 or some crop, that will be well cultivated, 

 thus neutralizing the manure. After 

 planting we cultivate late, then give a 

 very light application of well-rotted 

 manure. We never use manure freshly 

 worked into the soil on newly planted 

 peonies. It is dangerous. After peonies 

 are established they stand much rough 

 «sage. 



The Best Vhite Sorts, 



We append herewith the best whites. 

 We have a few novelties that are fine, 

 but as they are not obtainable this sea- 

 son we will not include them, but I can 

 say that they will cause such sorts as 

 Festiva maxima, etc., to fall back on the 

 exhibition bench, realizing, too, that that 

 is a very bold statement to make. 



Alice de Julvecourt (Pulcherrima), 

 convex flowers, chamois and creamy, 

 lightly flushed carmine, fading nearly 

 white. Nearly all sent out as Pulcher- 

 rima are this sort. 



Blushing Bride, fine, white guard, cen- 

 ter creamy, lemon toupillon center edgeJ 

 carmine. 



Boadioea, magnificent, large rosy 

 guards flushed fleshy white, ^full center, a 

 few petals edged crimson. 



Boule de Neige, large, full, creamy 

 center, a few center petals edged car- 

 mine. 



Canari, the best even delicate canary, 

 fine. 



Couronne d'Or, very fine white with 

 yellow reflection; shows stamens, center 

 petals heavily edged carmine. 



De La Cour Verhille, large coarse 

 bloom, deep rosy guards, creamy white 

 center. 



Due de Wellington, fine, sulphury 

 white. 



Duchess de Nemours (Calot's), one 

 of the best florists' sorts; large white 

 guards, full imbricated center, sulphury 

 white, fades nearly pure. Diamond, 

 Cytlieree, Snowball, Sulfurea, Kelway's 

 Mrs. Green Lewis, etc., are all the same 

 thing, or duplicates. 



Eugene Verdier, fine, large, full dou- 

 ble, opens a fleshy white, fading nearly 

 pure. 



Festiva maxima, in some ways one of 

 the finest whites; its fault is that it is 

 not a keeper. 



Golden Harvest, an exact reproduction 

 of Jeanne d'Arc; may be described as a 

 creamy lemon and pink, very fine, showy 

 sort. 



La Tendresse, fine, creamy, changing to 

 white. 



La Voluptuesse, untrue, similar to 

 Marie Lemoine, but much taller. 



Mmc. Breon, bright rosy guards, cen- 

 ter rich yellowish, fading to pure white, 

 large brilliant crimson carpels. 



Mme. Emil Galle, large soft lilac, 

 white center, yellowish changing to 

 cream, fine. 



Mme. Crousse, pure white center, edged 

 carmine, fine. 



Mme. Verneville, fine sulphury white, 

 full, rosy, attractive, one of the freest. 



Magqifica, large rosy guards, opens 

 creamy, fading to pure white, showy. 



Marie, pure white, suffused chamois, 

 fine, late. 



Marie Lemoine, late, enormous white, 

 sulphury; reflection shows stamens, cen- 

 ter edged carmine, fine. 



Marie Stuart, one of the best of all 

 peonies, blooms before officinalis sorts are 

 over; opens blush white, intermingled 

 larger petals of a rosy white fading to^ 

 purer color; hardy; every shoot produces 

 a bud. 



PEONY PICTURES. 



The accompanying illustrations are re- 

 produced, not because of the merits of 

 the varieties, great as they are, but rather 

 because of the perfection of the pho- 

 tographs, which were made by George R. 

 Lawrence, at the Peterson Nursery, Chi- 

 cago, in early June. They serve better 

 than any others we have seen to show the 

 form and character of the flowers. 



Every one knows Festiva maxima, in- 

 troduced by Miellez more thian half a 

 century ago. C. W. Ward says it is one 

 of the most valuable of the white section, 

 and is always in greater demand than any 

 other peony. Aa a matter of fact, al- 

 though it has been on the market for 

 fifty years, it is only within the last year 

 or two that it has become sufficiently 

 abundant that one could procure true 

 stock at moderate prices. It is a vigor- 

 ous grower, of excellent habit, on long. 



Peony Delicatissima. 



M. DuPont, quite similar to Boule de 

 Neige, fine. 



Mont Blanc (Solfatare), one of the 

 best, large white guards, lemony center. 



Paganini, bright rose guards, center 

 yellowish, fades lighter; one of the best 

 for florists' use. 



Whitleyi (Queen Victoria), more 

 largely grown than any other 'white for 

 cut blooms; fleshy guards, center creamy 

 white; fades pure- center blotched with 

 carmine; one of the freest of all. We 

 have many whites evidently of this 

 parentage with little variation. They 

 can all be put into the same bunches, with 

 only technical differences. 



C. Betscher. 



Dubuque, Ia.— S. Muntz is erecting a 

 new greenhouse at his place, Twenty- 

 fifth and Jackson streets. 



strong stems; an early bloomer. As the 

 picture shows, the blooms are full double, 

 with broad petalage. It is snow white, 

 with an occasional carmine flake like a 

 drop of blood on the center petals. It ia 

 fragrant and free and Peterson says that 

 for many years it has been the standard 

 of perfection in peonies. 



Delicatissima, shown in the other illus- 

 tration, is a large flower of delicate, clear 

 pink. It is an excellent market sort, 

 making a fine bud on a strong stem, 

 opening well in water, and fragrant. This 

 variety is a comparatively modern one, 

 and those who are growing Richardson's 

 Floral Treasure find the two so nearly 

 alike that many consider the names 

 synonyms. 



Herrinoton on the Chrysanthemum, 

 the latest book, 50c, of the Rbviiw. 



