PEONIES 51 



feeders. A top-dressing placed upon the 

 plants in November and forked into the beds 

 the following spring wiU be of much help 

 in encouraging growth. Peonies appreciate 

 a generous amount of water, especially in 

 the period of their bloom. When dividing 

 clumps, the division will be determined by 

 the number of tubers with eyes. There 

 should be as many divisions as there are eyes 

 to the tubers. Tubers without eyes may also 

 be planted, as they often shoot forth after a 

 couple of years. As Peonies, when dormant, 

 stand the exposure during shipment and stor- 

 age remarkably well, the garden-beginner need 

 have little fear of ordering plants from a dis- 

 tance when that is necessary. I need not here 

 touch upon the other two methods of Peony 

 propagation, that of propagation by grafting 

 and that of propagation by seeds, as only the 

 professional garden-maker will be apt to start 

 Peonies by either of these methods. For the 

 garden of small extent the showy Pceonia 

 officinalis, blooming in May and June, will 

 be a welcome feature. The flowers are very 

 large, dark crimson in color. Of the Pceonia 

 albiflora (white through rose-color to crimson) , 



