7ht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
I 107 
Peonies, the Flower of the Ozarks 
[It will surprise many of our people to know that a 
great business of producing peonies has been developed 
around the small town of Sarcoxie, Mo. Jasper County 
is in Southwest Missouri, near the Oklahoma line, per¬ 
haps the last place that the average eastern man would 
put down as headquarters for flowers; yet, as we see 
from the following article, a tremendous business in 
peonies has been developed at this point. Most of us 
in the East seem to think that the Ozarks are noted for 
apples, mountain scenery and emotional novels. The 
ignorance of the average eastern man about western 
conditions is only equaled by the idea some western 
men have about the East. It is evident that this busi¬ 
ness of producing peonies has settled close to Sarcoxie 
because the soil and conditions are just right for the 
crop. It is something of a case of natural selection— 
like asparagus growing at Concord, Mass., or the pro¬ 
duction of teasels near Syracuse, N. Y.] 
ARLOT SHIPMENTS.—Large quantities of cut 
peonies are shipped from Sarcoxie, and will 
aggregate a number of cars each year—we have 
never estimated how many. But we do not ship in 
carlots to one customer or consignee, because we do 
not ship to a different distributing point, but distrib¬ 
ute from Sarcoxie. In the main our shipments are 
direct to the florists who buy the flow¬ 
ers for re-sale, and that makes carlots 
to one customer out of the question. 
FAVORABLE LOCATION.—-The Sar¬ 
coxie soil and climate is favorable for 
growing peonies, but we cannot claim 
any credit for deliberately hunting the 
location. If we can claim any credit 
it is only for increasing our acreage 
when we found the soil and climate 
suitable. Were we establishing a new 
business we naturally would investi¬ 
gate soil, climate and shipping facili¬ 
ties. This is no reflection on Sarcoxie 
—only an acknowledgment that there 
are many other suitable locations. The 
peony business happened to get start¬ 
ed at Sarcoxie because our forefathers 
happened to settle here and our nur¬ 
sery was started in 1S75. In the early 
days peonies were grown for the 
plants. We do not know just how 
early, but we find them listed in our 
earliest catalogue on file—1SS0. Final¬ 
ly shipping the flowers was tried, and 
when they paid more were shipped and 
the acreage increased. That is noth¬ 
ing unusual. If a farmer finds corn 
pays he naturally will increase his corn 
acreage. The peony business became 
concentrated around Sarcoxie just the 
same way the strawberry business did. 
When one grower in any line makes 
money, others enter the business. The 
peony business is not organized here 
like the ‘Strawberry business. Each 
peony grower runs his business and 
markets his product wherever he can 
secure the trade. 
A CONSERVATIVE BUSINESS.— 
Peony growing is not a “get-rich-quick” 
business. The initial investment per 
acre is large, and we do not figure on 
getting any returns until the third 
year. 'Sometimes a few flowers are 
cut the second year, but usually it is 
not advisable, as if too much foliage 
is removed they will not make a good growth for the 
following year. Thorough preparation of the ground 
when 'planting, frequent, thorough cultivation and 
close attention to details when cutting, grading and 
packing are essential to success. For the shipping 
trade different varieties are cut at different stages 
of development, for best results. While one grower 
can show another how he cuts, only experience can 
render a grower thoroughly familiar with the 
proper stage. If peonies are to be grown on an ex¬ 
tensive scale a study of marketing is as essential 
as growing. For the wholesale trade the grower 
must first decide whether to market through the 
commission florists or to do his own marketing. If 
he decides to do his own marketing he must decide 
whether to solicit business through the florist trade 
papers or by circulars. That leads to a study of ad¬ 
vertising. Then he must study train times, transfer 
points, what points handle and transfer express at 
night, and such. Of course, growers “get by” with¬ 
out such close study, but it is necessary if one is to 
■give his customers the best service possible. The 
florist who has room for outdoor flowers should 
make money growing peonies. He already has a 
trade established and can develop it, including a 
shipping trade if he desires. 
THE SMALL GROWER.—The man who grows 
peonies as a side line some years finds it profitable, 
sometimes unprofitable. Years when there is a 
scarcity of flowers he can dispose of them readily. 
When there is an abundance, marketing is more dif¬ 
ficult, and if he waits until they are blooming before 
marketing arrangements he will have trouble dis¬ 
posing of them. He may depend upon commission 
shipments. Sometimes this pays. The trouble with 
the small grower is that it is expensive to keep Li 
touch with the different markets by wire, and when 
he ships by guess he may ship to an overstocked and 
consequently unprofitable market. Even in a city so 
large as New York the supply of consigned flowers 
is often so great it. forces the price to an unprofit¬ 
able point, sometimes even more than the market 
can absorb at any price. The man with a good road¬ 
side market does not have as much to think of in 
marketing problems as long as his supply does not 
exceed the roadside demand. After that he has the 
troubles of any other grower. Properly managed, 
peony growing is a profitable business, but it is a 
business and not a pastime. The man who enters 
the business should not expect to depend upon the 
demand already created, but should help create 
more demand. c. m. wild. 
“Educational Crime” In Wayne Co. N. Y. 
