OS THE CULTURE OF THE PANSY. 219 



ARTICLE II. 

 ON THE CULTURE OF THE PANSY. 



BY S. C. COOK, COVENTRY. 



Seeing several subjects in your Floricultural Cabinet on the 

 culture of the Pansy, I herewith send you my mode of cultivating 

 this beautiful tribe of plants. The aspects I prefer is a south-east 

 one, the blossoms are soon shaded from the intense heat of the 

 sun, and screened from strong winds ; I always prefer growing 

 them in beds, which beds are four feet wide, and in length ac- 

 cording to the number cultivated. The bed is supported at the 

 edges with iron work of a low form, as fig. 1 . _ Fig\J . 

 The compost I use is one fourth maiden loam, 

 two fourths black garden mould, and one fourth rotten dung. 

 When the bed is prepared, I draw lines longitudinally from one 

 end of the bed to the other, by which lines I set the plants kfrows, 

 A bed four feet wide will allow of four longitudinal rows of 

 plants; there should be one foot allotted to each plant in the rows, 

 I always choose short strong plants, Avhich are small in circum- 

 ference. When I have finished planting, I procure some hoops 

 and mats, for the purpose of shading the plants for a few days, 

 until they have fully established themselves. As soon as the 

 season of propagating commences, which I consider about the 

 first of July, or if a late season it may be delayed till the first of 

 August ; I proceed cutting off the strongest shoots, observing to 

 cut them off at a joint, and then putting the different varieties 

 into separate vessels of soft water, for a few hours, which I find 

 greatly to promote their striking. The cutting bed is composed 

 of about one-third pit or river sand, to insure a closeness round 

 the cuttings ; then the cuttings of each variety are planted sepa- 

 rately and numbered, and are allowed to remain in that situation 

 until the following spring, when they are taken up and planted in 

 beds. It greatly improves the flowers, if the plants are watered 

 with liquid manure, twice, or three times a week; it is necessary 

 to keep a watchful eye upon the plants that are left for seed, for 

 it will disperse itself in a few minutes after it is matured. I would 

 here mention the utility of impregnating the flowers of different 

 varieties, by impregnating the best formed kinds, and those 

 having floweTS of the finest, most clear and distinct, as the re- 

 motest in colour from each other. The produce will bo kinds 

 «dmost certainly to be depended upon as good, and in colour what 



