54 PANSY, VIOLA AND VIOLET 



not infrequently attacked by a fungoid growth in the form 

 of mildew. To get rid of this, all the blooms should be 

 picked off and the foliage given a good dusting with 

 sulphur. There is another fungoid disease having yellow- 

 ish brown spots, and is frequently found growing on 

 individual stems of large clumps. Whenever this is seen, 

 the affected stem should immediately be removed and 

 destroyed. Do not throw these deseased pieces on the 

 rubbish heap, but burn them. 



To ensure a good long period of flowering, dead 

 blooms should be removed ; not cut off, but broken away 

 at their junction with the stem. If dead flowers or parts 

 of the flower stems are left on, they detract from the 

 vigour of the plant and incidentally prevent the de- 

 velopment of blooms of good quality. 



When plants of Pansies and Violas are being grown 

 for exhibition purposes, still further and more elaborate 

 treatment is needed to bring out the finest qualities in 

 the blooms. 



In Pansies and some of the large exhibition Violas, it 

 is necessary to remove all young and weakly shoots at 

 the base, the flowering stems being limited to about 

 five. This should ensure large blooms, as all the vigour 

 of the plant will be transmitted into these stems. In 

 order to give the plants a rest and enable them to obtain 

 increased vigour, all blooms and large buds must be 

 removed some fortnight or three weeks immediately 

 prior to the exhibition. The time allowed will naturally 

 vary according to the state of the weather, but care should 

 be taken always to be on the safe side and allow ample 

 time for the next series of buds to develop sufficiently 

 early for the shows. 



In the case of straggling varieties, it will be necessary 

 to peg down the long shoots in order to keep them from 

 being damaged by being blown about by the wind and 

 otherwise spoiled. 



