THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
141 
Doings of Societies. 
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AMERICAN PEONY SOCIETY. 
A CO-OPERATIVE STUDY OF THE PEONY BY THE HORTICULTURAL DEPART¬ 
MENT OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY AND THE AMERICAN PEONY SOCIETY. 
The American Peony Society at its last meeting in New York agreed 
to co-operate with the Horticultural Department of Cornell Univer¬ 
sity for the purpose of making a study of all varieties of peonies that it 
is possible to secure at the present time. This study is to extend over 
a sufficient period of years, to enable the investigators to cover the 
following objects: purposes of test. 
1. Nomenclature. To bring order out of the confusion which 
now exists in the naming of varieties. This part of the study will 
establish correct names by applying rules of nomenclature and will 
furnish growers with accurate descriptions of all authentic varieties. 
2. Botany. To ascertain the botanical status of each variety. In 
other words, to refer it to the species from which is appears to have 
been derived. 
3. Cultural. Careful studies of varieties shall be made in order 
to determine the commercial values of the different kinds. Such 
points as vigor, health, floriferous qualities, and colors shall be noted. 
It is also expected that fertilizer experiments designed to influence 
the size and shipping quality of the flowers shall be included. 
CONDITIONS GOVERNING TEST. 
1. The land, the labor of planting and all subsequent care are pro¬ 
vided by the Experiment Station. All notes are taken by the Station 
according to a scheme arranged and co-operated in by the Committee 
on Nomenclature appointed by the American Peony Society. 
2. Plants. The plants are to be furnished, free of cost, by the 
American Peony Society, members thereof, or interested growers of 
peonies. Three plants of each variety shall constitute a test, but 
the donors may send one or two if more are not available. 
3. Final Disposition of the Plants. At the close of the test, 
in perhaps four or five years, Cornell University Experiment Station 
shall be entitled to a complete set of two plants each of all distinct 
varieties. Each contributor of plants to this test shall be entitled to 
to as many plants of distinct varieties as he originally contributed, 
provided they are available after the Experiment Station set has been 
made up. The remaining plants shall become the property of the 
American Peony Society. 
4. Publicity. The results of the study shall be published in bul¬ 
letin form by the Experiment Station. All members of the American 
Peony Society shall been titled to a copy of each publication, and 100 
copies of each shall be deposited with the Secretary of the American 
Peony Society for the use of members of this organization. 
Notice to Donors. 
Those who intend aiding in this important co-operative experiment 
should send their collections to the Horticultural Department, 
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Plants should be carefully packed, 
labelled, and accompanied by a list of varieties wit hnumber of plants 
of each kind forwarded. It would be well in forwarding the plants 
to notify Secretary Fewkes as well as the Chairman of the Commit¬ 
tee on Nomenclature. 
John Craig, Horticultural Department, Cornell University, 
Ithaca, N. Y., Chairman. 
C. J. Malloy (Ellwanger & Barry), Rochester, N. Y. 
John A. Charlton, Rochester, N. Y. 
J. F. Rosenfield, West Point, Neb. 
A. H. Fewkes, Secretary, American Peony Society, Newton 
Highlands, Mass. Committee in Charge. 
The following firms have contributed the number of varieties set 
opposite their names. These have been received and planted by the 
Experiment Station: 
Andorra Nurseries, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. 43 
Cottage Gardens, Queens, N. Y. 19 
DeGraff Brothers, Leiden, Holland.131 
A. H. Fewkes, Newton Highlands, Mass. 36 
Jackson & Perkins Co., Newark, N. Y. 41 
L. Van Leeuwen & Son, Sassenheim, Holland. 46 
Peterson Nursery Co., Chicago, Ill.125 
J. F. Rosenfield, West Point, Neb. .143 
W. & T. Smith Co., Geneva, N. Y.55 
Total 639 
BOSTON FRUIT MARKET REPORT. 
The market conditions on apples here are a well supplied market for 
all common varieties, but lighter receipts for fancy high colored eating 
stock. \et there is a good healthy demand for both; as everybody 
seems to have an idea that apples are exceedingly plenty, prices are 
low, therefore they have all started in to make a very large consump¬ 
tion. 
1 here w ill be quantities of apples eaten this year owing to the opinion 
which has been extensively put forth of the very large yield. Quite a 
few apples have been sent to England, which cost the shipper on board 
steamer about $1.25 per barrel. The results were not satisfactory. 
Telegraphic returns yesterday show that they sold over there $1.25 to 
$2.00 which would mean a loss of about 75 cents per barrel on the ship¬ 
ment. 
Many of the large operators who have been in the apple exporting 
last year are paying one dollar per barrel for choice No. 1 Baldwins, on 
the expectation that the shipments going forward now will be of much 
better color and harder fruit. The stock which was sent forward a 
fev weeks ago, and which has just been marketed in Liverpool was of 
the early fall varieties or some uncolored Baldwins. The Englishman 
likes a fruit which pleases his eye just as well as the American, They 
have ideas of beauty just as strong as we have. 
From all that can be heard it does not seem as if the foreign markets 
would be able to take but a limited supply.of apples and then only 
choice fancy fruit, such as high colored No. 1 Baldwins, at low prices. 
Boston, Oct. 5 , 1904 . A. Warren Patch. 
THE WINTER KILLING OF BALDWINS. 
It now looks as if Michigan apple growers must part with the Bald¬ 
win. In times past it has been one of the most popular apples of this 
state, though it has never been able to fully withstand the climate north 
of the two lowwer tiers of counties. Three plantings of Baldwins 
are recorded at the Agricultural College, and there is not now a bear¬ 
ing tree on the place all have succumbed to the cold. 
The past winter has been exceptionally hard on this variety. Prac¬ 
tically all of the trees out of the peach regions have been injured or 
killed, and not a few have suffered in localities where peaches are grown. 
In the northern counties all the Baldwins are reported killed. In a 
trip through the “thumb” of Michigan, in the early summer, the 
writer saw hundreds of trees of this sort that had not leaved out. It 
appears, judging from their behavior of last September, that the Bald¬ 
win apple is not more hardy than the peach and should not therefore 
be grown out of peach regions. 
Can we spare the Baldwin? It is the opinion of the writer that we 
can and that there are several better standard winter apples. Bald¬ 
wins have been overplanted in this state. As grown here they are not 
as handsome nor as well flavored as when grown in New England, 
where, for some unaccountable reason, they stand the climate better. 
The writer has never cared for the Baldwin as a dessert apple, count¬ 
ing it coarse and not well flavored. It has been planted and sold in 
this region largely upon its Easter reputation. Its habit of bearing 
only every other year is also against it. We are not sure that it is not 
a good thing that the Baldwin finds ours an uncongenial climate. 
But the Baldwin is one of the most popular market apples of the 
country. It must have some good qualities and we must not dis¬ 
miss it without enumerating them. It is possibly the most plastic 
of our apples—that is, it is least fastidious as to soil, culture, and 
within bounds, as to climate. Again, when well grown it is a splendid 
keeper—one of the very best; in the bearing years the trees are very 
productive; it is moderately free from scab and worms, though much 
effected by rots: lastly there are those who call it a good eating apple, 
but of these the writer is not one. U. P. Hedrick, 
Mich. Agricultural College, in Michigan Horticulturist. 
NOTHING SERIOUS. 
Along the street, she passed so neat, 
So pretty, charming, and so sweet, 
A mere slip of a girl. 
To see this girl was quite a treat, 
But a banana peel disturbed her feet— 
’Twas a mere slip of a girl. 
—Exchange. 
