130 
j Northwestern Peony 
and Iris Society, j 
W ITH the constant addition to 
the trade lists of new and 
meritorious varieties, it be- 
hooves us to keep on the look- 
out if we would possess the very best 
that is offered. I mean by this that 
we should acquaint ourselves with 
the various lists of varieties being 
offered of the newer sorts of both the 
Peony and Iris in order to be up to 
date. This particularly applies to those 
who are making extensive collections 
of the very best productions procurable 
at the present time. While the propor- 
tion of new varieties offered is infinitely 
small compared with the vast number 
of seedlings that are discarded as worth- 
less, there are many that are offered 
under alluring, captivating descriptions 
that have no place with the many 
desirable and dependable sorts now in 
cultivation. 
Those who are interested in propa- 
gating new varieties should be com- 
mended for their untiring efforts and 
patience, for it requires an unlimited 
amount of both in order to experience 
the pleasure and satisfaction of success 
in the fullest measure. Many failures 
are attributable wholly to lack of per- 
severance and the ability to continue 
in the face of repeated failures. 
There is a certain amount of pleasure 
combined with the above requirements 
in the anticipation of creating some- 
thing that will outshine anything now 
in existence, and this aim has been ap- 
proached and fully realized in many 
cases within the past few years. Pro- 
gress along horticultural lines is just 
as pronounced as it is along other 
lines of endeavor and each succeeding 
year finds us trying to excel the year 
just passed. Progress is ever marching 
on and while it may seem to us an 
utter impossibility to approach some 
of the floral creations of to-day, I ven- 
ture to say that they will be and in 
many cases excelled. With higher 
class stock to work with there will be 
a resultant gain in progeny, which is 
evidenced by some of the very recent 
additions to the Peony and Iris lists. 
Each year we find a number of varie- 
ties that are strangers to us as they 
have only been in existence a short 
time, or at least have not been offered 
on the market, doubtless having been 
carefully observed for some years by 
their originators to determine their 
worth. Oft times, I am compelled to 
say, some of these new creations are 
short lived, due to varying causes. The 
originator may not have tested various 
soils and climatic conditions before his 
final judgment of worth was passed ; 
again many have tried their hands at 
hybridizing who are not entirely famil- 
iar with the many beautiful and high 
class varieties now in cultivation and 
unwittingly overpraise their production 
as a result. I regret to say that some- 
times the greed of gain enters in and 
overshadows everything else and we 
are enticed to part with our good 
Slower (Brower 
money later to find that we have been 
misled. 
I would not for a moment discour- 
age anyone’s efforts in their attempt to 
create new varieties but am always 
glad to encourage them in every way, 
as I am a great admirer of anyone 
who is striving to better things that 
now exist that succeeding generations 
may profit thereby, but I think it be- 
hooves each one of us to use extreme 
caution and not be too enthusiastic 
over our creations to the end that the 
market may not be flooded with in- 
ferior, disappointing and commonplace 
varieties. 
During the past season I have seen a 
number of very promising seedlings 
both of the Peony and Iris, but the 
originators are men of extended and 
broad experience in the work and are 
critically testing the most promising, 
(having had them under observation 
for several years) before they will at- 
tempt to disseminate them. 
A number of our members are work- 
ing faithfully and earnestly propagat- 
ing new Peonies and Irises. The public 
is not aware of their activities in this 
branch of endeavor, but these silent, 
earnest workers have a goal in mind 
and some day their efforts will meet 
with deserved success. Recently I re- 
ceived a letter from one of our mem- 
bers in Nebraska from which I quote 
as follows : 
“ I am raising seedling Iris and have 
had quite considerable success. I have 
the nearest red I have ever seen ; some 
near pink, and one a great improve- 
ment over Her Majesty ; one as large 
as Aynas; one pure white, no mark- 
ings except a yellow beard, and many 
others as large as Trojana. My brother, 
also a member of your Society has 
many new ones, too, also extra fine 
Peonies ; some prize winners I believe.” 
To substantiate his statement he 
sends me a splendid photograph of 
his Iris beds and one of his Peony beds. 
