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PEONIES, continued 
results. It takes four to six years before blooms may be had from seed, and if, perchance, one seedling in a 
thousand has sufficient merit and distinction to justify its introduction as a new variety, it takes many more 
years to raise, by the slow process of division, sufficient stock to be able to offer it to the trade. That is 
why the new varieties are so expensive. Unlike a new rose or carnation, which in a few months can be 
increased to an unlimited number from cuttings, it takes years to acquire a few plants of a new Peony, 
and even today some of the oldest varieties are still scarce. The professional cannot afford to wait so long 
for results, so most of the work with the Peony has been done by those whose love for the flowers them¬ 
selves, and the fascination of watching them grow, has been their chief incentive. Listen to this: 
“Mr. Richardson had a perfect passion for horticulture, and every plant in his garden that he loved so 
well was a real personality to him—a walk with him about the garden meant a lingering at every step 
to consider the merits, the history, or some cultural point in regard to the plants that were as his children. 
When nearly ninety, he planted Peony seeds just the same as in his earlier years, and some of his pos¬ 
thumous seedlings are among his best. . . . He would talk of his favorites with the spirit of an enthusiast, 
undimmed by advancing years; and, even when not in bloom, the flower in all its perfection was in his mind’s 
eye, and he would discuss them as he passed the plants in a walk around his garden.”—From “John Rich¬ 
ardson, His House and Garden,” by Robert T. Jackson. 
Mr. Terry, writing in 1904, says: “I am now in my eightieth year, and do not know how long I shall 
continue to grow Peonies, but I want to be surrounded by them as long as I live. They are like my children, 
very dear to me.” 
It was in Boston, in 1906, that I first met Mr. Hollis, and saw his beautiful blooms on exhibition. 
I thought them fine then, and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society must have thought so, too, for they 
awarded his flowers many First-class Certificates, and since I have had them in my garden they have not 
disappointed me. He was a genial, kindly gentleman, with means and leisure to devote his time to his 
favorites. I visited him in 1910 when his Peonies were in bloom. Although stricken then with a fatal 
illness, unable to walk alone, he sat in the little summer-house among his Peonies, happy in the sight of 
them, still able to talk with enthusiasm about his treasures and call them by name. 
By giving you this sketch of the modern Peony and those who have developed it, I hope to show you 
how nearly all of the choice varieties we now have were given to us by a very few enthusiasts who were 
inspired by the beauty of the flower to which they gave their devotion. 
For many years I have devoted my entire time during their blooming season in June to the study of 
Peonies, first in my own fields, afterward for six successive years as a member of the Nomenclature Com¬ 
mittee for the American Peony Society at Ithaca, where the society, under the auspices, and with the 
assistance of, Cornell University, about ten years ago established a test planting of Peonies, consisting of 
all the available known varieties contributed by the most prominent growers in America and Europe, for 
the purpose of identifying and accurately describing all distinct varieties, to straighten out the almost 
hopeless confusion that then existed in Peony nomenclature. The success of this work is shown in the fact 
that the nearly three thousand names contained in the Cornell Check List were sifted down to about four 
hundred distinct varieties. 
It has been my ambition to possess a complete collection of all distinct varieties of merit, and my 
catalog of Peonies, large as it is, contains, with but few exceptions, only varieties of known origin, all syno¬ 
nyms or duplicates having been eliminated. It is made up largely of the original productions of Lemoine, 
Dessert, Crousse and Calot, among which I have yet to see a really poor Peony. I have spared no effort 
or expense to make this list as authentic and accurate as possible. The descriptions have nearly all been 
rewritten to correspond with the descriptions of the American Peony Society, including the official color- 
chart numbers (Repertoire de Couleurs). This obliges me to dispense with extravagant and superfluous 
adjectives, giving in their place the vital facts—exact colors, type of flower, fragrance, habit of plant and 
season of bloom. 
Intrinsic Value of Peonies.—A glance through the various catalogs of today will reveal the fact 
that varieties which were among the earlier introductions are still among the rarest and highest-priced 
kinds. The Peony can only be multiplied slowly, by division of the old clumps, and the demand for the 
choicer kinds has always been greater than the supply. 
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