The Weekly Florists' Review. 



JOMB 17, 1900. 



Introducing New Varieties. — While 

 the society should encourage the growers 

 of new varieties and give ample recogni- 

 tion to all improvements of merit, it 

 should carefully avoid the endorsement 

 of the commercial value of any new 

 peony, and its awards should be of such 

 a character as would prevent the use of 

 the society's name in advertising worth- 

 less varieties or varieties that may be 

 practically duplicates of kinds already 

 existing in commerce. 



In conclusion I desire to express my 

 great gratitude to the members of this 

 society for the uniformly kind and cour- 

 teous treatment they have one and all ac- 

 corded me, and for the generous assist- 

 ance all have rendered the society, as well 

 as for the enthusiasm manifested in our 

 work. I feel that I ought to apologize 

 for the little time I have been able to 



guidance our society will prosper and ac- 

 complish the needed work. 



You all have my best wishes for suc- 

 cess, collectively and individually, and I 

 desire to express to each and every one 

 of you my warmest friendship and sin- 

 cerest wishes for a long, successful and 

 happy career. 



The address received the thanks of 

 the society, and the regrets of the mem- 

 bers present were sent to Mr. Ward, be- 

 cause of his enforced absence, with hopes 

 for his speedy recovery. 



Secretary's Report. 



The report of Secretary A. H. Fewkes 

 was as follows: 



The present membership of the society, 

 not including four honorary members, is 

 fifty-four. We have lost during the year 

 one member by death, E. V. Hallock, who 



Peony Festiva Maxima in the Shrubbery. 



devote to the duties of the office with 

 which you have thrice honored me, and 

 to offer as the only explanation lack of 

 sufficient strength to attend to them prop- 

 erly and at the same time care for the 

 business duties which have crowded upon 

 me and which could not be avoided. I 

 feel certain that any one of your mem- 

 bers whom you may choose as my suc- 

 cessor will more ably fiU the office than I 

 tave been able to do, and that under bis 



joined the society at the last meeting at 

 Ithaca. Although his membership was 

 of short duration his loss will be keenly 

 felt, for his horticultural attainments 

 and genial personality made him a most 

 valued member. 



The work of the nomenclature commit- 

 tee is progressing. The peony bulletin 

 published by Cornell University was is- 

 sued early in the year and distributed to 

 members. It contained the Coit essay on 

 the peony and a partial descriptive list 



of varieties. This list forms the begin- 

 ning of the official catalogue of the so 

 ciety. In his introductory note Professor 

 Craig says: "It is to be regarded as a 

 preliminary step, and therefore subject 

 to modification in the light of future 

 experience." I will therefore say with 

 out other authority from the chairman ol 

 the nomenclature committee that the8( 

 descriptions are submitted to you for 

 your approval or criticism both as to 

 method and accuracy. If they do not 

 meet with your approval it is suggested 

 that your objections be communicated 

 direct to Professor Craig or his repre 

 sentative, Leon D. Batchelor, as it is 

 through a frank expression of opinion 

 on these matters that the best results 

 will be obtained. 



In connection with the nomenclature 

 work the question suggests itself to me, 

 whether as individual members we are 

 doing all we can to further the work of 

 the committee! It certainly is not 

 enough for us to simply send our collec 

 tions of roots to Cornell and expect the 

 confusion to be straightened out by the 

 committee there, while we keep on selling 

 and distributing doubtful varieties under 

 the names we happen to have attached 

 to them. We should cease being too con- 

 fident of the accuracy of our own list 

 of names, unless we have taken extraor- 

 dinary means for proving them to be 

 correct. For instance, if some of us 

 have invested in the Lady Alexandra 

 Duff gold brick we should not pass it 

 along as the true thing, but sell it upon 

 its own merits, if we are fortunate enough 

 to have received one of the few good 

 ones out of the dozen or more varieties 

 sent here for it; and solve the problem 

 as one member, at least, has done by ad- 

 vertising it as having been received for 

 the true variety, but expressing a doubt 

 of its accuracy, while giving it full credit 

 for quality. There are many other vari- 

 eties of uncertain identity which should 

 be treated in the same way and if we arc 

 to be consistent members of the Amer- 

 ican Peony Society some such course as 

 the above should be followed. 



Another matter which should receive at- 

 tention at this meeting is the premium 

 list for our exhibitions and the ways and 

 means of providing for it. The exhibi- 

 tions form an important adjunct to the 

 meetings and some special provisions 

 should be made whereby prizes can be 

 offered and paid without making too 

 heavy demands upon the treasury. 



The exhibition at the last meeting at 

 Ithaca was a fairly good one, but was 

 made up principally of flowers cut from 

 the test collections. T. C. Thurlow & Co., 

 West Newbury, Mass., and Prof. A. P. 

 Saunders, Clinton, N. Y., were the only 

 other exhibitors, and great credit is due 

 them for making so good a showing of 

 blooms. The former entered in the com- 

 mercial, and the latter in the amateur 

 classes. 



Other Reports. 



Treasurer Humphrey's report showed 

 a balance of $456.89 on hand, the year's 

 expenditures being $83.76. The gener- 

 osity of the prize winners of last year, 

 in allowing their winnings to revert to 

 the society's treasury, was heartily ap- 

 preciated. 



Prof. Craig, in presenting the report 

 of the nomenclature committee, said the 

 real work of the committee is being done 

 by those in charge of collections of plants 

 sent to Ithaca, and frank criticism of its 

 work was suggested and is desired. Ideal 

 conditions were not sought, be said, but 



