444 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of a Paeony 's greedy appetite— but the manure itself should not 

 actually touch the young plants when first put in, as it en- 

 courages slugs and wireworm to come and devour the wounded 

 tuberous roots. The distance from plant to plant that I have 

 adopted, and I do not think you can improve upon it, is 8 feet, 

 and the distance between the rows (if grown in a bed) 4 feet. 

 The little rosy crowns of the young plants should be planted in 

 November and placed about 1 inch, or 1^ inches, below the 

 surface of the ground, but in my opinion not deeper, as I believe 

 the Paeony rejoices in heat, and even in comparative dryness, after 

 it has done flowering. It loves to roast its crowns and tubers in 

 sun-heat, in preparation for its next year's efforts. The first season 

 after planting all they will require will be to be kept free from 

 weeds, their leaves loosely tied up to prevent their being blown 

 off by high winds, and copious watering in dry weather till the 

 blooming season is well over, i.e. till about the second week in 

 July ; and if any of them show bloom-buds the first year after 

 planting, it is a wise self-sacrifice which gently nips them out 

 and is content to wait. 



The second and subsequent years they will want more atten- 

 tion. In November cut off all the fading foliage, lightly fork 

 the bed over, being careful not to turn up more than an inch 

 of the soil close round the plants, and not more than 2 or 

 3 inches anywhere. No spade should ever be allowed in the 

 Paeony bed, except to plant with. Leave the ground rough 

 through the winter ; do not attempt to protect or coddle them ; 

 the colder they are the better, as they will not start so soon in 

 spring, which is the only danger. In February, when the frost 

 is on the ground, give then a mulching all over the bed of 

 2 to 3 inches of rich cow-dung, taking care, of course, not to 

 place any immediately over the crowns, but close round them. 

 When the young growths are about a foot high they should be 

 lightly secured against wind- breakage, and as soon as the sharp 

 frosts are well over, say from the end of April, they should be 

 well soaked (for they are very deep-rooting plants) with strong 

 manure- water, not pouring it on the crowns, but around them, 

 and this snould be continually repeated until July, unless the 

 weather or the soil be exceptionally wet. In May the plants 

 should be carefully gone over once a week, and all the side flower- 

 buds carefully nipped out, leaving only the central or main bud : 



