BABCOCK PEONY GARDENS, JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK 
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Herbaceous Peonies 
111 presenting- the ft iHowin,^- list of select and choice 
Peonies, I believe 1 am ofTerin.;^ to you one of tin- 
largest collections of prize winners and rare varieties 
in America. 
Neither time nor nn)ne\' has been s|)ai'ed to secure 
llu' world's best varieties. The United States has 
been sct)ured and the .^'ardens oi' all the !^i"eal luirn- 
l)ean Peony growers have been searched fnr choice 
n!tve!lies and Prize Winners. 1 ha\'c cidleeted the 
most Select rind rare sorts from tlte jjest i;roducti<ms 
of such famous continental .Q-rowers as V'erdier. 
Giierin, Delache, Calot and Victor Lemoinc. of 
Xanci^ T^^rance. My collection also includes the very 
best and latest of tlu' noteworthy recent introduc- 
lii ns liA' Atonsienr \. T)essert, wdiose list id' varieties 
forms i.nie of the most im])ortant .Lia'ou])s anr the 
Peony families, as well as selections from all of the 
noted growers of llollaud. Ivclway and r>arr of 
land, and 'Richard'^on. Mollis. Ten-y. RiSsen fieb! and 
Prand of America. 
Many of the new varieties are now so scarce that 
it is inipossllde lo secure, direct from the ori.Liinators, 
eiuniL»"h plants to meet the t;ro\\dn,L; demand, especial- 
ly for the Dessert and Pemoine's rare shirts. IMierese. 
Le C3'.une. Solan. s^e, Touran.Lieile. T^-ime\ere, Raoul 
Dessert, Laniartine, Mine. Jules Dessert. Pa I'rance, 
La Lorraine, Rosa 1 tonhen r. Sarah I 'crnh ardt. h' n - 
chcni tercsse, and many others S(Hne of the Anier 
ican A'arieties are also \-e]"v scarce. There were not 
eui aiu'li Martha I'ul lochs in existence 
t year t < 
sti].)ijly the demand, and 1 was unable to fill sontc of 
niy very late orders for it e\en at $25.00 each. 
One Hundred Varieties 
\ 1 one of t lie meetins-i's of the American Pc my 
Society it was su.^"S"ested Yyy some rme that ihe at- 
temi:)t— mind you. the atlemi)! — be made lo discard 
froni ihe list of varieties of l"'eonies until ii slioubl 
embrace as the maxinnim iiund)er one lunnlred \-;'ri- 
e t i e s — t his e 1 i m i n a t i ( • n to be s e c ti r e d by a ride o I 
j u d gi n g to It e a d op ted by the s o ci e t >■ . And r i g 1 ) t 
there is wdiere the judges !*an smack into a stone 
wall and the allempt failed as it --hould. 
One of the ver\' first dccisious v\'e arri\'ed at in 
Peony cnlture was that for ourselves we could no 
more confine our list to one hundred varieties and 
be satisfied with same than that waves of the ocean 
could be kept l}ack with a broom, and that fc)r the 
very good reason that no one hundred, or for that 
matter m t two hundred, varieties wrudd or could 
endjrace all the worth and charm of this dower. .In 
the above opinion we arc sustained hy Professor 
Leon D. liatchelor, when in cuie < d" the American 
I'eony Society bulletins issued by Cornell Ihiiversity 
he says in the introduction: "It is probably a con- 
servative statement to say that the I'eony interests 
of the country would be better off if about seventy- 
l)\e ix'i- cent of the varieties were destroyed and fu- 
ture propagation made from the remaining twenty- 
live i)er cent of superior varieties." As there are 
alxnit two thousand A'arieties of T'eouies, say otie 
thousand of them in commerce, to eliminate seventy- 
tlvc i)er cent of them would lea\-e at least two hun- 
flrt-d and fifty soi'is as desirable. W'e are not idead- 
ing for .'1 long list of Peonies, but we contend that 
the merits oi the Peonies th^'t should be perpelualed 
are not found in any one htmdred varieties. 
Over 100 exti'a fine, new varieties have been placed 
im the market in the last 10 years and if ym will 
take the trcndile to look up the prize winners during 
this time you will (ind the new an<l rare \-arieties are 
always the winners. 
Do you believe that any growi'r can select 100 vari- 
eties ten o)- nntre years ago and still say he has all 
ol tlie world's best/ If you still believe so 1 say visit 
any large grower in the blooming season or attend 
one show td" Ihe American Peony Society Shows. 
Again look otit for large clumps. In lifting when all 
the dirt is removed from old roots the shock is so 
great that gi tod strong young ]:)lanl,> will usually 
overtake them and give better satisfactirni. 
It nnist be reniendiered, bowever. that some vari- 
eties will not l)looni the llrst year, and that blooms 
will not be as joerfcct the hrst or second year as they 
will be after the plants are well estaldislied. I never 
pass final judgment ')n any variety until its third 
\*ear alter transiilanting. 
