VIOLETTAS 69 



Second: Colour. The colour should be bright, clear and 

 striking, whatever the shade. The eye should be bright 

 gold or orange, and may run into the lip on the under 

 petal, but no central ray or marking is admissible, and 

 whether shaded, edged, or self coloured, the colours 

 should be well contrasted. 



Third: Fragrance. The flowers should be highly per- 

 fumed, which property is one of the invaluable charms 

 of the type. 



Fourth: Size. Size, as a point of excellence in this type, 

 deserves consideration, as we depart from the broad 

 lines generally laid down for florist's flowers, and 

 consider the flowers should not be more than ij inches 

 across as a maximum and I inch across as a minimum. 

 Flowers ranging between these sizes will afford ample 

 ground for admiration, and will be more suitable for 

 small glasses, or the exhibition spray. 



Fifth : Habit. The habit of the plants should be dwarf 

 and procumbent, the foliage small and bright, the leaves 

 close together, the joints short, and the habit bushy, 

 with stalks of such length as will bring all the flowers 

 well together. 



The above may be taken to set out correctly the 

 salient features of the miniature type, although as to the 

 flowers not being circular in shape, and less than l inch 

 wide, these are mainly matters of taste, as there are 

 some very beautiful little things not conforming* with 

 these ultra strict rules. 



The growing of Violettas, however, did not " catch 

 on," and until quite recently the type had almost been 

 dropped altogether. This lack of interest and attention 

 had evidently been due to the want of a proper under- 

 standing of the growth and use of these delightful 

 plants. Too much was expected of them. Specialists 

 and others who started to grow these miniature sorts 

 forgot that whilst they were small in flower, they were 



