HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 205 



Canton derive their supplies of P. Moutan from a district situated 

 more in the west than Shanghae. From time immemorial the same 

 gardens have furnished these flowers ; they arrive always by the 

 same road, and at the same time of the year. It seems that Shan- 

 diae until the end of the last war, has never been in communica-r 

 tion with Canton, at least in what concerns flowers, consequently 

 these beautiful varieties of Peony could not obtain a route towards 

 the south and thence to Europe. 



The establishments where they cultivate exclusively the Paeonia 

 Moutan are numerous, but very small. They have the appearance 

 of our cottage gardens, and are cared for in the same way, that is, 

 by all the members of the family: the women take as much part 

 in it as the men : they are very avaricious and love money ex? 

 tremely. When they have been consulted; I always had to pay 

 dearer for the acquisitions of plants which I made. The soil of 

 these gardens is rich and well-manured ; this latter circumstance 

 renders it less compact than the soil where they cultivate cotton. 



The propagation and management of the Paeonia Moutan seems, 

 to have been perfectly understood by the Chinese at Shanghae, much 

 better than with us. Our horticulturists complain without ceasing 

 of the difficulty of multiplying this beautiful plant, and this makes 

 the price remain high. Here is the method which the Chinese 

 pursue, and which our growers may try. 



At the commencement of October, they collect in the sheds an^ 

 out-houses a great quantity of the roots of a certain herbaceous 

 Peony, roots which must serve for subjects of Paeonia Moutan. The 

 bundle of tubercles which forms the root of a herbaceous peony is 

 divided, and each little root, in shape of a finger, becomes a subject 

 upon which they graft the P. Moutan. Having placed a great 

 number of these tubercles upon the potting table, they bring the 

 grafts of the plants which they wish to multiply. Each- graft is 

 but an inch and a half to two inches long ; it is the extremity of a 

 shoot made during the summer just finished. The under part of it 

 is cut into a wedge and inserted on the top of the finger sbaj3ed tu- 

 bercle of which we spoke. The graft is covered by a ligature or 

 by clay and the operation is complete. A great number of grafts 



