242 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
ported from England not more than 20 proved worthy of 
propagation and nearly the entire lot were untrue to name. 
Breeding Peonies 
Soon after engaging in the peony business Mr. Rosen- 
field turned his attention to the development of new varie¬ 
ties. Large numbers of seedlings have been grown, 
many have been discarded but extensive selections have 
been made and at least 200 varieties have been added to the 
Rosenfield list. It is likely that out of this group 15 or 20 
of the best will be named and offered to the trade. In 1900 
Mr. Rosenfield introduced two varieties which are recog¬ 
nized as worthy additions to our lists, viz.: Golden Harvest 
and Floral Treasure. A more recent introduction Karl 
Rosenfield is thought by the introducer to be the finest 
crimson in his entire collection and to combine a maximum 
of good points including constitution of plant and quality 
Location 
We remember asking an eastern Kansas man some years 
ago when perhaps we knew less of the geography of the 
United States than we do now, where he resided. He 
responded proudly “find the geographical center of the 
United States and there you’ll find me.” This applies to 
the location of West Point, Nebr., also. It lies in the rich 
valley of the Elkhorn where soil and climate provide 
favorable conditions for the development of strong, healthy 
peony roots. Even as this sketch is being written the 
location of the peony garden is to be changed. Under date 
of July 15th, Mr. Rosenfield writes that he has just pur¬ 
chased 25 acres of land on West Dodge street, Omaha, 
five miles from the center of the city. To this location the 
whole establishment will be moved within the next two years. 
Mr. Rosenfield says “The best time for planting 
peonies is in the fall of the year, preferably early in Septem- 
Panoramic view of the Rosenfield Peony gardens, West Point, Nebr. 
of flower. This improvement work is going steadily and as 
rapidly as time and opportunity will permit. 
A Wholesale Business 
Up to the present time the business has been chiefly 
wholesale. Large shipments have been made to all parts of 
the United States and Canada. The Rosenfield gardens 
were large contributors to the American Peony Society test 
plots at Cornell. They furnished 113 varieties in 1904 and 
when the commercial collections were added in 1907 an 
additional consignment of 64 varieties. 
Members of the Company 
Up to the present time Mr. J. F. Rosenfield has borne the 
responsibilities of proprietor and manager, but he will be 
assisted from this time on by his son Reno who for the past 
four years has been on the staff of the Omaha World 
Herald, but who now resigns to take an active part in the 
business of growing and selling beautiful peonies. Mr. 
Rosenfield Junior brings into the home enterprise a legal 
as well as a business and journalistic training. He will 
assist materially in promoting a business which has now 
reached the point of rapid expansion. 
ber. The earlier set the better, for root action begins 
soon after putting into the ground.” The Rosenfield 
wholesale list includes upwards of 90 varieties which cover 
an area of some ten acres. Careful attention is given to 
orders of specialists and other interested amateurs. 
WHAT ARE THE BEST PEONIES? 
An answer to this question is not likely to receive the 
unanimous concurrence of a large number of persons at the 
present time. We can never eliminate the factor of personal 
taste. Then it is difficult to judge varieties apart from these 
personal phases. If it were possible to judge each variety 
by a standard of commercial value, then we might expect 
considerable unanimity, but judgments on beauty are 
always variable. 
Among the points which are to be considered important 
in judging peonies are floriferous quality—and this includes 
the ability to open flowers under unfavorable conditions— 
strength of stem and keeping qualities, the latter very im¬ 
portant from the commercial standpoint. The following 
varieties include those which made a good showing at Mr. B. 
H.Farr’s place in Reading, Pa., at the Cottage Gardens, L. I. 
and in the Cornell Experimental plots. The list is classified 
