ne of new peonies. For years he had been
experimenting with seedling apples. His immense collection of peonies
gave him the idea of producing something better along that line. A great
bed was planted out from which to collect seed. Hundreds of the best
varieties obtainable were planted in this bed, two of each variety, with
a very liberal use of the three varieties, Edulis Superba, Fragrans and
Triumph de l'Ex. de Lille. Some twelve varieties of the most vigorous
singles of all colors were also used. Bees and the elements were
allowed to do the cross-fertilizing. In the fall of 1899 the first seed,
amounting in all to about a peck, was harvested and planted. This seed
was allowed to dry and was planted just before it froze up, directly
into the field where the plants were to remain and bloom.

The seed was planted about two inches deep, in rows two feet apart, with
the seeds six inches apart in the row. Immediately after the ground
froze a two-inch mulch of coarse slough hay was spread all over the
field. This was removed in the spring and the field kept perfectly clean
that season by hand weeding, as cultivation could not be practiced. No
seed germinated that year. That fall the ground was again mulched, and
this mulch removed early the next, or second, spring.

This second season just as soon as nature began to quicken the little
peonies began to pierce the soil. Standing at one end of the field and
looking down the rows one could fairly see the little fellows burst
forth from their long confinement and thrust their little red heads in
serried ranks through the brown earth. They reminded one of line upon
line of miniature red-coated soldiers on parade.

A fourteen-tooth Planet Jr. horse cultivator was immediately started
amongst them, and intense cultivation given the bed that season. By the
end of the growing season the little plants were from two to four inches
high.

The next spring, the third from the planting of the seed, the young
plants burst through the ground strong and robust. Cultivation was
started immediately, as during the season before, and the plants made
rapid growth. By the middle of May, most of them were eight inches high
with an abundance of foliage.

We noticed a few buds appear this season. The strong, vigorous
development of the buds, of one plant in particular, continued to claim
our attention, and we watched it with intense interest. Day by day the
buds grew larger, and then finally a da