violet Culture 



By A. B. Perry. 



The sweet violet, Viola odorata, is as important a 

 flower as there is on the market today. There are 

 double and single varieties, and as the writer makes a 

 specialty of the latter I shall restrict my remarks to 

 the single variety only. There are single violets white, 

 yellow and pink in color, i.)nt it is not necessary to 

 give any details in regard to them, for the reason that 

 there is practically no demand for them; the only one 

 worth mentioning is the well-known true violet color. 



There are violet growers who grow their plants un- 

 der glass in Summer, but the plan most generally used 

 is the growing of them outside, the same as any garden 

 crop. They will grow on almost any soil, but the best 

 results are obtained on a relatively light soil ; that is, 

 one VN'hich contains a small amount of clay. A prac- 

 tical grower learns by experience how to judge a soil, 

 mainly by its "feel" when picking up a handful. It 

 should be remembered that violets like rich ground ; 

 that is, one with plenty of well-rotted manure in it. 

 Chemical fertilizers are not to be thought of, except 

 perhaps a little pure ground bone, but it must be 

 "pure" and used very thinly. 



The violet may be propagated in a number of ways ; 

 the most common is to divide the crowns or old plants 

 when they are through blooming in the Spring. The 

 plants are simply lifted, the dirt shaken of? the roots, 

 and the side shoots or runners pulled apart. Care 

 should be taken to choose only those which appear 

 the stronger. The runners are held in the left hand 

 with the hearts or top even, and when a dozen or so 

 are held they are cut off even, leaves and roots, the 

 length of the hand when closed. These are ready to 

 be planted in the field. Another method of propaga- 

 tion, but which can only be done under glass, is to 

 take cuttings of the growing plants in February or 

 March ; that is, cut off the offshoots and after trim- 

 ming the cuttings are put in sand to root. This will 

 require at least six to eig-ht weeks to root properly. 

 There are other methods, but the two given are the 

 principal ones. 



Planting in the field should be started as soon as 

 possible before dry and hot weather starts, which too 

 often happens before all the plants are set out. One 

 can always tell which plants were set out first ; they 

 are the first to show that healthy green color which 

 any grower loves so much to look at. Even if a few 

 light frosts come along, it will not hurt the plants at 

 all, provided of course the runners were not kept too 

 hot before planting. The violet does not differ from 

 any growing crop in regard to cultivation ; the more 

 the hoe and cultivator are used, the better plants will 

 be the result. When the nights are getting cooler in 

 late .\ugust and September is the time when the violet 

 is making the most growth. Runners are sent out in 

 every direction, and these should not be left on the 

 plants, but cut or pulled off. If the runners were left 

 to grow, this would give weak, straggly plants, and 

 the flowers would be small and short of stems. 



Single violet plants should be left outside until they 

 have had a few frosts, or if preferable they can be 

 housed sooner, and the fraiues or greenhouses, as the 

 case may be, opened during two or three nights when 

 it is freezing. This freezing-out process checks the 

 leaf growth on the plants to the benefit of the flowers; 

 in other words, if the plants were not frozen, they 

 would give a tremendous cmp of leaves and the flow- 

 ers would be very few. Hetter results are obtained 



with solid beds than raised benches. When the beds 

 are ready to be planted, the plants are dug out, care 

 being taken to leave as much dirt on the roots as pos- 

 sible, as then with a judicious amount of water the 

 plants do not show the transplanting to any great ex- 

 tent ; in fact, they keep right on blooming as if they 

 had never been disturbed. 



The violet is unlike the rose or carnation as regards 

 heat; it must be kept cool, and any attempt to force it 

 will result in overgrowth of leaves and blasting of the 

 flowers. Of coiu'se, temperature changes a good deal, 

 but every effort should be made to keep the night tem- 

 perature as near 40 degrees as possible, with a day 

 temperature of between 55 and 60 in bright weather. 

 The violet is a lover of fresh air, and ventilation should 

 be carefully attended to. The same care given in the 

 houses must • be observed where frames are used. 

 Plants in a frame will burn up on a bright day unless 

 air is properly given, so watch the thermometer and 

 give air when the plants need it. For the night, if in- 

 dications point to severe weather, the frames should 

 be protected with mats, straw, pine needles or what- 

 ever one has handy on the place. If the temperature 

 in the frames should get to freezing point, do not be 

 alarmed, no harm will result. Last Winter was very 

 severe, and I had a few frames which got frozen one 

 night quite hard. Early next morning I took the 

 sashes off and with a fine spray of water, thawed out 

 the plants as well as the flowers with the result that 

 75 per cent, of the latter were saved and picked that 

 same afternoon. 



Violets properly grown, are always sweet, but the 

 delicious odor may be lost through improper handling. 

 Throughout the entire work of picking, Inmching and 

 shipping every precaution must be taken to keep the 

 flowers away from all foreign odors. Any objection- 

 able odor either in the box, paper or the room where 

 the work is carried on, is apt to be taken up by the 

 flowers and to destroy their sweetness. 



Violets can be left outside all Winter provided the 

 suitable variety is used. There is nothing so beautiful 

 as a bed; they are the last flowers to be killed by frost 

 in the Fall and the first to bloom in the Spring. The)"- 

 bloom in the Fall until very severe weather sets in, 

 when the}' can be protected by spreading straw or 

 leaves, hay or cornfodder over the beds; then when 

 the Spring days arrive, the covering is taken off and 

 the violets start to bloom again. The sight must be 

 seen to be appreciated. 



Competent Gardeners 



q The comlorls ond products of o country home ore 

 Increased by employing o competent gardener ; if you 

 wont to engage one, write to us. 



q Please give particulars regarding place and soy 

 whether married or single man is wanted. We hove 

 been supplying them for years to the best people 

 everywhere. No lee osked. 



PETER HENDERSON & CO. 



Seedsmen and Florists 

 33 ond 37 Cortlnndt St. NEW YORK CITY 



