108 
House & Garden 
The Brand Peonies 
Originated by O. F. Brand & Son 
America’s Foremost Hybridizers of the Peony 
T HE largest Plant Breeding Establish¬ 
ment in the World that is devoted to 
the origination and bringing out of new 
varieties of the Peony. We carry over 1,000 
varieties. There are over 17,000 new seed¬ 
lings in our seed beds this season. 
The quality of our productions is attested 
to by the fact that of the World's 22 best 
varieties of this beautiful dower the follow¬ 
ing four or a little better than 18% were 
originated by us: 
E. B. Browning 
Martha Bulloch 
Frances Willard 
Longfellow 
We have in our fields this season for this 
fall’s shipment the largest stock of first class 
peonies that we have ever carried, among 
which will be found such beautiful sorts as 
Alsace Lorraine 
Asa Gray 
Bayadere 
Cherry Hill 
Enchantress 
Grace Loomis 
Karl Rosenfield 
Kelway’s Glorious 
Kelway’s Oueen 
Lady Duff" 
La Fee 
La Lorraine 
La France 
Laura Dessert 
Le Cygne 
Loveliness 
Mine. Emile Lemoine 
Mme. Jules Dessert 
Marguerite Dessert 
Mignon 
Milton Hill 
Mons. Martin Cahuzac 
Phyllis Kelway 
Jubilee 
Primevere 
Raoul Dessert 
Reine Hortense 
Rosa Bonheur 
Sarah Bernhardt 
Solange 
Standard Bearer 
Therese 
Tourangelle 
Walter Faxon 
and many others of the World’s very best 
American and European peonies. 
We also offer for your consider¬ 
ation these wonderful BRAND 
PEONIES: 
Benjamin Franklin Judge Berry 
Brand’s Magnificent 
Chas. McKellip 
David Harum 
Desire 
E. B. Browning 
Faribault 
Frances Willard 
Henry Avery 
Tf you do not see listed here what you 
want write for our 1922 Price List now out, 
and our 1922 Catalog which will be issued 
about July 1st. 
Longfellow 
Lora Dexheimer 
Martha Bulloch 
Mary Brand 
Mrs. A. G. Ruggles 
Mrs. Jennie R. Gowdy 
Phoebe Carey 
Richard Carvel 
Winnifred Domme 
Brand Peony Farms 
Box 424 
Faribault, Minn. 
The root tip show¬ 
ing the root cap and 
the root hairs. The 
former is used to 
push the particles of 
dirt to one side so 
that the root can 
grow forward; the 
latter are used to 
absorb moisture 
WHEN TO WATER PLANTS 
O N those hot muggy days when the 
sun beats down upon the plants 
in both field and garden, the soil 
is hard and crumbly and parched. It 
seems as if all the moisture has been 
drawn from it, and that the plant must 
die. But there is always some water 
found at deeper levels, and this is avail¬ 
able to those plants which have long 
tap roots. 
It is surprising with what avidity 
roots are able to take moisture from the 
different types of soils, although the 
moisture content of the various soils 
differs according to texture and organic 
constituents. Pure quartz sand has a 
capacity of holding 46.4% of its volume 
of water, loam has a capacity of 60.1% 
and humus generally holds 70.3% of its 
volume of water, although under some 
conditions it can retain more. But all 
soils do not give up their entire moisture 
content to the roots. A plant growing 
in pure sand begins to wilt when all but 
one-half per cent of water has been re¬ 
moved. In a loamy soil, plants begin to 
wilt when the soil still retains 10 % of 
water. A soil rich in humus gives off 
still less moisture, and when plants are 
placed in moist sawdust they begin to 
wilt when the dust still retains one-third 
of its weight of water. 
For these reasons it is difficult to de¬ 
termine those specific conditions when 
it becomes absolutely necessary for pot¬ 
ted plants to be watered, and since too 
many factors must be taken into con¬ 
sideration, only general answers can be 
given. Dampness is much more injur¬ 
ious to a plant than an occasional dry 
spell, but when the soil is dry, the plant 
requires water, and this should be gen¬ 
erously provided. Giving the plant 
moisture drop by drop, or supplying an 
insufficient quantity is always injurious, 
as under these conditions the upper layer 
of soil becomes moist leaving the lower 
dry and hard. This first injures the 
roots and later affects the entire plant. 
Watering the garden during a dry spell 
in the summer is very essential. But 
this should be done in the early morn¬ 
ing hours or late in the afternoon, pref¬ 
erably at twilight. When the plants 
are watered during the hotter parts of 
the day, while the sun is still shining, 
it is more injurious than beneficial. 
Older plants require less water than 
seedlings, since the roots of the older 
plants penetrate to a deeper level than 
the younger plants, where they receive 
the benefit of the ground waters; at the 
same time, transplants should not be 
kept too dry. Older plants should be 
watered more thoroughly so that the 
moisture will penetrate to a lower level. 
Simply spraying the upper layer of the 
soil so that it can not penetrate it is of 
practically no advantage. 
The thicker roots do not take up the 
water. Almost all of the moisture re¬ 
quired by a plant is absorbed through 
the tiny root hairs which are found on 
the recent growths of the younger roots. 
These hairs not only take up water, but 
also the soluble salts necessary for the 
life of the plant. 
But plants can also be pampered in 
their moisture requirements. When the 
wind blows, much moisture is taken 
from such plants, and the sun also draws 
large quantities of water from them. 
Such individuals will be found in a more 
or less wilted condition with loosely 
hanging leaves and drooping shoots 
although the soil contains a sufficient 
quantity of moisture for a vigorous 
plant’s requirements. In both cases, the 
leaves, through the agency of the Sto¬ 
mata (tiny openings usually found on 
the under side of the leaves and used 
(Continued on page 110) 
The flower pot should 
never be placed di¬ 
rectly into the sau¬ 
cer, it shoxdd first be 
placed into a wire 
stand 
The Stomata, tiny 
openings usually on 
the under surface of 
the leaf, are used to 
absorb gases and 
transpire moisture 
