384 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November an, 1866. 



gathered upwards of half a bushel ; and from a portion of one 

 which was thrown aside, and after a day two planted, thirty- 

 seven Potatoes were gathered, the majority of which were more 

 than 4 inches long. My soil is heavy and wet, and these Pota- 

 toes were not planted till long after the seed I had purchased 

 was planted. I enclose my card. — A Constant Reader. 



VIOLA CORNUTA. 



stock of his own ; but all these, as well as mine, will be 

 grown under similar conditions, when I trust there will be no 

 occasion for future differing amongst the doctors in the case 

 of Viola cornuta. — J. Wills. 



" Mr. Bennett, of Osberton Hall, has been good enough to 

 send me blooms of his Viola. Some of the flowers he sent were 

 very much like mine in point of colour, others were very much 

 darker, some were nearly purple. The differences in their colour 

 Mr. Bennett attributes to the different soils and situations in 

 which the plants are growing. The variety which I grow (and 

 I am confident it is the true one) is the very counterpart both 

 in the shape and colour of the flower, habit of the plant, and 

 form of the foliage, of the figure given in Curtis's " Botanical 

 Magazine," vol. xxi., plate 791. It was introduced to the Royal 

 Gardens at Kew, by Dr. Ortega, in 1776, from Spain. This 

 variety has not changed in the slightest degree in colour, al- 

 though it has been subjected to great variations in point of soil 

 and temperature. At Oulton Park, in Cheshire, the soil is of a 

 very dry and sandy nature. There the services of the watering- 

 pot are required very soon after a good soaking rain, and last 

 summer was said to be one of the hottest summers known in 

 Cheshire since the year 1827. At Huntroyde the soil is of a most 

 retentive nature, and in this part of Lancashire a colder and 

 more ungenial season was never known than the present ; yet 

 there has not been the slightest difference in the colour of the 

 flowers of Viola cornuta, neither has there been any difference in 

 its flowering. There has been the same profusion of bloom on 

 the plants here as on those in the dry and sandy soil of Oulton 

 last year; and although we had nearly a constant rain night 

 and day for ten weeks, the plants produced flowers in equal 

 abundance, and were not injured in the slightest degree. They i 

 were as beautiful as ever up to the 17th of October, when wo 

 bad 9 of frost, and for several days after that a regular deluge 

 of rain : this destroyed all the young flower-buds, as well as 

 the greater portion of the open and opening flowers. lam, 

 therefore, much inclined to think that Mr. Bennett does not 

 possess the true variety. My opinion has been very much 

 strengthened in this respect by the arrival of a large hamper of 

 plants, which Mr. Bennett has kindly sent me, and which has 

 come to hand this day. On taking some large patches out of 

 the basket, I immediately placed them by the side of my grow- 

 ing plants, and a decided difference in habit and in the shape 

 of the leaf was at once perceptible. Tln> hdbit of Mr. Bennett's 

 variety is more procumbent than mine, the foliage is orbi- 

 cular ; whilst the habit of the true variety is nearly erect, and 

 the foliage is of a rather darker green, and more elongated ; the 

 of the leaves are also mine deeply serrated. I do not 

 wist Mr. Bennett to think that I desire to depreciate his variety, 

 neither do I pronounce a decided opinion on it now. I will 

 grow Mr. Bennett's variety side by si le with my own, and both 

 shall be subjected to the same treatment ; I shall then be able 

 to see if there is any marked difference between the two. 



I consider that the purple variety of Viola cornuta which 

 Mr. Bennett sent, if it remain true to its character, wUl be 

 quite as valuable as mine, and for the purpose of readily dis- 

 tinguishing them, I would suggest the name of Purple Queen 

 for his variety, and M rav ' tt'f i line. I ti mid be almost 

 inclined to think Mr. Bennett's stock was originally perpetuated 

 from seed, as there appear I hades of colour 



amongst the flowers which he sent me. I have never yet grown 

 any plants from seed, but have alv lys propa ited y. i tock by 

 cuttings. As there appear to he i; varieties, it is pro- 



bable that the plant will not come true from seed. ■ . Tillery 

 - s in the " Florist and Pomoli gist " f6r this month, that he 

 has a blue variety nearly as bright as the Cliveden Blue Pansy. 

