Copyright, 1899, by 

 rbORISTS' PUBUISMING CO., S20-535 Caxton Building, CMICAGO. 



Vol. in. 



CHICAGO AND NEW YORK, JANUARY J 2, 1899. 



No. 59. 



VIOLETS. 



The violet, though a diminutive 

 flower, is fa.«it becoraiug ot such im- 

 portance commercially that whole 

 ranges ot houses are now being erect- 

 ed to supply the growing demand for 

 this sweet scented, royal purple beau- 

 ty. We have seven houses devoted ex- 

 clusively to its cultivation, and are 

 very successful with it, being able to 

 have every plant in every house do its 

 allotted work uniformly and well, as 

 a glance at the illustration will show. 



AVe prefer houses 12 feet wide. cov-. 

 ered with sash, which are removed in 

 summer time, so that when the violets 

 are planted out they enjoy the same 

 conditions as field grown plants, with 

 the difference in their favor that they 

 do not have to be lifted and suffer the 

 consequent check which usually ac- 



companies that operation. Again, vio- 

 lets planted in the field in black muck 

 can be lifted with a good ball of soil 

 attached and grow on, unconscious of 

 their removal. We grow them on side 

 benches in two houses; in the other 

 houses we have the paths at each side, 

 the bench 7 feet wide in the center, 

 with no partitions between the houses; 

 this provides for a good circulation 

 through the houses, preventing that 

 stuffy atmosphere so prevalent in a 

 small house in wet, dull weather. 



While we may prefer sand struck 

 cuttings, most of our stock is raised 

 from runners and divisions of the 

 crown, except the center piece itself. 

 If any one finds fault with propagat- 

 ing from divisions, he must find fault 

 with the quality of the plants in the 

 cut presented. After Easter is past 

 the old plants are taken up and all 



strong runners and divisions removed 

 and put in 2i/4-inch pots. A plant with 

 us will yield from 50 to 60 plants. The 

 pots are carefully shaded until the 

 plants are thoroughly established, 

 when ordinary treatment will sulHce 

 till planted out; by that I mean vio- 

 let plant growing treatment. 



We plant out any time in July and 

 fancy that the latest plantings turn 

 out best. One of the best, most pro- 

 lific benches we ever had, was planted 

 about the 10th of August. 



We grow Marie Louise, Farquhar, 

 Lady Hume Campbell and the Prin- 

 cess of Wales. Marie Louise is by long 

 odds the best violet to grow; well 

 grown she stands pre-eminently alone 

 and unapproachable in her niche of 

 distinction. The Farquhar is a good 

 variety, of fine quality, but with us 

 not near as prolific as Marie Louise. 



House of Violets at Crabb & Hwnter's, Grand Rapids, Mich. 



