indefinable charm tliat may not be described. In the 
first and second editions of “Peonies for Pleasure 
we included in tbe six points of excellence Time 
of Blooming,” but as tbis point is a relative one as 
to tbe garden and not as to exhibitions it is dropped 
from tbe latter. 
However, in judging Peonies for your garden 
“Time of Blooming” is tbe most important of all 
points tbat should interest you. 
You ask why in judging a Peoiuj for tbe garden 
we place time of blooming tbe most valuable point 
of all. We answer: Could we possess, say, a flower 
as fine as Festiva Maxima tbat bloomed one week 
earlier or one week later than tbat sort, then we 
would have tbe most valuable point possible in 
a Peoiuj. 
A MONTH OF PEONIES 
Would you not rather have a month than a 
week of Peonies? Say, by planting of whites, tbe 
earhj, earhj midseason, midseason, late midseason, 
late and very late, you could have a month of 
continuous enjorjment with tbe choicest blooms you 
ever beheld, would not tbat be preferable to one 
week of such bloom where you confined yourself 
to kinds tbat bloom at one and tbe same time? 
To illustrate, suppose you confine your planting of 
White Peonies to Festiva Maxima you would have 
tbe best flower of that color blooming at tbat time, 
but after your Festiva Maxima has done blooming 
your neighbor who has planted with Festiva Maxima 
other choice white varieties tbat are just as band- 
some and grand as tbat variety will prolong her 
blooming season three weeks longer, would that 
not be much preferable to your plan? Do ijou get 
that? Let us repeat, for tbis is important, b\j plant¬ 
ing a succession of tbe earhj, midseason and late 
varieties ijou can enjoy Peonies for one month in¬ 
stead of for onhj a week. 
Mamj persons come to Peoiuj fields while in 
bloom and choose tbe varieties therj desire, then 
when they bloom next rjear they have a week of 
Peonies. What theu should do is to make several 
trips, or better still just “camp out” in tbe fields 
and enjoy a month of tbe grandest flowers imag¬ 
inable. 
A Month of Peonies, or How to Select 
V arieties 
The time tbe Peony blooms for the average 
person is one week, for tbe reason tbat bis selec¬ 
tion of varieties embraces kinds tbat bloom at one 
and tbe same time. 
No Peony grower tbat we know of has gone 
into tbis important subject, to our mind tbe most 
important of all in Peony culture. We here 
append a list of the different colors kept separate 
tbat will supply ijou tbe choicest of bloom tbat 
you may fairly revel in for a month. 
A Month ol White Peonies 
Avalanche 
Crown of Gold 
Due die Wellington 
Duchesse de Nemours 
Festiva Maxima 
James Kelwaij 
Madame Calot 
Madame de Verneville 
Madame Emile Lemoine 
Marie Lemoine 
Mirellle 
Monsieur Dupont 
A Month ol Blush or Flesh Pink Peonies 
Albert Crousse 
Dorchester 
Eugenie Verdier 
Floral Treasure 
La France 
La Perle 
LTndispensahle 
Mademoiselle Leonie Calot 
Marie Stuart 
Oft icln alls Rosea Superha 
Tourangelle 
Umbellata Rosea 
A Month ol 
Deeper Pink Peonies 
Claire Dubois 
Edulis Superba 
Elwood Pleas 
Fragrans 
Gigantea 
Grandillora 
Livingstone 
Madame Forel 
Mathilde de Roseneck 
Modele de Perfection 
Monsieur Jules Elie 
Sarah Bernhardt 
A Month ol Red Peonies 
Adolphe Rousseau 
Augustin d’Hour 
Berlioz 
Docteur Boisduval 
Felix Crousse 
Francois Rousseau 
Gloire de Touraine 
Lord Kitchener 
Madame Buccjuet 
Meissonier 
Officinalis Rubra Plena 
Rubra Superba 
REMEMBER that these months of Peonies in tbe 
different colors may be repeated in most cases by 
other choice varieties. In other words, ijou need 
not confine tjourselves to these lists alone to make 
up your month of Peony bloom. Also remember 
when planting Peonies, do not be stingy, but plant 
liberally and your reward will be commensurate. 
DESCRIBING PEONIES 
Another matter tbat has been discussed and 
that some decry is tbe using of adjectives in de¬ 
scribing a Peony. Dear friends, tbat is where we 
shine, for we make tbe statement without fear of 
successful contradiction tbat no person on God’s 
green footstool may convey to another bis im¬ 
pression of a Peony flower without tbe use of 
adjectives and plenty of them. Try without their 
use to describe Monsieur Jules Elie with its enor¬ 
mous ball of loveliness before you, and you will 
be compelled to admit at once that it cannot be 
done. No, tbe stoicism of an Indian in describing 
Peonies will get you nowhere; don’t be an iceberg, 
thaw out. 
“Neither inability to make rhyme; lack of se¬ 
quence in thought; carelessness with tbe king’s 
English, or absence of sentiment will bar us from 
using adjectives in describing Peonies. We step 
rigkt in and air our muse; nobody has to read it 
unless desired and it gets it out of our system.” 
To satisfy yourself on tbis point try to convey, 
in cold type, tbe beauties of a Peoiuj flower so 
tbat anyone may form an impression of what it is 
like in color, form, fragrance, etc.; then you will 
realize bow futile the attempt. Overpraise? Why, 
Page Pour 
The Good & Reese Company, S pring field, Ohio 
