2(56 



CULTURE OF THE PANSY. 



founded cuiinot but be sound when lliis is 

 the case. How many pretty varieties are 

 there spoiled by tliccoiunion but mortifying 

 blemisli of an indentation in the under j)e- 

 lal? and what is tliere can make up for it ? 

 So far as we are concerned, there is but 

 one consideration tliat would make us look at 

 one a second time, and that is the chance of 

 its being a temporary instead of a permanent 

 blemish. It does happen, that when the 

 bloom of a Pansy is opening, the very 

 spot on which this blemish occurs is the first 

 exposed, and therefore does occasionally 

 meet with a check, which actually causes 

 the indentation, when it does not really 

 form a permanent feature in the flower. 



" This would always make us unwilling to 

 throw it away, until we had ascertained be- 

 yond a doubt that it was a permanent fault. 

 The next property which seems to have been 

 set down as indispensable, is that the bloom 

 should be flat. The only people at all inclined 

 to quarrel with this, are the artists, who for 

 the most part seem quite unhappy, if thev may 

 not show their dexterity by curling a leaf or 

 twisting a petal ; a very poor daub may be 

 made interesting to the vulgar, by the touch 

 which shows a deformity; but where the 

 artist has nothing to assist him, and must 

 place a specimen face to face with the spec- 

 tator, representing it perfectly flat, without 

 a w^rinkle, that shall afi^jrd him the clap-trap 

 of strong light and shade, he has his work 

 to do in giving proper effect. Still, those 

 who see one flower hollow or crumpled, and 

 the other perfectly flat, will not hesitate an 

 instant in choosing the latter. Thus, so far 

 as we have gone yet, the properties are 

 proved to have been founded on principle. 



We come now to a property which relates 

 to color and not form. It is said that the 

 two upper petals must be uniform, be the 

 color or the disposition of it what it may; 

 that the two side ones should be also uni- 

 form, and the under petal be the same 

 ground color as those on the side. This 

 led to a good deal of controversy', or rather 

 to difference of opinion — for those who dis- 

 puted it were not bold enough to dispute it 

 in writing. That this, however, banished 

 many flowers from choice collections is cer- 

 tain, and that it affected the sale of new 

 flowers, intended to be held up as good ones, 



is not less true. Mr. Thompson of Iver,,thc 

 most extensive raiser of seedlings at the 

 time, disputed the propriety of the distinc- 

 tion, and held that the bottom petal might 

 be dilierent from the other without dispa- 

 ragement. This refjuires no more jjains to 

 controvert than any other of the notions 

 which have been entertained by inexpe- 

 rienced or interested persons. In very 

 many varieties the lower petal has a yellow 

 tinge, while the two side ones are white. 

 It is impossible to conceive how mean, jioor, 

 and imperfect, one of this descriptiori ap- 

 pears in comparison with flowers which have 

 but one pure white or yellow in all three 

 petals ; and it is not long since we saw 

 some of May's and Cook's favorite flowers 

 with pure white grounds, compared with 

 others with two colors, and heard May him- 

 self — now by far the largest grower and 

 raiser of the Pansy — admit, unequivocally, 

 that it was almost as important a point as 

 any other property ; and but a few weeks 

 before,' Mr. Thompson had his own flower, 

 Eclipse, pointed out to him as the best yel- 

 low ground, and confessed, most reluctantly, 

 its superiority to every flower which had 

 two shades. It is in fact, only necessary to 

 compare the flowers which are perfect with 

 those which are not, and the brilliance of 

 the one, and the dulness and patchy mean- 

 ness of the other, will forcibly strike the 

 most inexperienced grower of the propriety 

 of this once questioned but now universally 

 admitted point. 



" We believe we have now gone through 

 the leading properties of the Pansy, not 

 because the gardening world were unac- 

 quainted with them, but for the purpose of 

 showing that there were sound reasons for 

 laying down every point, and that there is 

 not one which can be questioned. 



VARIETIES OF STYLE. 



" Various are the tastes of the public as 

 to the beauty of a Pansy. We like the 

 following, fig. 70. 



"The next, fig. 71, is a very different style, 

 but is quite as pretty as the last in the eyes of 

 many people. The bright band all round 

 the top petals has been seen, both white and 

 yellow, to ill shaped flowers. 



" It will be seen that the principal featyres 



