THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
249 
condition of apple growing in New York State at present, 
nor in that of Oregon, which would warrant the assertion. 
It is stated as an argument, that because New York apple 
trees live long and grow large, therefore, they are more 
likely to fall a prey to San Jose scale than the smaller and 
shorter lived trees on the Pacific Coast. We fail to see 
the force of this argument. If longer life means greater 
vitality, then it seems to us that the New York tree has the 
advantage. If it is a mere question of maintaining small 
size, or dwarf form for the purpose of more convenient 
spraying, this can be done as well in New York as in Oregon. 
But we are of the opinion that long life and large size indi¬ 
cate congenial environmental conditions. Where these 
prevail, as in New York and the East, we ought to secure a 
maximum of vigor. 
There is no doubt that in the irrigated regions of the 
West where dry atmospheric conditions prevail, the color 
of the fruit and the size of the fruit are of the highest grade. 
But the greatest satisfaction is secured from the contents 
of the apple, not from a contemplation of the exterior. 
There is no question at all that the highest flavors in given 
varieties are found in apples grown in the East; and New 
Yorkers and New Englanders need not fear the competi¬ 
tion of the West, provided that they exercise the knowledge 
they possess in combating injurious insects and fungous 
diseases, in addition to practicing the best methods of 
orchard management. 
The introduction of the peony into the 
THE PEONY United States is undoubtedly coincident 
with the establishment of home gardens, 
for long before the colonists reached Virginia on the New 
England coast this flower was an old and favorite tenant of 
the gardens of England and the Continent. There seems 
to have been comparatively little progress made, however, 
in exploiting it in this country prior to the time of the 
Prince’s Nurseries on Long Island. It is noted in his 
treatise on horticulture that he grew a number of seedlings 
about the middle of the last century. This nursery was 
also instrumental in distributing such named varieties as 
were then known to growers in the United States. 
One of the earliest of our peony enthusiasts was the late 
H. A. Terry, of Crescent, Iowa, who credits the Prince’s 
Nurseries wflth a collection of about thirty varieties obtained 
from that source in 1857. Mr. Terry’s w r ork with peonies is 
well known. It was less than a year ago that the writer 
saw this venerable plant lover near his home in western 
Iowa, and heard him lament that his years for this kind of 
work were inevitably short. 
Another peony lover in the east, whose work has been 
recorded in Bulletin 259 of the Cornell Experiment Station, 
and elsewhere by his nephew Dr. Robert T. Jackson, was 
John Richardson of Dorchester, Mass. He grew a great 
! many seedlings and several varieties in cultivation at the 
present time bear his name. 
The present status of the peony is that during the past 
four or five years, owing to the influence of the American 
Peony Society, a revival of interest in this good old garden 
flower has taken place. A large collection has been gathered 
at Cornell, wdiere the nomenclature is being studied in co¬ 
operation with a committee appointed by the American 
Peony Society. The work thus far has been marked by 
two important steps. The first was the issuance of a check 
list giving the names of all known varieties of peonies and a 
bibliography of peony literature. This was followed by 
the bulletin mentioned above in which the botany, history 
and culture together with a select list of authentic varieties 
with careful descriptions are presented. Work is now in 
progress making for the publication of another bulletin 
which will add important matter to the two already pub¬ 
lished and wffiich will be another step towards bringing order 
out of confusion. This work is being forwarded very 
materially by the committee mentioned composed of Mr. 
B. H. Farr, a peony specialist of Reading, Pa., and Mr. 
Dauphin in charge of the peony plots at the Cottage Gardens 
Nursery, Queens, Long Island. The interest which is 
being awakened in peony culture and the increased popu¬ 
larity of the flower together with the recognition of its value 
as a cut flower is drawing attention of nurserymen to the 
necessity of carrying a collection on their grounds. To 
this end nurserymen should watch the action of the Peony 
Society very carefully. The peony occupies a prominent 
place in this issue of the National Nurseryman for which 
no apology is required. 
Doings of Societies 
NATIONAL SWEET PEA SOCIETY OF AMERICA 
A movement on foot for the establishment of a National 
Sweet Pea Society culminated in New York early in July. 
Such a society was organized in Great Britain a number of 
years ago and seems to be able to maintain itself without 
difficulty. As pointed out in the Florists Exchange , one 
of the principal difficulties with some societies of this kind 
in a country of such tremendous expense as the United 
States is the problem of annual meetings. It is almost 
impossible to secure more than a handful of members 
at any one place for the reason that the membership is 
scattered over such a tremendous stretch of territory that 
it is practically and financially impossible for members to 
spare the time and expense necessary to attend the meet- 
ings. 
It would seem, however, as 'pointed out in the Florists 
Exchange , that the work of such a society could largely be 
carried on by committees. The annual meeting would 
then be in the nature of a business meeting, and this after 
all is the principal object of such an organization, namely, to 
co-ordinate and stimulate the aims of the society and 
popularize the plant which it is dealing with. 
The American Peony Society is doing real work as 
evidenced by the bulletins published by the committee on 
Nomenclature in co-operation with the Cornell Depart¬ 
ment of nomenclature in co-operation with the Cornell 
Department of Horticulture. Other work of this kind can 
be unquestionably conducted by societies ha\ mg similar 
purposes in view. 