O N page 1075 we mentioned the district school 
troubles in Wayne Co.. N. Y. It is a case of en¬ 
forced consolidation against the wishes of a large 
majority of the rural patrons. The situation has 
been well described as an educational crime, but the 
people find themselves well nigh powerless under 
the present rules to conduct their own school busi¬ 
ness. A great meeting of protest was held at Pal¬ 
myra on the evening of July 31, as the following 
brief report shows: 
About 400 people were present. The county secretary 
called the meeting to order and Albert Bush of Marion 
was elected permanent chairman. Assemblyman Geo. 
8. Johnson of Palmyra read the decision of the De¬ 
partment of Education in regard to the appeals of the 
district, and in each case the appeal was rejected, on 
the ground that the superior educational advantages 
due to consolidation outweighed all other considerations. 
.Tames G. Greene of Rochester, president of the State 
Rural School Improvement Society, was present, and 
addressed the meeting. He called attention to the ab¬ 
surdity of appealing from the decision of the department 
to the head of that department, at whose instigation 
the original order was made. He called attention to 
the stenographer’s report of the speech of Commissioner 
Graves at the Albany hearing last Winter, in which the 
commissioner is quoted as saying: “Do I look like a 
czar that would force you people to do something you 
did not want to do?” and compared that statement with 
the acts performed in the forced consolidation of the 
districts represented at the meeting, in each of which it 
was against the express wish of practically all the resi¬ 
dents; in the caser of Macedon Center not only the 
unanimous wish of the districts, but also against the 
wish of a majority of the residents of the district to 
which they were joined. 
The feeling against the department because of its 
misuse of its power was so strong that a committee was 
appointed to draft a bill to be presented by the Wayne 
Assemblyman to the next legislative assembly, that 
would take from the district superintendent the power 
to consolidate districts against the wish of the district 
concerned. The resolution read as follows: 
“Resolved , That our representative in the Legislature 
be asked to call for a revision of the school law to the 
end that the control of the schools may be brought 
back to the people. Also that the power of forcible 
consolidation be taken from the district superintendents, 
also providing for a court review of the decisions of the 
Commissioner of Education on all points of law.” 
The county secretary urged all trustees present to or¬ 
ganize branches of the Rural School Improvement So¬ 
ciety in their districts, in order that they might be in 
a position to co-operate in an organized way in the 
effort to get the legislation desired. 
The committee to draft the laws mentioned is com¬ 
posed of S. D. Anderson, Macedon ; C. P. Fairbanks, 
Williamson; Orrin Tack, East Palmyra. 
c. 1 >. F. 
At the great hearing in Albany last 
Winter the statement was made that 
our country people have little confi¬ 
dence in the men who were trying to 
push the rural school bill through. The 
backers of the bill were very indignant, 
but an appeal to the great gathering 
at this hearing indicated the truth of 
the statement. Every week brings us 
additional evidence. This meeting in 
Wayne County is a case in point. These 
farmers feel that consolidation has 
been forced upon them against, their 
will, when they were given assurance 
that nothing offensive would be done 
in such a case. In view of these things 
there is a growing belief that it will 
be a vital error to permit the passage 
of any broad and radical school bill 
which will make a complete change in 
school matters. This Wayne County 
meeting starts what we think will ap¬ 
peal to most country people. Let us 
first make sure of our rights under the 
present law. Then let us take up the 
question of taxation by itself, and not 
mix it up with administration. With 
the taxation question reasonably set¬ 
tled we can then agree upon the best 
form of administration. If we permit 
the whole thing to be mixed and 
jumbled into one bill we shall never 
get anywhere. 
Chaulmoogra Oil—and Joseph 
F. Rock 
S OME of the papers and magazines 
have printed rather romantic ac¬ 
counts of the efforts made by Joseph 
F. Rock to discover and propagate the 
tree from which chaulmoogra oil is 
produced. This oil has been used with 
success in treating leprosy, and it be¬ 
came necessary to identify the tree 
and obtain cuttings or seeds. The 
journey made by Mr. Rock into the tropical jungle 
in his search for the tree is even more exciting than 
the account of Stanley’s expedition in Africa. 
The following statement of Mr. Rock’s service is 
written by Dr. W. A. Taylor of the Agricultural De¬ 
partment. 
A picture of the young trees as propagated indoors, 
for outside planting, is shown in the picture. The 
cultivation of this tree will prove a great boon to 
those afflicted with leprosy or other severe skin dis¬ 
eases. What a feeling it gives one to think of this 
chaulmoogra tree, carrying its great boon to the 
afflicted, hiding itself in the jungle through all these 
centuries until the adventurous spirit of man dis¬ 
covered its hiding place! 
Joseph F. Rock was for 15 years a botanist in 
Hawaii, where he published a number of mono¬ 
graphs on the local flora. While engaged in that 
work he became interested in the lepers and the 
efforts being made to relieve their distress. The use 
of chaulmoogra oil was at that time being considered 
seriously, and after fractional distillation had ren¬ 
dered the esters of this oil available, and experi¬ 
ments had shown that these esters could be em¬ 
ployed safely and easily, and that they had favor¬ 
able results, Mr. Rock determined to assist in the 
work by securing seeds of the trees which yield 
chaulmoogra oil. At that time little was known of 
One of our readers sends this picture to khow how they turn under a cover crop in 
Massachusetts. As will be seen, this rye is turned under, completely out of sight. 
A chain is hung so that it pulls the rye down where the furrow slice can cover it. 
Chaulmoogra Plants, Taralctogenos KuCrowing in a Government Greenhouse 
