2G6 THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. [December, 



tributed by Messrs. Elvers and Son, and wliicli had been cultivated in pots in an 

 orchard-house. — II. 



VIOLETS : THEIR VARIETIES AND CULTURE. 



FIND the most important point in growing good Violets to be Soil, and this 

 should be porous, as well as^ rich. Some of our best wild Violets grow in 

 hedge-rows, and hedge-rows are generally a little elevated, either designedly 

 or otherwise, which implies good drainage. I find it necessary, in order to 

 secure quantity as well as quality, to prepare the ground for them'. ]\Iine is naturally 

 well drained, so I have nothing to do on that score ; but where the ground is 

 flat, and at all likely to lie Avet in the winter, it should be dug out to a depth of 

 at least 2 ft. — if more the better — as there should be about a foot of good drainage, 

 and the roots of Violets wiU go down 2 ft. or more, if the soil is at all suitable to 

 them. A well-drained, good soil, then, is most important to produce good flowers, 

 and an abundance of them. 



Perhaps the next thing to be considered is the mode of planting. This I find 

 best done in the following way : — Mark out the beds so that they run as nearly 

 as may be possible north and south ; mine are 4 ft. wide, with a pathway of 

 1 ft., and I plant the first row in the centre of the bed, and the others 18 in. 

 from it, so that the outer rows are only 6 in. distant from the path. It 

 would, doubtless, be better to add 6 in. or even 1 ft. to the path, if ground 

 is not an object, as this will give more space for the feet. My object is 

 to plant them so as to be able to gather the flowers without treading on the bed. 

 This is very important as, in wet weather, constant treading would soon consoli- 

 date the most porous soil. 



Next comes the position or aspect. This should be sheltered as much as 

 possible from the north and Cast winds, for I find that when the leaves are frozen 

 these do much injury to them. If a spot can be chosen where partial shade can 

 be had in the summer, so much the better. I plant many of mine to the north 

 of tall trees with naked stems, out of the way of the drip ; this allows them to 

 get the sun in winter, while they are partially shaded in summer. 



As to the time of planting, this may be done any time from the beginning 

 of September till April, but sometimes they begin to grow freely at the end of 

 March ; after this it cannot be safely done, except the weather is moist, and by 

 cutting off the newly developed leaves. This of course does not apply to plants 

 in pots, but to making new beds from the runners of the old ones, which should 

 be dcno often, perhaps the oftener the better, but certainly no bed should be left 

 more than three years. The best plan is to make up some new bed or beds every 

 year, which gives a supply of early flowers such as is not got in abundance on 

 older ones, besides that the flowers come with much longer stalks. 



We now come to after-management. Supposing the weather should set in 

 dry after a bed is newly made, the plants will require to be watered till they begin 

 to gro)v, whether put in early or late. This may occur to the mind of every 



