Johnson for, the trip to the Shraders. My next stop that afternoon was at Red 
Key with Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Smith, who took me over to Peru that evening 
for a call on Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Jones. Next morning right and early found 
me on my way to Sarcoxie, Missouri, where I arrived about midnight and re- 
mained for my longest stay with Mr. and Mrs. Allen Wild. They together with 
their son James and daughter Shirley Jean run the business end of Gilbert H. 
Wild and Son and very efficiently it is run. Cutting blooms for the Memorial 
Day trade was in full swing and they cut over seventy-five thousand dozen blooms 
this year, sending them in twelve refrigerator cars and many less than car ‘load 
shipments to all parts of this country. Here among many others I had the pleas~- 
ure of meeting Alice and Maxine, sisters of Mr. Wild, and his aunt, Mrs. Nightin- 
gale, formerly of Hawaii. Under the able guidance of John Block I spent many 
hours going over the vast acreage and viewing the flowers which were this year 
of great perfection. John knows peonies as few people do and I was fortunate 
in having him as my pilot. 
From Sarcoxie on Memorial Day I went to Independence, Missouri, for a 
luncheon with Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Riley, who has a very nice collection of fine 
peonies coming along. They drove me over to Topeka, Kansas, that afternoon 
for a twenty-four hour stay with the Biggers. Myron took me to see several of 
my friends and we also spent most of the day viewing his peonies. He has as we 
all know many fine ones of his own. We also saw the fine planting of Mr. Joe 
Warner, with whom and his wife we had a brief hour. Next day I was with Mr. 
L. R. Sjulin of the Interstate Nurseries who showed me their very extensive 
plantings occupying many hundreds of acres in that fertile Missouri River Valley. 
Their peonies are planted in terraces on the hillsides and presented a picture I 
shall long remember. It was a pleasure also to meet so many of the members 
and employees of this firm. Mr. Sjulin drove me over to Nebraska City late that 
afternoon where I took the train for Lincoln to see Mr. and Mrs. Bernstein and 
their attractive daughter and son-in-law. In spite of the fact that Nebraska 
greeted me on my first visit with several full fledged tornadoes, a hail storm and 
a smog, the evening was a most pleasant one, not forgetting that excellent steak 
dinner. Mr. Bernstein is just about to fulfill the dream of his life by moving 
into his new place on the outskirts of Lincoln where he has an ideal set-up for 
carrying on his nice business. After a very pleasant breakfast the next morning 
with Mrs. John A. Bongers in Ottumwa, Iowa, whom I found in splendid health, I 
went on to Chicago in a pouring rain. I had fully intended to spend that day 
with Mr. Edward Auten, Jr., but thought the rain would prevent viewing in 
any comfort his plantings. Too late I found the day would have been an ideal 
one so I missed seeing his many fine varieties at their home. That night I spent 
with the Martin Rohes who live in the old home of the late Mr. R. A. Napier. His 
garden is being kept in perfect condition by them and the peonies were just 
coming into good bloom. They were extra fine this year. The next night I once 
more enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Harry J. Mull in Glen Ellyn. His 
peonies had not yet reached full bloom, but I did see some magnificent flowers 
especially of Ave Maria and No. 873 which has never been named. 
Next day, Saturday, I went to Goshen, Indiana, where I was met by Mr. 
Ernest I. Stahly at whose hospitable home I spent the afternoon and night. Mr. 
Stahly’s flowers had been badly damaged by a very severe winter of alternate 
freezing and thawing. But he has a very fine collection growing at his place 
and his father’s, some distance out from Goshen. Early Sunday morning Mr. and 
Mrs. Stahly and their son and a friend took me over to Peru for a second visit 
to Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Jones. There we found Dorothy J. and her namesake 
