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14 



The Florists' Review 



June 27, 1912. 



the cost of its publication, it was sug- 

 gested at the last meeting of the so- 

 ciety, in Philadelphia, that at the com- 

 pletion of the work of identification of 

 the peonies sent to the test plot at 

 Coinell, the surplus plants remaining 

 after those for the permanent collection 

 had been removed should be sold, and 

 the proceeds be used toward the pub- 

 lication of an official peony manual by 

 the society. 



With this end in view, a committee 

 •consisting of R. T. Brown and myself 

 was appointed to go to Cornell and take 

 an inventory of the plants remaining. 

 This committee visited Cornell last 

 June and compiled a list of the varie- 

 ties, showing the number of plants of 

 each variety and the field numbers 

 where they may be found. 



Negotiations have already been en- 

 tered into looking toward a sale of 

 these plants and it is probable that 

 definite action will be taken at this 

 meeting. 



Publicity for the Peony. 



In the future the society should use 

 every etfort to bring the merits of the 

 peony to the attention of the general 

 public, who have yet but a slight 

 knowledge of the many beautiful varie- 

 ties that exist, their conception of the 

 peony still being based on the few com- 

 mon varieties sold in the cut flower 

 markets or those ordinarily seen on 

 lawns. Whenever people of taste and 

 means have an opportunity to see a 

 fine collection of peonies for the first 

 time, they are carried away with ad- 

 miration for them and they do not 

 hesitate to purchase the most expensive 

 varieties, and, once started, they soon 

 become numbered among the peony en- 

 thusiasts, but as yet only a compara- 

 tively few really know the peony, and 

 for this reason our exhibitions in the 

 future should be held at points where 

 the largest number of people possible 

 can have an opportunity to view them. 

 As much publicity as possible should 

 be given to these exhibitions and every 

 effort should be made to attract the 

 public to them. Growers and others in- 



terested should consider it their duty 

 to participate in these exhibitions, even 

 though held at a considerable distance 

 and in spite of the labor involved, 

 which is always considerable where a 

 creditable display is made. 



Aid from the Amateurs. 



The amateur membership of our so- 

 ciety should be largely increased and 

 the amateurs should be given every 

 encouragement possible in our future 

 exhibitions, for it is the enthusiasm of 

 the amateur that is going to keep alive 

 the interest in the peony, and it is from 

 his garden Ijiat we can look for the 

 finest exhibition blooms, since he can 

 give his plants space, nourishment and 

 care that are impossible for the grower 

 who must sell his roots and therefore 

 be constantly dividing them before 

 they reach their highest development. 



Recently some of the big seed houses 

 in the largest cities have made a fea- 

 ture of having a large peony show dur- 

 ing the season, sending out a large 

 number of invitations in addition to 

 advertising this display, with the result 

 that thousands of visitors have been 

 attracted and sales of roots have been 

 greatly increased, both the public and 

 seedsmen having an opportunity of 

 viewing varieties for the first time that 

 have been a revelation to them. 



Peonies in Public Parks. 



Another method of bringing the 

 peony to the attention of the public 

 would be to establish large collections 

 of plants of the best varieties in pub- 

 lic parks in the larger cities, where 

 they could be under the care and pro- 

 tection of the authorities and be vis- 

 ited by the masses of people. 



Now that the work of identification 

 has progressed so far, the work of elim- 

 ination may be taken in hand and the 

 continued propagation of inferior va- 

 rieties discouraged, as well as the in- 

 troduction of new varieties that are 

 not up to the highest standard. The 

 society should, however, encourage ex- 

 hibits of new seedlings of merit by 

 American growers and its standard 



should be such that its certificate of 

 Approval would be well worth seeking 

 by the raiser of any new seedling that 

 he wishes to introduce to the trade. 



BEST QEBMAN IBISEa 



At the exhibition of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society, Boston, 

 June 8, T. C. Thurlow's Sons Co., West 

 Newberry, took the first prize for col- 

 lection of German irises. Their va- 

 rieties were as follows: Mme. Nebrun- 

 ner. Miss Maggie, Gypsy Queen, Mrs. 

 H. Darwin, Khedive, Matronale, Grac- 

 chus, Queen of May, Mme. Chereau, pal- 

 lida Australis, pallida Dalmatica, Dr. 

 Bernice, aurea, flavescens. Her Majesty, 

 The King, Cottage Maid, Thorbeck, 

 Landseer, albo variegata, and Kharput. 



GLADIOLI A SECOND SEASON. 



Will it spoil gladiolus bulbs to cut 

 the stems long? About one-half of 

 mine did not bloom last year and about 

 ten per cent of them died when half 

 grown. . C. P. M. 



In cutting gladioli, if you wish to 

 use the bulbs again, you must not 

 cut -them"4o^n too hard. For in- 

 stance, if you cut them down near 

 the soil, removing all the foliage, the 

 bulbs are thereby rendered useless. Al- 

 ways leave at least two or three good 

 leaves on each plant if you intend to 

 grow the bulbs another season. The 

 more foliage you leave, the better will 

 the bulbs make up and flower the fol- 

 lowing year. C. W. 



SPIDEB ON PLUMOSUS. 



Last year, about the beginning of 

 May, my Asparagus plumosus tenuis- 

 simus began to look as if it were 

 blighted. This year, in another house 

 fifty feet away, it did likewise. The 

 last year's plants were in the open 

 ground and I burned them. This year's 

 plants are in pots and all of them are 

 likely to go the same way. The stock 



Exhibition at the Meeting of the American P«ony Scciety at Cotoell Universtly, Ithaca, N. Y., June 19 and 20, 1912. 



