Soptemboi' 19, 1807. J 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



213 



tinged witb clear rose towards the centre. The foliage of Do 

 la Madeleine ia also very distinct, being nearly entire, but 

 much serrated or toothed, and wavy in outline, j 



VIOI..V CORNUT.V AND VIOL.\ LUTEA. 

 I WISH for information about the lasting qualities of Viola 

 cornuta. From statements made from time to time in the 

 Journal by >Ir. Wills, Mr. Bennett, and others, I was led to 

 believe it to be a good beddmg plant ; consequently I procured 

 some cuttings in September of last year, struck them, kept 

 them in a cold frame all winter, nnd planted them out in May 

 with the other bedding plants. They began to bloom imme- 

 diately, and contioued to do so, so that I was so pleased with 

 it that I have taken cuttings from the plants, also picked all 

 the seed-pods as they ripened, to increase my stock for next 

 summer ; but to my dismay, about the 2(Hli of August the 

 (lowers on them began to be fewer, and they almost ceased 

 blooming by the Ist of September; and now (the 10th), they 

 are in the same state — not one bloom in a foot all over the 

 bed. Now, I want to know if this Viola usually ceases bloom- 

 ing thus early ? If so, I shall discard it altogether as a bedding 

 plant, for it mars the whole, all the other bedders being in 

 gaiety — I mean Lobelias, Purplo King and other Verbenas, 

 Calceolarias, and various Pelargoniums. I should have said 

 mine is Mr. Bennett's variety, as it came from Osbertou Hall. 

 Do you know if tho Viola lutea is lasting in blooming ?— 

 DonsET. 



' I have not found Viola cornuta to cease flowering on any 

 occasion, whether the weather has been wet or dry, hot or cold, 

 during the summer and autumn months. No doubt tho sudden 

 failure complained of by " Dorset " is owing to the want of 

 food. Tlie plant, being such a free and profuse bloomer, natu- 

 rally requires plenty of food in the shape of manure to sustain 

 it. The way to have it in full beauty all through the summer 

 is to make the ground it is to be planted in very rich with 

 manure, trench the beds over in tho autumn to the depth the 

 soil is good, place at the bottom of every trench about 2 inches 

 of good manure, and, after the soil has been treuched over in 

 this way, to spread some leaf soil or well-decayed manure over 

 the surface of the bed ; then with a good digging-fork mi:; it 

 up with the surface soil. This will encourage rapid growth 

 soon after the plants have been put out. The manure placed 

 in the bottom of the beds will supply the plants with food later 

 on in tho summer and autumn. It " DonsET " and otlier 

 correspondents of " our Journal " will only take this trouble 

 in preparing their beds before pLinting-out time arrives another 

 year, thoy will have the satisfaction of seeing this gem of the 

 flower garden constantly in bloom from April to the middle or 

 end of October. When the soil is light and sandy, and shallow, 

 in dry seasons it is absolutely necessary to carry out the deep- 

 trenching system recommended above ; and instead of placing 

 only two inches of manure at the bottom, it will be necessary 

 to put it in four or six inches deep ; and if there is a long 

 continuance of dry weather frequent waterings will be required, 

 sometimes with manure water. In watering, the plants should 

 not be watered through a rose as is sometimes done, but the 

 water should be carefully convoyed to the plants by means of 

 a small water-pot without the rose on. The beds by these 

 means can be well soaked without spoiling the plants' beauty. 



I have had letters from all quarters complaining of the 

 failure of Mr. Bennett's variety ; and with all due respect, I 

 must beg to differ from him as to what he has lately said about 

 the two varieties. I maintain that it does not require any one 

 with nice discrimination to detect any difference between the 

 two vaiieties Mauve Queen and Purple Queen, even when 

 Mr. Bennett's favourite is growing in a favourable situation — 

 namely, where the plants are protected from the direct rays of 

 the sun. In such a position Purple Queen is a gem, but from 

 my experience of it this season, and from the numerous letters 

 I have received, I am led to believe that it will not give satis- 

 faction in a situation fidly exposed to the sun. In a letter I 

 received a short time ago from Mr. Smith, of the Kew Botanic 

 Gardens, he tells mo that Purple Queen is constantly dying off, 

 and has to be replaced by other plants, which makes it look 

 ragged and uneven, whilst not a plant of Mauve Queen has 

 gone off. He says both have received the same treatment, and 

 Mauve Queen is admired by thousands. I mentioned some 

 . time ago that I planted in the spring a row of Mauve Queen 

 and a row of Purple Queen, a walk only dividing them; and 

 that they were both planted on the same day, in the same soil, 



and nnder precisely tho same conditions. Mauve Queen soon 

 became beautiful, and has remained eo all through the season, 

 whilst Purplo Queen has been taken away and replaced by a 

 row of Mauve Queen. Tho remnant of the plants of Purple 

 Queen were then carefully planted in good prepared soil on a 

 north border ; but since then they have been rapidly dying 

 away, and now, out of about six hundred plants, there is not 

 a dozen healthy plants left. The position in which the two 

 rows were planted was fully exposed to the sun, facing the south. 



