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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



JUNB 16, 1010. 



Peony Marie Lemolne, White Rose. Peony Boule de Neige, Sulphured Center. 



Two of the Varieties Originated by the Celebrated French Raiser, Calot. 



is it possible for him iilways to send 

 flowers to the exhibition, which may be 

 held so far away or at a season when 

 his plants are out of bloom. 



To overcome this, I offer the sugges- 

 tion that a committee may be appoint- 

 ed in several localities to whom a new 

 variety might be submitted and, if it 

 met with the approval of the sub-com- 

 mittee, they might recommend the 

 variety and have it passed upon by the 

 society as a whole at a later date. This 

 would necessitate some delay in final 

 recognition, which would not bo un- 

 wise, as the merits of a variety cannot 

 always be finally judged until after 

 several years have passed. 



Mr. Kosenfield has set us a good ex- 

 ample of conservatism in this matter 

 of naming new varieties, for while he 

 has grown seedlings for many years 

 he has introduced comparatively few 

 varieties and I am sure all who have 

 seen his Karl Eosenfield will agree that 

 it is a worthy addition to our list, and 

 that even among the vast number of 

 reds there was room for this one. 

 There is room also for an early red to 

 compare with and bloom with Festiva 

 Maxima, and while the standard estab- 

 lished by the French growers is high, 

 we should not fail to recognize and en- 

 courage any good thing which origi- 

 nates at home. 



Secretary's Remarks. 



Secretary A. H. Fewkes read the 

 following paper: 



The present membership of the soci- 

 ety includes fifty-two active members 

 and five honorary members. During 

 the year we have lost one member by 

 death, Thomas C. Thurlow, of West 

 Newbury, Mass., who passed away July 

 2, 1909. He was a charter member of 

 the society, taking great interest in all 

 that pertained to it, and was one of 

 the first to make a specialty of the 

 peony in this country. In his death 

 the society has lost a valuable mem- 

 ber, and those of us who were privi- 

 leged to know him intimately have lost 

 an esteemed friend. Since the organ- 

 ization of the society, in 1903, we have 

 lost bv death three members, and by 



withdrawals and those who have 

 dropped out, twelve. 



Starting with a mere handful of 

 signers in 1902, the membership had 

 increased to thirty-six during the year 

 of organization, and, notwithstanding 

 losses, has steadily grown to its pres- 

 ent number. It is encouraging to note 

 that at least two of the members who 

 dropped out have this year reinstated 

 themselves, showing that the work ac- 

 complished by the society has a sub- 

 stantial value and that, although they 

 have been a long time in maturing, the 

 fruits of our labors are beginning to be 

 available; and all honor is due to those 

 who have stood by and made it possible 

 to accomplish these results. The way 

 has not been altogether a smooth one, 

 and many obstacles have presented 

 themselves, the most embarrassing of 

 which has been the comparative small- 

 ness of our membership, which has 

 necessarily limited our available funds, 

 both for carrying on the nomenclature 

 work and the payment of prize money 

 to successful exhibitors. 



The original membership was largely 

 composed of commercial men, and in- 

 cluded the greater part of the large 

 dealers of the country. The number of 

 these latter must necessarily be lim- 

 ited, and it is to the amateur class that 

 we must look for future members and 

 to which the commercial man mu^t look 

 for his most profitable business. The 

 field is a large one, and every member 

 should feel it incumbent upon himself 

 to use what influence he may have with 

 such of these as he may come in con- 

 tact with, to interest them in our work 

 and secure them as members. The cir- 

 culars sent out a short time ago were 

 a move in this direction, and were in- 

 tended to help present the matter to 

 the public. 



From the inception of our society 

 the interest has centered almost en- 

 tirely upon the herbaceous class of 

 peonies, particularly the albiflora varie- 

 ties. This in itself is not surprising, 

 as this class is by far the most common 

 and easiest of cultivation, but the time 

 must come when more thought will be 

 given to the Moutan class, or tree 



peonies. In them we find an entirely 

 different range of color, many of them 

 being exquisitely beautiful in shade 

 and texture. Preceding in their time 

 of flowering, as they do, the albiflora 

 class, they widen the peony season ma- 

 terially and add a peculiar charm to 

 the garden. Undoubtedly the great 

 reason for their scarcity is the impres- 

 sion that has gone forth that they are 

 difficult to cultivate. It is true they 

 are slow in coming to perfection and 

 that grafting must be resorted to to 

 perpetuate the varieties, but where love 

 and skill are bestowed upon them these 

 difficulties fade away, and the reward 

 is a ravishing display of beauty that 

 will repay all the time and care given 

 them. Without doubt many will take 

 exception to these statements, but in 

 reply to them I would say that to be 

 convinced that what I have said is 

 true they should visit t"he gardens of 

 Prof. C. S. Sargent, at Brookline, Mass., 

 and see what can be done with the 

 Moutan when its culture is made a spe- 

 cialty, as it has been done there under 

 the management of Charles Sander. 



The exhibition in connection with 

 the meeting at Queens last June was a 

 fairly good one, and did much credit 

 to the exhibitors, who, though few in 

 numbers, staged a large number of 

 flowers. B. H. Farr, George H. Peter- 

 son, S. G. Harris, T. A. Havemeyer and 

 John Lewis Childs were the exhibitors. 

 Although the exhibition of cut blooms 

 was a good one, the display in the fields 

 proved the greater attraction, for it is 

 seldom that such a magnificent display 

 of flowers is to be seen. They were 

 growing on perfectly level land in one 

 immense block of about seven acres, 

 with rows 500 feet in length, and offer- 

 ing an unusual opportunity for study- 

 ing the individual characteristics of the 

 varieties, as well as the color effects in 

 masses. 



The visiting members ami friends 

 feel deeply indebted to the Cottage 

 Gardens Co. for the many courtesies 

 shown them during the two days of 

 the meeting, which was marred only 

 bv the unavoidable absence of C. W. 



