The Garden Magazine, June, 1923 
261 
form ornamental clumps in the garden even when not in bloom. 
1 cannot go as far as that. The Herbaceous Peony, when not in 
bloom, is to me an uninteresting clump of leaves. But not so 
the Tree-Peony! From the moment in spring when it begins to 
unfold its leaves in light green, deep green, or a coppery reddish 
color, until the ruddy leafage is shed in autumn, there is never a 
time when you can not stop before the plant and admire the 
grand substance, quality, and spread of its foliage. Some of 
them look like great Ferns; but whatever may be the character 
of the foliage of an individual kind, it is never uninteresting, 
never lacking in quality. 
Even in the matter of fragrance, that last-added perfection 
of beautiful plants, the Tree-Peony has some claims. It must 
be admitted that one does not often find Tree-Peonies with what 
could be called a true fragrance. They do almost always have 
an odor, not undesirable indeed, but also not good enough to 
constitute a special charm. But once in a while the Tree-Peony 
acquires for itself, by some subtle art, a fragrance that is almost 
the exact duplicate of that of a June Rose. 
Varieties That Have Proven Themselves 
I F IT is a question of best named sorts of Tree-Peonies, my 
advice to the beginner would be to secure, above all, some of 
the single and semi-double whites and light pinks, because here 
it is impossible to go astray. There are bad purplish pink 
flowers even among the Tree-Peonies, and some of the full pinks, 
like the old variety Queen Elizabeth, are to my mind too fully 
double to have much grace. 1 have an old plant of a double in 
my own garden under the name of Jeanne D’Arc, one of the 
European sorts, which bears every year a good crop of double. 
coppery pink blooms which are very satisfactory. But for 
quality and for the really distinctive beauty of the Tree-Peony, 
1 should always turn to the flowers that are less filled out, to the 
singles and the semi-doubles. I have among such in my col¬ 
lection Marie Stuart, a single white with dark purple stains at 
the base of the large petals, and silky yellow stamens which 
instead of standing upright fall in most exquisite curves in the 
centre of the fiower. Flora is another good one of somewhat the 
same character though looser in character and less distinctly 
marked. Rossini is a semi-double, pink, cup-shaped bloom—a 
very decorative flower. Mandarin is a lilac white, a rather 
dishevelled looking flower but very large and of a most delicate 
coloring. Bijou de Chusan is an exquisite semi-double white. 
The very old variety Banksi is to be avoided; its color is not 
good. And there are varieties, like Globosa, which are much 
too full and heavy to be desirable. 
Among the Japanese sorts are many gems, but the Japanese 
are not very exact about names and the chances of duplicating 
a fine sort by ordering it again under the same name is not very 
sure. But a dozen single or semi-double varieties in white and 
light pink from Japan, if they can be obtained, would never 
fail to contain a few at least of incomparable beauty. 
The Tree-Peony is one of those plants which may be had by 
any one, but not for money alone. 1 do not know how, by the 
payment of any round sum, one can be assured of a fine group 
of Tree-Peonies in his garden that would give him permanent 
satisfaction. But continued effort and the determination to 
have the plants in the end—this will bring them to you; and 
when they come, you can be assured that they will be a source 
of delight to you such as few, if any, other plants that have 
ever had a place in your garden. 
FACTS FOR READY REFERENCE 
—Lime is most essential to stone fruit. 
—One good plant will yield more than two half-starved ones. 
—Good color adds one-half to the value of the apple on table. 
—The best trees will suffer from neglect, and the poor ones 
will quickly respond to good treatment. 
—As the roots of trees spread over a very wide area, the 
manure must be well distributed. 
—Potash and nitrogen help the trees to make new growth, 
and the quality of the fruit is considerably improved by the 
application of phosphates and lime. 
-—Nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia should be applied to 
the orchard in spring. Lime, phosphoric acid, and potash can 
also be applied in the early spring, or in fall or winter if preferred. 
-—If well taken care of, there is no limit to an Apple orchard. 
It is claimed that it does not reach its prime until it is about 6o 
years old. That being true, the mul-ching system probably 
appeals more to the Apple orchard than to any other. 
—Apples should be allowed to remain on the trees until they 
have attained nearly the full normal color for the variety, and 
until they can be picked without breaking off fruit spurs, or 
pulling out stems. The matured fruit has a greater amount of 
sugar and a better flavor than if picked when green. 
—The season cannot make good what the cultivator and the 
owner of the land fail to do. 
—The greatest enemy a plant can have is another plant of 
the same kind growing by its side, as both feed upon the same 
materials. 
-—With sufficient good barnyard manure, the liquid portions 
fixed with vegetable matter, and the whole rightly applied, there 
will hardly be need of any special fertilizers. 
—In the tip of the kernel of seed corn is where the germ is lo¬ 
cated. If the tips are well-filled and broad the germs are strong. 
-—Hen manure is not adapted to potato ground: well-rotted 
cow manure is better. The latter will give best results if applied 
after the Potatoes are planted. 
—A yield of 200 bushels of Potatoes per acre will take from 
the soil 46 pounds of nitrogen, 21 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 
74 pounds of potash. 
—Thirty bushels of Corn to the acre is not a profitable crop; 
40 bushels generally affords a fair profit; 50 bushels a good pro¬ 
fit; and 80 to 90 bushels a handsome profit. 
—Decayed manure does not burn up plants. It can cause 
very rapid and tender growth which may not stand drouth as 
well as growth made slowly, but it will not directly burn. Rapid 
growth is desired in vegetables. 