About six weeks ago I received an invitation from Mr. Tyer- 

 man, of the Liverpool Botanic Gardens, to como and see the 

 Violas there. I went, and a most pleasing sight they were, 

 and well worth a long journey to see. There Mr. Bennett's 

 variety was in splendid condition ; but it was planted in a 

 moist pl.ace on the east side of a tall Thorn hedge. At the 

 back of it was a row of Mr. Tyerman's variety of montana in 

 splendid condition. In this shady position Mr. Bennett's 

 variety was quite at home, and the beautiful purplo shade of 

 its flowers was seen to great advantage in front of the fine row 

 of grey and mauve produced by Mr. Tyerman's montana. The 

 effect thus produced was very chaste and beautiful, and when 

 viewed from a little distance it was most pleasing ; bat on a nearer 

 inspection tho difference in the habits of the two varieties, 

 Mauve Queen and Purple Queen, could at once be seen. Mauve 

 Queen has a nice erect style of growth, whilst Purple Queen 

 has a more procumbent habit. The leaves are also rounder 

 ■and more deeply serrated on the edges. Purple Queen when 

 planted in rows or beds has a tendency to spread on the ground, 

 le.aving its centre naked, whilst Mauve Queen is constantly 

 pushing up young shoots from the centre, which are no sooner 

 formed than they are covered with their pretty mauve flowers 

 in great profusion. 



In another part of the Botanic Gardens I saw a splendid 

 bed of Mr. Bennett's variety. This was in fine condition ; but, 

 like that described above, was partially shaded, and being near 

 a fountain which is constantly playing, was kept moist. 



In another part of the garden, also partly shaded, Mr. Tyerman 

 has a group of beds all filled with Violas. Here were to be 

 seen Mauve Queen, Purple Queen, one or two varieties of cor- 

 nuta slightly differing in colour, also beds filled with the beau- 

 tiful V. lutea and V. lutea prandiflora, a seedling raised by Mr. 

 Tyerman from lutea, with flowers much larger, and altogether 

 a great improvement on lutea. There were also two beds of a 

 very pretty lively-looking seedling, which we named V. versi- 

 color. This I thought exceedingly pretty. There Mauve 

 (Jueen and Purple Queen were equally beantiful ; but the same 

 fault above .alluded to in Purple Queen was still apparent — 

 namely, its showing in the centre of each plant too much space 

 that was not covered with flowers. 



The beds of Viola lutea were magnificent. I may truly say 

 that this is the finest yellow bedding plant in cultivation. With 

 me it has been one complete mass of bloom all throngh the 

 season, and will undoubtedly continue so till the frost cuts the 

 young flowers off and prevents them opening. Lutea should 

 have the same preparation made for it as that recommended 

 for Mauve Queen. In a future communication I will state in 

 what arrangements lutea and cornuta will lonU well, and note 

 some other line plants I have seen at the Liverpool Botanic 

 Garden and elsewhere. — J. Wllls." 



STRINGER & CO.'S P.KGEXERATOK. 



I .iND many more of tUe readers of The Jocrnml or HoiiTi- 

 ccLTvr.E would be glad to know what the experience of those is 

 who have tried this article, which is advertised in your columns 

 as producing the most extraordinary effect on fruit trees — an 

 effect which I for one do not believe iu. What is the meaning 

 of, •' The Regenerator is introduced into the sap at the fall of 

 the leaf?"— Qcis. 



[We have had a communication on the subject which Tve de- 

 eliucd to publish. Whatever the Regenerator and its effect 

 may be, the statement which you have quoted from the ad- 

 vertisement is simply nonsense. All communications on this 

 subject must be well authenticated, otherwise they will not be 

 inserted. — Kds. J. of H." 



CORNWALL MYSTIC BARS. 

 YocR paper has of late contained some allusions to these 

 bars, as forming a superior kind of stile. Allow me who live 

 I in their midst, to point out that they are not a coutrivanee 



