JONB 15, 1911. 



The Weekly Rorists' Review^ 



9 



General View of the Exhibition of the American Peony Society, Philadelphia, June 8 and 9, 1911. 



bulletins have been published in addi- 

 tion to the preliminary check list, and 

 a third is now ready for the printer, 

 covering the work accomplished to 

 date. The first bulletin, prepared by 

 Dr. J. Elliott Coit, contains a history 

 of the peony, notes on cultivation, etc., 

 and the preliminary work of nomen- 

 clature, with a description of some 

 fifty varieties. The second bulletin, 

 known as No. 278, covers the work of 

 the special committee in 1909, when 

 the principal work of identifying the 

 vast collection in the Cornell plots, 

 consisting of 1,933 lots under approxi- 

 mately 1,000 names, was seriously be- 

 gun. Descriptions in detail were taken 

 of 235 varieties, besides revising the 

 descriptions of the fifty varieties of 

 the previous bulletin, which were 

 taken before the plants were mature, 

 and it was found necessary to alter 

 the descriptions in many cases after 

 seeing the mature plants, making alto- 

 gether 285 varieties of which descrip- 

 tions were published up to 1910. 



In the year 1910, 285 additional va- 

 rieties were identified and described, 

 together with fifty-five synonyms; also 

 a list of 100 best varieties for cut 

 flower purposes and 100 best varieties 

 for landscape effects was added, all 

 this to be comprised in the next bul- 

 letin, soon to be printed, making alto- 

 gether about 570 varieties that have 

 been described in every detail of foli- 

 age, habit of growth, fragrance, value 

 commercially, and accurate records 

 taken of the colors as compared with 

 the color chart of the French Chrys- 

 anthemum Society, which has been 

 adopted as the official color chart of 

 the American Peony Society. 



Elimination of Synonyms. 



A large number of names appearing 

 in the Cornell plots cannot be traced 

 to anv authentic origin and are un- 



doubtedly, in most instances, old va- 

 rieties renamed. A still larger number 

 were recognized as synonyms of well- 

 known varieties, such kinds as P. 

 edulis superba, Whitleyi, fragrans, etc., 

 appearing under as many as twenty- 

 five to thirty different names each. 

 After eliminating all of these syno- 

 nyms, there are probably not more 

 than 400 or 500 distinct varieties in 

 the Cornell plots, excluding Mr. Ilollis' 

 collection of upward of 100 seedlings 

 which have been named, and a collec- 

 tion of seedlings under number from 

 Goos & Koenemann. It will be seen 

 at once, therefore, how thoroughly 

 this committee has covered this field 

 with the upward of 600 varieties that 

 have been described — more varieties, 

 in fact, than are actually to be found 

 at Cornell. This is act-oiintod for liy 

 the fact that many well-known, authen- 

 tic varieties were not included in the 

 Cornell planting and the eommittoe has 

 supplemented its work at Cornell by 

 visits to other large collections where 

 these additional varieties could be 

 found. Among the places visited by 

 the committee in 1910 were the peony 

 fields of Wyomissing, .\ndorra. Cottage 

 Gardens, Geo. K. Ilollis, T. C. Thur- 

 low's Sons and Vj. J. Shaylor. The 

 few varieties still unidentified at 

 Cornell are mostly inferior sorts or 

 those of such obscure origin that iden- 

 tification is practically impossible. 



The first collection at Cornell hav- 

 ing, therefore, served its purpose, steps 

 should be taken to bring this portion 

 of the test to a close and to dispose 

 of the plants, which, according to the 

 original agreement, belong to the so- 

 ciety, except three of each kind, which 

 are to belong to the university for a 

 permanent planting of established va- 

 rieties. This has already been accom- 

 plished, for three of all varieties de- 

 scribed in the original plot have been 



planted in a new section and represent 

 the completed work and at the same 

 time the share of the peonies which are 

 to belong to Cornell. 



A Hundred Commercial Varieties. 



In addition to the original planting, 

 there is another later one, consisting 

 of a series of collections from a num- 

 ber of growers of their best varieties, 

 for the purpose of determining by com- 

 parison the varieties best adapted for 

 commercial use and for landscape work, 

 and then compiling a list of 100 of 

 the best varieties for these uses. Ac- 

 cording to agreement, these plants are 

 to be eventually returned to their 

 original owners. They have reached 

 full development and from them the 

 committee has prepared a tentative 

 list of 100 varieties, to be submitted to 

 the society for discussion and approval. 



Under the circumstances, it would 

 seem as if Ithaca would he the logical 

 place for the society to hold its next 

 business meeting, as by that time the 

 new lots will have reached jierfection 

 and members may then have an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing and judging the 

 completed work of the committee. 

 Whether it would be advisable to hold 

 a competitive exhibition there at the 

 same time, or to depend for an exhibit 

 on the flowers from the Cornell plots, 

 is a matter to be considered. A sug- 

 gestion has been made that it might be 

 well to exhibit in several places next 

 year, selecting points east, west, north 

 and south, so that all members might 

 have an opportunity to exhibit at a 

 ]ioint easily accessible and within their 

 latitude. 



Time and Place of Meeting. 



Our experience in Philadelphia this 

 year shows the futility of attempting 

 to arrange a date to accommodate a 

 latitude different from that in which 



