1204 



PANSY 



petals standing apart from each other. The "Upright 

 Heartsease," or Viola assurgens tricolor, is represented 

 as a stouter and more erect plant, with rounder but 

 scarcely larger flowers. These are described as follows: 

 "The Hearts-ease or Pansie hath many round leaves at 

 the first comming up; afterward they grow somewhat 

 longer, sleightly_cut about the edges, trailing or creeping 

 npon the ground: the stalks are weake and tender, 

 whereupon grow floures in form & figure like the Vio- 

 let, and for the most part of the same bignesse, of three 

 sundry colours, whereof it tooke the syrname Tricolor, 

 that is to say, purple, yellow and white or blew; by rea- 

 son of the beauty and braverie of which colours they 

 fire very pleasing to the eye, for smel they have little 

 or none at all. The seed is contained in little knaps of 

 the begnesse of a Tare, which come forth after the 

 floures be fallen, and do open of themselves when the 

 seed is ripe. The root is nothing else but as it were a 

 bundle of threddy strings. 



"The upright Pansie bringeth forth long leaves 

 deeply cut in the edges, sharp-pointed, of a bleake or 

 pale green colour, set upon slender, upright stalks, 

 cornered, jointed, or kneed a foot high or higher ; 

 whereupon grow very faire floures of three colours, 

 viz., of purple, blew and yellow in shape like the com- 

 mon Hearts-ease, but greater and fairer; which colours 

 are so excellently and orderly placed, that they bring 

 great delight to the beholders, though they have little 

 or no sraell at all: for oftentimes it hapneth that the 

 uppermost floures are differing from those that grow 

 upon the middle of the plant, and those vary from the 

 lowermost, as Nature list to dally with things of such 

 beauty. The seed is like that of the precedent." 



L. H. B. 



The Pansy is truly a "plant for the million." Its ease 

 of cultivation, hardiness and cheapness have made it one 

 of the most popular plants in this country. The under- 



Pansies. Netirly % natural size. 



signed is inclined to believe that as many plants of 

 Pansies are sold as of all other plants. 



Pansies were first improved from the original type in 

 Great Britain, where the cool and moist climate is well 

 adapted to their cultivation, and new varieties were 

 gradually brought out with larger flowers of varied 

 colors. For many years England and Scotland bore the 



PANSY 



reputation of growing the best Pansies. About twenty- 

 five years ago, however, three French specialists, Bug- 

 not, of St. Brieuc, and Gassier and Trimardeau, of 

 Paris, made immense strides in developing the Pansy, 

 and their productions were a revelation to the horti- 

 cultural world. Such sizes and colors were previously 

 thought impossible. Trimardeaii created a new race with 

 immense flowt-rs and very hardy constitution. His strain 

 crossed with tliose of Gassier and Bugnot has given a 

 Pansy which is superseding the older English varieties. 

 It must be admitted, however, that the best results can 

 be obtained only at the expense of much care and culti- 

 vation and selection, and specialists only can be ex- 

 pected to reach the greatest degree of perfection. The 

 strains degenerate very soon unless constant attention 

 and care are bestowed on the plants. Gontrast the flow- 

 ers grown by Gassier and Bugnot themselves with the 

 strains sold nowadays generally under their names! The 

 choicest flowers are removed so far from the type that 

 they produce but little seed and that of short vitality. 

 The seed has to be gathered by hand, and it is neces- 

 sary to go over the seed-beds every day. With the cheap 

 and common strains less careful methods of seed-gather- 

 ing are used. At the time of harvesting the plants 

 are all pulled oiit and laid in the shade for the seed to 

 slowly ripen, when the seeds are all cleaned at once. 



In this country, with more extremes in temperature, 

 more care must be exercised than in Europe in the se- 

 lection of localities and exposure, and with the best of 

 care Pansies will not last very long in bloom. A posi- 

 tion sheltered from high winds and exposed to the 

 morning sun will be found the most favorable, and soil 

 of a clayish nattire well enriched will grow the best 

 Pansies. Frequent sprinklings also, to keep the ground 

 and foliage moist, will be of great benefit. The general 

 sowing for the production of early spring bloom is made 

 out of doors in August, while seeds sown indoors from 

 February to June will produce plants to flower inter- 

 mittently during late summer and the fall months. 



When sowing Pansy seed on a considerable scale in 

 Aui^nist, sow the seed broadcast in a seed-bed out of 

 doors, cover very lightly with fine soil or well-rotted 

 manure, and press the seed in with a small board; then 

 mulch the seed-bed with long, strawy horse manure, 

 from which the small particles have been shaken off, to 

 the thickness of one inch, so as to have the soil well 

 aud evenly covered. At the end of two weeks the plants 

 will be up. Then remove the straw gradually, a little 

 at a time, selecting a dull day if possible. Keep the bed 

 moist. This process for germinating Pansy seed is 

 recommended by Gassier, and the undersigned from his 

 own experience recommends it above all others. In 

 England and Scotland the choicest varieties are perpet- 

 uated by means of cuttings, but it seems to be impos- 

 sible to maintain the size for any length of time by this 

 means in North America. 



If Pansies aie aesired for winter bloom, plant them 

 as soon as they are large enough on beds or benches 

 near the glass in the greenhouse. The temperature for 

 violets suits them very well. They are grown to a slight 

 extent for cut-flowers. 



If wanted for exhibition purposes, keep them in a 

 lower temperature till January; some freezing, even, 

 will benefit them. Start them slowly into growth at a 

 temperature of between 30^0° at night, as a higher 

 temperature will diminish the size of the flowers. A 

 weak solution of guano or hen manure once every two 

 weeks will help them wonderfully. Flowers 4 in. across 

 can be grown for exhibition. During growth and bloom 

 maintain a rather low, even temperature, without actual 

 freezing, carefully avoiding extremes in temperature. 



In favored localities Pansies designed for early spring 

 bloom receive no glass protection d'uring winter, the 

 plants from the August sowing being transplanted in 

 the fall from the seed-bed directly into their permanent 

 quarters. Good Pansies can be grown out-of-doors with- 

 out glass protection as far north as Nova Scotia. Gen- 

 erally, however, it is much better to winter Pansies in 

 a coldframe, especially the finer strains. Pansies in 

 bloom should be partially shaded from the hot midday 

 sun, particularly the fancy-colored strains, the petals of 

 which are more delicate in texture. 



Dents ZiRNoiEBEii. 



