September, 191. 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



61 



Keeping the 



Civilian Fit 



An Advertisement by 



George H. Peterson 



OUR Government is sparing neither 

 pains nor expense, and rightly so, in 

 providing entertainment and relaxation 

 for the soldier, to the end that his mind 

 may be diverted from the task before 

 him and so that he may not become "stale." 

 And while the world's freedom from tyran- 

 ny cannot be won without the soldier, he, 

 important as he is in the destiny of man- 

 kind to-day, cannot fight without the back- 

 ing and support of the man and woman 

 who stay behind and fight the battle at home, 



In the excitement of preparation and of bat- 

 tle, the soldier, although his life may be at stake, 

 does not begin to worry a tithe as much as the 

 father, mother, wife, sister or sweetheart left at 

 home. And so it seems fitting to me that because 

 of this inseparable worry, combined with ever-in- 

 creasing privations, and the fact that without the 

 best and continued effort of the civilian the war 

 could not long be carried on, the question of his 

 or her relaxation and diversion should be given 

 serious thought — that such relaxation should be 

 increased rather than diminished. 



There are, it is true, many things of which we 

 should deny ourselves in whole or in part. We 

 must eat less meat, wheat and sugar, so that our 

 soldiers may have an abundance; so that our Al- 

 lies, who for four years have been holding back the 

 hordes who would destroy the freedom of mankind, 

 may not suffer too severely. 



r 



< % * 



We must make a suit of clothes, a pair of shoes, 

 last longer; so that the fighter of our battles will 

 have wool and leather enough to clothe and shod 

 him in his strenuous duties under great exposure. 

 There are luxuries and non-essentials which bene- 

 fit no one else but the buyer (if even they do him) 

 which may well be dispensed with altogether for 

 the time being. 



But what about flowers? Are they a luxury — a 

 non-essential? 



Let us see. 



I call your attention to the picture and its cap- 



/ 



.'■'. 





wamt ' 111111 ' ' 'rifiiiiiBiia 



tion on page three* Do you suppose for a mo- 

 ment that these flowers were all used selfishly? 

 Can you compass the possibilities of this one day's 

 cutting in cheering the sick, the grieved, or the 

 soul aweary with life's struggles? 



And what of the giver? Has she lost or 

 has she gained? 



Has she not gained most of all? 

 PS Think it over. 



Figure it out as you may, the fact remains 

 L _ that no other relaxation, diversion — call 

 it what you will — will prove of such real 

 benefit as the cultivation of flowers, a 

 •£-j benefit not only to the grower, but to 

 ,.A many less fortunate fellow creatures. 

 MB With this thought in mind, it has been 

 ' especially gratifying this year to learn 

 P*7 of quite a number of cases where our 

 Peonies were so useful in Red Cross and 

 similar work. As a lover of this flower, 

 even more than as a professional grower, it has 

 fe been likewise gratifying to observe the liberal 

 use of the Peony on Decoration or Memorial 

 Day of this year — for which purpose it stands pre- 

 eminent among flowers. And who can foresee 

 the limit of its usefulness in this respect? The 

 Decoration Day of the future is to hold a new 

 meaning to many, if not to most of us. 



This war will I feel confident, renew the interest in flowers 

 and sooner or later increase the demand for them. Many of 

 us, 1 am sure, feel very much as did a woman customer who 

 feelingly wrote me this spring as follows: 



"I can do without other things, but flowers linust have — 

 now more than ever. They are a great consolation to me." 

 *The conclusion, and the most interesting part of 

 the above article will be found in my new 1918 Peony 

 Catalogue — mailed on request. 



George H. Peterson 



Rose and Peony Box 50 



Specialist Fair Lawn, N.J. 



liiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 



.■ '. . 



A Portion of Our Exhibit at Boston Peony Show, June 15-16, igi8 



We Aim to Excel in Quality Peony Production 



The above display was pronounced by Peony experts and the public THE Display (quality considered) of the show. A lady, 

 (a stranger to us) told us "after seeing yours I ignored all the others. Such blooms." 



Drop us a postal TO-DAY, requesting our 

 modest little catalogue, which you'll find 

 full of facts about Peonies, Iris, etc. 



Special Offer: — 



To acquaint you with our "pets" we will send 

 12 Choice Iris for $1.00 

 12 Select Peonies for $2.00 

 Not subject to discount, except as mentioned opposite. 

 We have Peonies valued from 25c. to #25.00 each. Our Iris 

 are worth from 15c. to #1.00 each. 



GEORGE N. SMITH 



Wellesley Hills Massachusetts 



Special Discount: — 



To Readers of Garden Magazine only, who order before 

 September 25th, we will allow a special discount of 15% pro- 

 vided cash is sent with orders, and special reference is made to 

 this advertisement. 



Remember the Date: — September 25th. 



. . 



\m\\mix,wm.\z:;z\\"m\'W .'■.■:■ 'Mill' ' 'Liiriiwraiwiin in iiri:.'!':i:« 



. Willi:!!;; 1 ::! ■xrm\i ;'i':i'':rri; \r>-\y\»\r :\\ ■n"- :.i ■::.,;■! ! ii;;i,:; 1. ;;!;■!. ;:,■}.. ii'in.iii 



,11 Mi!' .,..;;;;,, :..,!:... i.,i:.;„!..i::, ; ;i.„v:. :■!..:,;!:,■,.;..;., ;,;.;. 



;. ; iii; ri i: :,; ii \.:\\\r, \,u : i;„i;, ; ■...:. ;■!!!, wm\.\.. ; 



Advertisers will appreciate your mentioning The Garden Magazine in writing — and we will, too 



