me in the most desirable relations with other exhibitors, even the very 
largest, and you know how any peony enthusiast enjoys visiting with 
any other enthusiast, and how we amateurs with private gardens like 
to feel that we personally know the big men in the Peony world. 
I wish you could have seen the color display with all the Light Pinks 
in one section of the hall, the Deep Pinks in another, the Reds in 
another, and the Whites in yet another. Such a display of Nature's 
colors is seldom seen. It was a wonderful opportunity to get ac- 
quainted with the catalogued varieties, and the display contained 
many beautiful flowers, but greatest of all in my estimation was 
Kelway's Glorious. 
What interested me most were the peonies shown by amateurs like 
ourselves. It was a revelation to me. Amateurs can raise just as 
good peonies as professionals, and although I would not want you to 
tell the professionals about it, I really think the amateurs did just a 
little better on some varieties this year. 
Mrs. Taylor, Mr. Boyd and Mr. Scott, all of the vicinity of Phila- 
delphia had displays which I will remember as long as I grow peonies, 
and I expect to be still doing that when I am up in the eighties and 
nineties like Richardson and Hollis and Harrison and Pleas and Terry. 
Tourangelle alone was worth going many miles to see, while Marie 
Crouse seemed to me to be perfection in peony form, size and color. 
Mr. Gifford, of Tarrytown made a display of Aurore which just made 
you think of an early spring morning. I wish I could tell you the feel- 
ings with which Eugene Verdier, Lady Alexandra Duff, Jubilee, 
Therese, La Tendresse and a few others inspired me, but as you are to 
have the opportunity of seeing them in Philadelphia next year, I hope 
we can enjoy the inspiration together at that time. 
I want to ask you to do the Society a favor next year, and 
bring a few of your very best with you. This year we did not see 
representative blooms from Le Cygne, Solange, La France, Mont 
Blanc, Martha Bulloch, Francis Shaylor, Mary Woodberry Shaylor 
nor Cherry Hill. Of course every enthusiast wants to see them, but 
it seems the professionals are so busy dividing their roots of high 
priced varieties that they do not get representative blooms, and so it 
devolves upon us, the amateurs, who raise peonies because we love 
them, to bring to the show the varieties we are all willing to travel 
miles to see. Follow the example of our Secretary, Professor Saunders 
who is also an amateur like us. He lives in northern New York where 
the herbaceous peonies are not yet in bloom, but he wanted to do his 
part towards making the show a success and so he brought with him a 
magnificent collection of Tree Peony blooms, just for display and not 