Time for Planting Peonies 
Amy iinu- in fall i>y 
■.\v\y s| IV 
St-'ptcnihiT aiul < U'lohcr ai'c I)csl iiiniiili.s fnr |ilnii I iti.y. 
How to Plant Your Peonies 
Planting. Wlicn the |>lanLs nni\L\ iciiinvc tin- paeUin.L; an-l 
iminc-rsf llicni in water fctr aboiU <'iylii lumrs. This wiU umI 
hurl the rooLs: .'iikI if they ha]']'r)i in ]:v sliri\ell(.-(l, il wilt liclji 
greatly. 
Set th'' lilanlS so Oial lIlO t*)|' ol' \>\\\\': o|- wliilr hll'ls will 
come frnni Lwn nr Oii'ee iiu'hc-; lielovv ihc siirl'aec. Wurk llir 
soil in iirouiul ihi' muts with the rtns:ers. "J"'ress il( iw n nrnily 
with the heel, hein.y care till iinl lo in jure the liihls. Tlicn till 
tho hoU- wtlh Iiiosc soil and nionml it \.\]> ahonl Iwo inehes 
alinve the surroiindiiia- surface. This last step insures Oie shrd- 
dinjj" of ualer during the lirst winter. Alter the gi'ound is 
frozen, applv a li.ii'ht irndrh of strawy manure, si raw. wi Id hav 
or corn stalks 
Cultivation. When garden makins' time couius in the spi-ing. 
ri'UUive ihe nudch and level the mound. As soon as ihe liuds 
apiiear above ground, liejjrin cultivation and cultivak- until the 
plants are in bloom. The soil should be stirred llie dfplh 
of two Inches close to the idant and three farther away. II tlie 
plants are in rows, cultivate to the dei'tli of si^ Inches between 
the rows. The jiotato fork ;nid potato hook arr yrmd tools lo 
use where horse cuUivalion is impossible. A fii i the blnnniinii 
season cultivate enough to keep down weeds. 
Watering. In times of drought, srive an oceasi<.)nal ihoruu.Ljh 
watfriuK:. A liberal supply of water during" Iho Idiu.ininii- sea* 
Sun will heh' Ki'^fLtlv make fine Mowers. A i^ood way tu 
water is lo di.ir a little trench afound a plant abotU six inches 
rrniu 1 1 If stalks a nd poiu" in two ur three jiails of water at a 
time. Where plant are in rows an entire rt)\v may lie easily 
watered by di^i'j^ing' a trench on each side and lUHnfi' from the 
hoSe. Such a watering" will last for a week. Si>rinkhng is 
always useless. After the btnomins: season, cease waleriny;. 
Cutting Back the Plant. fii cutlbig' flowers, lie sure In allow 
at least IwQ leaves to remain on each stem to insure root growth 
for another yenr. After the blooms have fallen, cut a IT the 
Mower buds and trim the i>lant enoUf^ii to make il shapely. In 
this way il will remain an attractive le-alure of the K-arden 
ihr<.n.Li-hout tiie summer. Tly the lirst of SeiU ember it is safe 
lo ent the slalks l<i the ,!.rronnd if fnr any reason il is desii'able 
In 1 1 1 1 So. 
Winter Protection. Tn snt li loe.ibi as fllinois, Ohio and 
.Sijuthern Tovva. snow eaiuiol be depended on to furnisli continu- 
ous covering; and in iN'orlhern Minnesota, Tsorlh Dakota and 
Canada hlf?h winds often sweep the groitiid bare of snow. Here 
the ground is liki-l\' lo bea\'e. and a tight Ciivering such as has 
been recommended for newly set plants sluuild he furnished 
each winter. in iVorlhern Iowa, .Southern Minnesola and 
Wisconsin, wherr the groiuvl is eoveri-d throuKlKuit the wdnter 
\\ ilh more less snow, no mulch is necessary after the hrsl 
year. 
Fertilizing. As a I'erlilixei", nothing is lietter than widl rolteil 
si .aide mamn-e. eow manure being preferable- liitwevei-, nuich 
barm is ibuu- li\ loo rrenuenl heavy applicalions of manure. 
I'erhaps a sale ride is lo give a good covering of manure about" 
three inches deep once in tiirec years. Tn the sprinjr ibis 
should be raked from the tops of the plants. aniT worked into 
the uronnd a lit lie dislanee away. 
In our own piaeliee we have used a good deal of wood nslies. 
About a i pi art ai'pHed to a good^ strong three-year-old plant 
every ol her year has given sidcndid results. Tf show llowers 
are wanted, liquid manure. a[iplied at intervals_ of two weeks 
from the time tlie plants appear above the ground 
in bloom, will bring surprising' results 
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