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kind of blooms as the original plant. Seeds, however, 
will produce plants altogether different from the plant 
from which the seeds were obtained, and in ninety- 
nine cases out of a hundred, the blooms on these plants 
will not be as good as on the parent plants. 
The beginner should carefully select his varieties 
and should not let his enthusiasm lead him to buy so 
many that he cannot properly take care of them. Every 
root purchased should be provided with a stake on 
which is permanently inscribed the name of the variety. 
He will want to include in his selection an early, a mid¬ 
season and a late variety of each of the three colors, 
white, pink and red. And I am sure he would enjoy 
having also one of the three yellow varieties now on 
the market, although it will be necessary for him to 
invest more money in the yellow variety than in any 
of the others. He may be interested in knowing that 
there is a $100.00 prize offered for a new yellow peony, 
and as this new peony must be grown from seed, and as 
it is supposed that seed from a yellow variety is more 
likely to produce the color wanted, there is quite a de¬ 
sire among peony owners to possess at least one yellow 
variety as a seed producer. 
If his observation has been thorough he will prob¬ 
ably not want any help in selecting the varieties for 
his first purchase, but judging from the time of bloom¬ 
ing in my own garden, Candidissima, Festiva Maxima 
and Mireille would cover the season in white varieties; 
Umbellata Rosea, Eugenie Verdier and Grandiflora 
(Richardson) in pinks; and Midnight (Brand), Felix 
Crousse and Rubra Superba would do the same in reds. 
If he should desire a yellow variety I suggest a division 
of Primevere. A beginner’s collection should also in- 