 The variety which I saw growing in the Manchester Botanic Gar- 

 dens was certainly not the same as mine, and Mr. Finulay was 

 so much convinced of this after having seen mine growing under 

 more unfavourable conditions than his own, that he had the 

 whole of his stock destroyed with the exception of a few plants, 

 and replaced it with the variety grown at Huntroyde. In a 

 letter I received from Mr. Tjtrnian, after bis visit here, he 

 stated that he was of opinion that my variety was different 

 from his. I have no doubt that we shall be able to arrive at 

 some definite conclusion next ^ear, for I will send Mr. B nnctt 

 a stock of Mauve Queen. Mr. Tyermau is working up a large 



As Mr. Thomson, in a recent Number, questions whether 

 Viola cornuta will come true from seed, it will be of importance 

 to the public to have the point decided at once. The propagation 

 may be all done out of doors, as the plant is perfectly hardy. 

 It is neat and compact in its habit, and the flowers are of a 

 pleasing colour. It flowers and seeds freely. Having propa- 

 gated many thousands for bedding-out, and likewise raised 

 quantities from seed, and planted them in juxtaposition, with- 

 out being able to detect any difference, I planted two rows last 

 December from a seed-bed, and they were this summer the front 

 rows of a ribbon-border upwards of 300 feet long. They were 

 planted about '.) inches apart, and during the past season they 

 made a regular width of 14 inches without any trouble ; their 

 height, including flowers, would be nearly inches. I believe 

 the above to be the true habit of the plant in an open situation, 

 although I have had it 12 inches high and flowering equally 

 well, but in a more confined place. 



So far as I have been able to observe, this Viola does come 

 true from seed. I could not perceive the slightest difference 

 on comparing one flower with another. As to its multiplicity 

 of flowers, I may sum up thus : From all of the many eminent 

 nurserymen and gardeners who have seen it throughout the 

 season, the same answer came, as they gazed along its lines 

 in admiration, " It is really a pretty thing." — J. Miller, Work- 

 /pp M.Qnor Gardens. 



THE. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S 



FIRST COUNTRY EXHIBITION. 



It seems now finally settled that this Exhibition is to take 

 place next year at Bury St. Edmunds, simultaneously with that 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society. We stated in our last 

 Number that the corporation of Bury had "nobly come for- 

 ward ; " but we find so far from that being the case, that it 

 was the supineness of that corporation winch in the first in- 

 stance induced the Royal Horticultural Society to resolve not 

 to venture into Suffolk, knowing that if they had not a hearty 

 local support they would probably find, according to that county's 

 proverb, " Bury, the high road to Needham." Fortunately 

 there are men in and about Bury who foresee the advantages 

 and pleasure derivable from such an exhibition. They be- 

 stirred the] s earnestly, and the successful result was told 

 by Mi. 1>. T. Fish at a meeting of the local Horticultural 

 S ciety. Mr. Fisn said that he was in a position to state that 

 yal Horticultural Society would come to Bury if £500 

 were guaranteed, a free site provided, and a working Committee 

 appointed to as tst; and he thought it would be the business 

 of that meeting to take some steps upon all these matters. The 

 site was i curi d (he believed one of the best in the kingdom), 

 through the liberality of Mr. Guy. It was ju.st opposite the 

 entrance to the Agricultural Show-field, and was admirably 

 adapted for the purpose. It this were not aeeepted, Mr. Bran- 

 dreth Gibbs, who was connected with both Societies, believed 

 the Royal Agricultural Society would be able to place an acre of 

 their ground at the Royal Horticultural Socii i; | .d, and 

 Mr. Guyhad also another site which he was willing) i offer, He 

 believed Mr. Byles (the Director of the Royal Horticultural 

 highly approved of the site. As to the 

 guarantee fui Ueved it was as good as secured. He 

 held in his ha er representing £320, although the elite 

 of the neighbourhood had not been asked ; Mr, Pettitt was 

 prepared to obtain £120 more, and he believed he might get 

 another £100 in that room if required ; and he had had that 

 morning a letter from the High Sheriff to say that if anything 

 were wanted they had only to apply to him. These two 

 questions, therefore, were settled, and the only matter left was 

 the formation of a Committee. He was prepared to move a 

 resolution that every guarantor to the extent of £5 or £10 

 should be a member of the Committee ; and if that question 

 were settled he thought the thing was done, and they would 

 have the Royal Horticultural Society there next year. 



The President and Mr. Clay said the statement of Mr. Fish 

 appeared to have removed all difficulty, and under these cir- 

 cumstances the Bury Society would sink their .-how, and join 

 with the town in doing all they could to assist in carrying out 

 the Royal Horticultural Society's Show. 



