Ma; W, 1B69. ] 



JODBNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



345 



done. We do not think we shall be troubled with the turf, 

 though we would have preferred to have laid it down earlier. 

 We have turfed large spaces at midsummer, but with augmented 

 trouble. The only security for hiiviug a good lawn from turf- 

 ing now, and with little trouble afterwards, is to take up the 

 turf much thicker than for autumn and winter work, and then, 

 before laying it down, to soak it well in a tub of water. The 

 extra work now will save labour afterwards. What we laid 

 down in autumn and winter is not to be distinguished from old 

 turf, and has only one fault, that of growing too freely. 



Roses against walls and fences have had all the protection 

 taken from them, in the shape of Laurel branches, &o. They 

 are growing strongly, and showing well, and will succeed those 

 in pots. The most forward of the latter are now set out of 

 doors in a sheltered place, and will bo repotted ere long, and 

 grown in summer for early pruning and forcing. 



I.nwns. — The rains 1>ave given us additional trouble with 

 mowing and machining, rolling, itc, and the Daisy knife has 

 given us a green carpet, where there was nothing but Daisies to 

 cut. Pretty Daisies, what a pily you are so common, or that 

 you cannot be kept to the pastures and waysides ! 



In the flower garden we have bein busy with digging and 

 preparing, but the ground must be drier, more exposed to the 

 action of the air, an:l warmer, before we turn out many bed- 

 ding plants. We have done much work in the way of putting 

 in order edgings of such plants as the Purple Oxalis, Cineraria 

 maritima, Centaures, white-leaved; yellow and white varie- 

 gated Arabis, Chrysanthemum Sensation, Golden Feverfew, 

 Viola cornuta, C'erastium of sorts, &c. Some of the Arabia 

 are old plants neatly dressed ; but, on the whole, though look- 

 ing less at first, we prefer young plants. If the smallest pieces 

 without roots be planted in a border a few inches apart in 

 antumn, or before the shortest day, they will be well-rooted 

 plants before April. To make sure, we generally treat a lot of 

 Cerastium in the same way. There is less trouble with young 

 rooted plants when turned out. Tops without roots make 

 neat edgings, birt then they require frequent watering, and we 

 like our plants to be as independent of that as possible. 



P'iolets. — The whole of these can be easily propagated by 

 cuttings in a shady place, and more quickly it assisted with a 

 hand-light. With a little protection in winter, nothing that we 

 know yet beats the lilac Neapolitan Violet ; a large fresh flower 

 of that in winter is a treat, but the flowers must bo obtained 

 from under glass. We have planted some good plants under a 

 wall, and have thought of trying some in a shady cool place, 

 so that if they live they will flower much later. This season 

 the Violets did not last so long in the spring as usual. We 

 have taken up most of the plants, pulled them to pieces, and, 

 leaving a nice root to each plant or patch, planted them out 

 about 8 inches apart, in fresh sandy loam enriched with leaf 

 mould, so as to lift with balls, and go under glass in the end 

 of autumn. Until growing freely we shall keep a few branches 

 among them just to give a flickering shade. To have them 

 good it will be necessary to keep the plants clean by frequent 

 surface- stirring, to guard against mildew in a dripping season 

 with a dusting of lime and sulphur whenever the first sign of 

 the evil appears ; to guard against red spider, an enemy of an 

 opposite kind, in dry sunny weather, by heavy syringings with 

 soot water ; and last, but not least, to allow not a single runner 

 to grow, but concentrate all the strength in the crown of the 

 plant. The Neapolitan in this respect is different from other 

 Violets. Kunners taken off early and struck under a hand- 

 light, and then planted out and fresh runners prevented, will 

 bloom next season ; but after this time runners left on the 

 plant are mere robbers, keeping the crowns from being properly 

 ripened, thus lessening their flowering powers, whilst they will 

 not produce flowers themselves. 



