January, 1919 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
59 
The fifth and last one on the list 
is Richardson’s Grandiflora, orig- 
inated by Richardson in 1883. On 
account of the extreme lateness of 
this variety it is one of my favor- 
ites. Its fragrance is pleasing 
and in color it is light pink or flesh 
tint. It is an exceedingly large 
flower, opening flat and full. It 
is a wonderful Peony and a gem 
in a class by itself. This variety 
is at its best after all the others 
named have faded and gone. 
With the collection just named 
you have started a nucleus for fu- 
ture planting that I am sure will 
instill in you a desire to procure 
some of the rarer sorts, a"d you 
will find that the fascination for 
the flower will grow as years pass. 
I have only chosen varieties that 
are moderately priced and within 
the means of all. 
One may possess the finest var- 
ieties that are in existence but 
without proper cultivation the 
most satisfactory results cannot 
be obtained. The process of 
planting is simply a preliminary 
step if you would get the most 
out of your plants. While it is 
true Peonies will produce bloom 
with practically utter neglect, the 
results secured through proper 
cultivation and care are so grati- 
fying that you will feel amply re 
paid for your efforts. They so 
readily respond to proper treat- 
ment that it is a pleasure rather 
than an effort to coddle them. 
Now just a word about cultiva- 
tion before I close. Peonies like 
rich soil but avoid placing manure 
where it will come in direct con- 
tact with the roots of the plant. 
Don’t let the ground bake or be- 
come hard. Keep it well loosened 
up. Don’t work too close to the 
plants if cultivating deep, as you 
are apt to injure the root growth. 
Peonies, as a general rule are not 
bothered with disease like some of 
our other favorite flowers. They 
can remain for a number of years 
in the same location without being 
disturbed. Do not plant Peonies 
where Peonies have been removed 
unless new earth is substituted. 
Avoid planting under trees or in 
locations where the sun does not 
get a chance to penetrate. If you 
wish to cut the bloom for the 
house, do so just as the flower is 
unfolding, placing them in water 
immediately after cutting, but be 
sure that at least two sets of 
leaves are left on the stalk or stem 
from which the flower is removed. 
If you have a large number of 
plants or wish to secure large, ex- 
hibition bloom, disbud all but the 
central, or largest bud as soon as 
they have formed. 
Let me urge upon you to try 
one or more of the varieties I have 
named, if you cannot find room 
for them all, and I feel sure that 
you will realize, as you have never 
realized before, what a lot of 
beauty will welcome you each suc- 
cessive year, and if some of you 
do not become Peony enthusiasts, 
I will miss my guess. 
THE HOME ORCHARD 
IK WISCONSIN 
(Continued from page 53) 
Fifth : Do not wait for spring, 
but go ahead at once to decide 
what spraying and pruning equip- 
ment you will need, so that you 
can prepare, during the spare 
hours of winter, a convenient 
place for it to be kept. 
Sixth: Subscribe for a good 
horticultural paper and join your 
state society . 
Seventh: When the trees ar- 
rive, remember that the success of 
your orchard depends almost en- 
tirely on the care you take of it at 
every stage in its development. 
Follow faithfully the instructions 
contained in your bulletin, texts, 
and papers, and your trees and 
their product will be a credit to 
you and to the state, and will fur- 
nish an incentive for others to fol- 
low your example. 
Now that I have shown why im- 
provement is needed, and have 
suggested a method of procedure, 
all that remains t > be said is that 
the carrying out of these sugges- 
tions requires work. If we de- 
sire legislation enacted, we must 
have bills introduced, and must 
work to have them passed. If the 
laws are to be effective, we must 
have public sentiment behind 
them. Therefore our work of 
education entails more than the 
giving of advice to beginners; it 
implies the creation of favorable 
sentiment as well. To create this 
we must each and all of us make 
the most of every opportunity to 
demonstrate the fact that a well- 
kept orchard is a source of profit 
and satisfaction, while one that is 
neglected is a public nuisance 
that should not be tolerated. In 
spreading th’s gospel we must do 
more than use our voices; we must 
utilize farm papers, rural newspa- 
pers, and every other agency of 
publicity that we can command 
to our service. 
If we can induce even a few 
farmers each year to improve on 
the old methods and thereby meet 
with such success as will be grati- 
fying to them and an object lesson 
to others, Ave shall have accomp- 
lished a great deal, and the battle 
for more and better homeraised 
fruit will be half won. With new 
recruits being thus added to our 
forces ; with legislation to protect 
those who are already employing 
proper methods, and with educa- 
tion to bring others up to our 
standards, we may hope in time 
to see, “an orchard for every 
farm” as a reality instead of a 
hope. 
