8o 



Commercial Gardening 



market grower might well consider them. The cultivation is simple. So 

 long as the soil is good, a little manure added in autumn or winter will give 

 sufficient nourishment to the roots; and as the leaves and stems weighing 

 from 6 to 8 tons per acre are allowed to die down and rot, they may be 

 regarded as a natural annual dressing of manure. It would therefore be 

 hard to find a crop more economic to cultivate than the herbaceous Pseony. 

 The best time for planting Pseonies is about August or September, 

 taking care not to injure the tuberous roots and fleshy shoots more than 

 can be helped. 



Paeonies in market gardens are singularly free from disease. Neverthe- 

 less they are sometimes subject to attack from a fungus called Sclerotinia 

 pceonice, which produces the drooping disease. The fungus attacks the 

 young crimson, bronzy, or purple growths in spring and destroys them 

 very soon. In large areas spraying is almost out of the question, and 

 the best plan would be to take up the affected plants and burn them, 

 afterwards dressing the soil with flowers of sulphur. Fig. 232 shows what 



the Pseony disease is like. 



Pansy. Originally derived 

 from Viola tricolor, the Pansy 

 has been enormously improved 

 &nd vastly increased in size. 

 At one time, more particularly 

 in- northern districts; societies 

 existed to further the claims of 

 the flower, and the show and 

 fancy varieties were then seen 

 to perfection. To-day a large 

 number of the fancy sorts -(fig. 

 233) are raised from seeds, 'and 

 the strains of such as Trimar* 

 deau, Parisian, Master piece, Ne 

 Plus Ultra, and others realize 

 good prices. It is largely the 

 varieties of the two first-named 

 strains that figure so promin- 

 ently in our flower markets in 

 spring, whither they are brought 

 when in flower. 



Their cultivation differs in 

 no essential particular from that of their tufted namesake, the two being 

 likeminded as to soils. Cuttings, however, never appear in the same 

 abundance or profusion on Pansies, and unless the plants are required to 

 produce seeds they should be early cut back to induce the formation of 

 a good and suitable cutting growth. 



Seeds of any of these fancy sorts may be sown- in July, preferably in 

 boxes or pans, so that the seedlings may be cared for in the usual way. 



Fig. 233. Fancy Pansy 