The Russian single Violet is still the most useful, as it is so 

 hardy, and during the winter, in moderate weather, rich gather- 

 ings can be obtained, and never more so than last season. In 

 well-prepared enriched ground they will produce plentifully for 

 two years. We have a fine piece, which we are inclined to 

 leave for a third year, though it is too dense a carpet. To 

 have them very fine, some should be planted every year, as the 

 plants bloom pretty well the first winter and spring after plant- 

 ing, and very finely the second. We have planted several pieces 

 afresh, so as to make sure ; and, amongst other aspects, such 

 aa south of a hedge, to have them early, we have planted a row 

 on the north side of a mass of Laurels, to try and have them 

 late. When once a person gets a stock of these it is easy to 

 plant rows and beds anywhere, as the only thing necessary is 

 to take up a lump and tear it to pieces, making a good plant 



wherever good roots can be obtained. When we plant a piece 

 we put the roots in rows a foot apart, and nearly as far asunder 

 in the rows. Dy the autumn they will nearly meet, and in 

 the second season they will be a dense mass. All such Violets 

 do best in a rich loamy soil. Whore the soil approaches clay 

 in its stil'fncBs, some lime rubbish and road drift will be a great 

 help to it. Whore there is likely to be too much damp the 

 ground should be drained, and lighter mattiial mixed with the 

 soil. In damp, heavy soils the Violet flourishes on rough 

 banks ; but if such banks bo light loam, there will be no 

 danger of the Violets suffering from damp, but they will not 

 bloom so profusely as in a stiffer soil. In rather light soils, to 

 aecuio very free blooming, we have beaten and hammered the 

 soil about the roots, and given rather rich top-dressing. 



The Czar Violet, though far from being so free in blooming, 

 and though, from its more vigorous growth, it takes up more 

 room, is a very desirable single kind, from the depth of the 

 colour, the size of the flower, and the strength and length of 

 its footstalks. From tliis latter quality it comes in well for 

 bouquets, &c., as it can be used without sticking or wiring. 

 The latter quality, length of stalk, is greatly added to when 

 grown under glass. We have divided what we had of this in 

 March the same way as we did the Ilussian Violet, and planted 

 it in a bed of rich fresh soil, removing part of the garden soil 

 on purpose ; but as there were a number of shoots or runners 

 without roots, we put them in sandy loam as cuttinss under a 

 hand-light. We potted also a lot of Neapolitan Violets in 

 Ij-ineh pots, so that we may move them and give them a little 

 bottom heat in autumn and winter, and we shall do the same 

 with the Czar, not only to obtain some long-stalked flowers in 

 winter, but because we thus hope to have the flowers more 

 plentifully and less superfluous vigour in the plants when we 

 give them the protection of glass. 



Of double Violets, we know nothing equal to the double 

 flat blue, and the more conical one, termed sometimes the tree 

 Violet, though all are tree Violets if so grown. These blues in 

 their way are as good as the Neapolitan, with their hardiness 

 to stand all weathers in their favour. To have them fine, they 

 should never stand more than two seasons in the same ground. 

 We pull ours to pieces just as we do the Russian, and generally 

 plant, if in a bed, 12 inches by 7 or 12, according to the size of 

 plant. Nothing will better repay one for a deeply-dug, rich, 

 well-aired soil. We like, when we can, to add fresh loam, such 

 as can be had from the mounds by the sides of the highways. 



Of white Violets, we have been unfortunate with doubles. 

 We have never had any much better than a dirty drab. A 

 double clear white, equal to the Neapolitan or double blue in 

 size, would be an acquisition. From want of it we have fallen 

 back on the single white, found wild on many a hedgebank ; it 

 is often very pure white in colour, and becomes a little larger 

 in cultivation. We have heard and read much of fine white, 

 red, pink, and other varieties, but what has come in our way 

 rather disappointed us ; and we would be glad of the experience 

 of others, not only telling us all about the colour but the pro- 

 fusion of blooming, as the latter quality ought to be essential. 



Besides the Neapolitan Violets, all those we have named 

 would be worth a glass sash placed over them in cold places in 

 winter, because the sweetness of the Violet is chiefly grateful 

 then, and the frost, if at all sharp, takes away all the odour from 

 the blooms, though they look fresh. In default of glass much 

 mny be done with covering in severe weather ; but here we 

 must add that, be the covering mats or hurdles, it should be 

 supported above the plants. We put some litter over a fine 

 bed in frosty days, and thus obtained odoriferous flowers when 

 cold, but the litter injured the plants a little. A few hoops, 

 poles, or pots should be used to keep the covering from touch- 

 ing the plants. Keeping a number in pots under protection is 

 also a good plan, as then the pot can be taken into the sitting- 

 room. A good pot will long scent a room dehghtfully. 



Propagatinij. — Our readers with little convenience should 

 know that before the beginning of the month many things, 

 as Lavender, Sage, Rosemary, Evergreen Candytufts, Alyssums, 

 Wallflowers, Arabis, Cheiranthus,&c., can be propagated freely, 

 by planting good-sized slips firmly in the ground. After this 

 time they wiU do all the better under the protection of a hand- 

 light, and smaller pieces can then be used, planting thens 

 firmly and thickly in sandy loam, and giving air more freely as 

 the rooting proceeds. When Pansies of certain colours are 

 wanted in great abundance, the pieces without roots may thus 

 be protected, and will soon root. Large plants may be divided 

 with roots, as the Violets we have spoken about. A tew hand- 

 lights will insure even now a fine stock of such plants as men- 