Both of these pictures fully demon- 
strate that he is having splendid suc- 
cess with his undertaking. I do not 
know how many years his efforts have 
been centered toward propagating new 
varieties, neither do I know that he 
has offered any of them for sale or has 
any desire to do so, but I am of the 
opinion that he is still working toward 
a higher goal and will some day be re- 
warded with greater success than he 
may now have achieved. 
Most of us are conversant with the 
work of Mr. Willis Fryer, of Mantor- 
ville, Minn., who is enjoying splendid 
success in creating new varieties of 
Irises. Another of our members, Miss 
Grace Sturtevant, of Wellesley Farms, 
Mass., has created some wonderful new 
Irises that I trust will soon be more 
generally known in this section of the 
country. Mr. Bertrand Farr, of Wyom- 
ising, Pa., has added a number of 
splendid Irises that can be classed with 
the best. In far away Connecticut we 
have a member who is actively en- 
gaged in assembling a collection of the 
best Irises to be found in cultivation, 
several members in Ohio and Pennsyl- 
vania who have assembled the finest 
collections to be found anywhere, and 
December, 1919 
from some of these Iris fanciers we 
will doubtless hear of splendid work 
along the line of hybridizing in the 
near future. There are several others 
I might name in this connection who 
are diligently engaged in improving 
some of the standard varieties now 
offered. The late Rev. C. S. Harrison, 
deserves great credit for the work he 
has done in making both the Peony 
and Iris more generally known. 
The many years of patient waiting 
that are necessary to propagate the 
Peony leaves a more open field, but 
a far more difficult one to venture into. 
Results are not so easily obtained, as 
in many cases several years elapse be- 
fore the final stamp of approval can be 
placed upon a superior seedling. There 
are but few of us who have not heard 
of or seen the Brand creations. It took 
nine years of patient, careful observ- 
ance before Martha Bulloch was found 
worthy of bearing that distinguished 
name. It will take many times nine 
years before this variety will have to 
bow to a superior of its type, if indeed 
it is ever approached. Elizabeth Bar- 
rett Browning, Frances Willard, Mary 
Brayid, Judge Berry, ChestineGowdy and 
a score of others, all splendid sorts, are 
Mr. Brand’s creations. Victory Chateau 
Thierry and Myrtle Gentry are among 
his latest contributions. These will be 
on exhibition next June and they both 
bid fair to rank with the best of the 
Brand creations. 
Mr. E. J. Shaylor, of Auburndale, 
Mass., is universally known as one of 
the greatest hybridizers of Peonies in 
the United States. His Mary Wood- 
bury Shaylor, Georgiana Shaylor, Mrs. 
Edward Harding, Milton Lockwood, 
Shaylor’s Dream and many others of 
high class have been brought into ex- 
istence through his skillful work. 
Prof. A. P. Saunders, Secretary of the 
American Peony Society is doing splen- 
did work in the line of creating new 
varieties. His intimate knowledge of 
all first class Peonies places him in an 
enviable position, and any seedling 
that he may deem worthy of dissemi- 
nating must possess exceptional merit 
in order to receive his stamp of ap- 
proval. I have had the pleasure of 
seeing a number of his seedlings and 
was much impressed with their beauty. 
His work should be watched with con- 
siderable interest as he is an expert at 
hybridizing and understand that he is 
working to produce a full yellow Peony. 
He is scientifically working along lines 
that should enable him to achieve this 
result. There is a fortune awaiting 
the lucky one who produces a full 
double yellow Peony equal to some of 
the good standard varieties of today. 
With the temporary embargo placed 
on foreign importations to a consider- 
able extent, this restriction will doubt- 
less result in renewed activity toward 
improving existing varieties in this 
country. Let us hope that there may 
be many who may achieve results 
equal to those accomplished by John 
Richardson, H. A. Terry, Mr. Hollis, 
Mr. Rosenfield, Mrs. Pleas and many 
others who have added so much to our 
list of first class varieties. Some grow- 
ers make the statement that it is im- 
