206 THE FLORIST AND 



being thus made, they are carried to the garden and planted in rows 

 distant about a foot and a half; the same space is left between 

 plants in the same row. In planting, the head of the graft only re- 

 mains above the soil; the part where the graft unites with the tubercle 

 is always buried. Kaempfer says that the Chinese multiply the Moutan 

 Peony by bud-grafting ; this is an error, this process is never prac- 

 ticed by them, they do not even understand it. The author has 

 been led into the error by the smallness of the bud which they use, 

 this having but one eye at its end. 



Each autumn sees thousands of plants grafted in this way. The 

 little empty space which may be seen in the rows proves the good- 

 ness of the method ; in fact a graft rarely fails to grow. At the end 

 of about fifteen days the union of the root and the graft is complete : 

 in the following spring the plants are beautiful and vigorous. The}- 

 generally flower the first spring or at the latest in the second ; it is 

 then that they are taken up and carried to be sold in the market in 

 the way I have described. The plant which has but one stalk and 

 one flower has more value in the eyes of the cultivator at Shanghae 

 than a stronger one ; it is sold more easily, produces a very large 

 flower, and presents no difficulty neither for lifting nor for transpor- 

 tation. Thanks to this circumstance I could always procure strong 

 plants more advantageously than small ones. 



In the gardens of the mandarins can often be met Peonies of a 

 considerable size, Near Shanghae there is one which annually pro- 

 duces 3 to 400 flowers. The proprietor takes as much care of it as 

 could the most enthusiastic amateur of his tulips. During its flower- 

 ing, it was protected from the burning rays of the sun by a tent of 

 ,canvass ; in front was a seat where the visitor enjoyed in full the 

 sight of these magnificent flowers. Every day, for several hours, 

 the old man installed himself there, and while pipes and bowls of 

 jtea succeeded each other he looked lovingly upon his favorite "Mou- 

 tan wha." It was certainly a noble plant, well worthy of the ad- 

 miration of the old amateur, to whom I wish the pleasure of sitting 

 a long time jet under his tent, to enjoy so beautiful a sight. 



Translated from the Flore des Series. 



