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Jdnk 15, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



THE AMERICAN 

 PEONY SOCIETY 



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1 



THE PHILADELPHIA MEETING. 



Officers Elected. 



President — Bertrand H. Fair, Read- 

 ing, Pa., re-elected. 



Vice-president — C. J. Maloy, Eocbes- 

 ter, N. Y., re-elected. 



Treasurer — J. H. Humphreys, Ger- 

 mantown, Pa., re-elected. 



Secretary — A. P. Saunders, Clinton, 

 N. Y. 



Next Meeting Place — Ithaca, N. Y. 



The Exhibition. 



The eighth annual meeting and exhi- 

 bition of the American Peony Society 

 was held in Horticultural hall, Phila- 

 delphia, June 8 and 9. The exhibition 

 ■was the largest in point of number oi. 

 flowers and number of varieties in the 

 history of the society. Over 300 varie- 

 ties were staged. This is most encour- 

 aging to peony lovers, because the un- 

 favorable season, the extremely hot 

 ■weather accompanied by drought that 

 prevailed all over the country during 

 May, and the heavy rains immediately 

 preceding the date of the exhibition 

 ■were disastrous, preventing many ex- 

 hibitors from sending flowers and in- 

 terfering greatly with the exhibits of 

 others. Under these circumstances the 

 exhibition was little short of remarka- 

 ble, covering the lower hall, the stair- 

 way and the balconies. The art exhi- 

 bition held in connection with the show 

 was in the main hall. 



Credit for the success of the show 

 is due to the out-of-town exhibitors, 



particularly to E. A. Eeeves, of Cleve- 

 land, who had the largest exhibit. His 

 flowers were well packed and arrived 

 in excellent condition. In the exhibit 

 were a number of rare varieties. Time 

 of cutting and distance considered, this 

 exhibit was the best. 



Bertrand H. Farr, Beading, Pa., and 

 the Cottage Gardens, Queens, N. Y., in 

 their exhibits brought together one of 

 the best collections of rare varieties 

 that has ever been exhibited in this 

 country. Mr. Farr exhibited 178 varie- 

 ties and the Cottage Gardens over 200, 

 these being shown one flower of a va- 

 riety. In the collection of the Cottage 

 Gardens the following varieties were of 

 special merit: Victor Hugo, a full built 

 deep red; Vulcan, another red of great 

 merit, and Neomie Demay, pale rose 

 pink. In the Farr exhibit a bloom 

 which attracted the attention of all 

 the peony growers was Stanley, a pale 

 flesh rose of large size and of great 

 substance and fragrance. Mr. Farr re- 

 ceived a prize for the best new Ameri- 

 can seedling. It is named Carl Eosen- 

 field. Mr. Farr fully endorses the de- 

 scription given to this variety by the 

 originator, Eosenfield, and states fur- 

 ther that of all his reds this is the best 

 built, strongest grower, and is superior 

 to anything he has seen; it is a won- 

 derfully good keeper as a cut flower. 



The exhibit of George H. Peterson, 

 of Fair Lawn, N. J., was not at its 

 best by reason of the season being so 

 late. Mr. Peterson was obliged to cut 

 everything in tight buds and then, be- 

 cause of the cool Philadelphia weather. 



the flowers did not open to their best. 

 The exhibit comprised a large number 

 of good varieties. 



The Andorra Nurseries, Chestnut Hill, 

 made a comprehensive exhibit for ex- 

 hibition only, showing many fine va- 

 rieties in as good form as possible coii- 

 sidering the rain. 



John Lewis Childs, Floral Park, N. 

 Y., made an effective exhibit .of fine 

 gladioli and yellow calla lilies that 

 was particularly* well staged. 



Henry A. Dreer had a beautiful ex- 

 hibit of 124 different varieties of hy- 

 brid tea roses, grown at the trial 

 grounds at Riverton. This exhibit at- 

 tracted much attention, 



Hoopes, Brother & Thomas, "West 

 Chester, Pa., had a pretty exhibit of 

 outdoor roses. 



S. G. Harris, Tarrytown, N. Y., and 

 Thomas Meehan & Sons, Germantown, 

 Pa., exhibited fine vases of peonies. 

 The latter firm also exhibited ever- 

 greens. 



The art exhibition was a novelty. It 

 originated in the fertile brain of S. 

 Mendelson Meehan and has, Mr. Mee- 

 han says, never been tried before, either 

 in Europe or in this country. The idea 

 is to enlarge the field of the peony by 

 interesting lovers of art. It was car- 

 ried out by offering prizes to the stu- 

 dents in the art schools, the competi- 

 tion to be held in connection with the 

 peony show. There were twenty-three 

 exhibits, all of them showing ability 

 in oil and water colors that gave the 

 expert judges trouble to decide the 

 prizes. 



The Awards. 



The awards were: 



Class 1. — Peonies, largest and best collection 

 of named varieties, one flower of each, first prize 

 Cottage Gardens Co., Queens, N. Y.; second prize 

 Bertrand H. Farr, Reading, Pa. 



Class 2. — Peonies, best fifty blooms, ope varV 

 ety, named, white, first, Geo. H. Peterson, Fair 

 Lawn, N. J.; second, E. A. Reeves, Cleveland, O 



Class 3. — Peonies, best fifty blooms, one varl 

 ety, named dark pink or rose, first, E. A. 

 Reeves; second. Cottage Gardens Co. 



Class 4. — Peonies, best fifty blooms, one varl 

 Pty, named, flesh or salmon pink, second, S. G 

 Harris, Tarrytown, N. Y. 



Class 5. — Peonies, best fifty blooms, one varl 



A View in the Balcony at the Philadelphia National Peony Show. 



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