350 CROP GROWING AND CROP FEEDING 



around the frames, and the glass was protected by straw mats, made of 

 broomsedge, which makes a thicker and warmer mat than rye straw. Of 

 course it is more troublesome to attend to carnations in such a frame than in 

 a greenhouse, but the crop is as good, the plants more healthy and the profit 

 greater than where a lot of coal is burned in expensive boilers for heat. 



Our frames here, prepared in the same way we prepared them for lettuce, 

 and planted in Marie Louise and Lady Campbell violets, have given a wonder- 

 ful bloom during the winter. But there is so much difficulty in carrying the 

 double-flowered violets through the summer here that it is advisable to get the 

 clumps from the North annually. The single-flowered Luxonne violet has 

 become, here, almost a weed, and it stands the long summer heat and is such 

 a wonderful winter bloomer that we are inclined to believe that the Southern 

 grower had better be content with the single-flowered violets. The single 

 variety of violet, known as the California, will also stand our summers, and 

 in late winter and spring makes a splendid bloom ; but does not bloom in mid- 

 winter like the Luxonne. The Luxonne seeds so freely here in summer that 

 it has become, as I have said, almost a weed, and while it grows with the 

 utmost luxuriance and makes an immense bloom in the rich soil of the frames, 

 it will grow and bloom in the poorest sandy soil of the South ; bloom, though, 

 with stems too short to be used. We have seen an old sand yard in this 

 State, where not a sprig of grass would grow, perfectly blue with the violets 

 all winter long. In preparing a frame for the violet we make the soil rather 

 heavier than is best for lettuce, and incorporate a larger amount of woods 

 earth and rotten leaves, for the violet delights in leaf mold. Neither do we 

 make so heavy an application of the commercial fertilizer as for the lettuce 

 crop, but put in a little to give the clumps an early start in the fall. The 

 frames for the hyacinths and the Narcissus we treat exactly as we would for 

 the lettuce crop. Roman hyacinths naturally begin to bloom in the open 

 ground here in late December, if the bulbs are left in the ground or are 

 planted early in the fall. As the flowers sell be.st about Christmas it will be 

 best not to put the sashes on too early, as they might get the flowers too soon. 

 The first of December is early enough to use the glass and this will bring the 

 best spikes at Christmas, and there will be a continuation of blooms till late 

 in January. In fact, with bulbs that were allowed to grow in masses in the 

 frame and not lifted in summer, we have cut flowers of fine size from Christ- 

 mas to March, and have sold $5 worth of Roman hyacinth flowers from a 

 sash. The variety of hyacinth known as the White Italian is later and makes 

 longer and larger spikes than the Roman, and when grown in frames makes 

 a fine cut flower for the Easter trade. The bulbs are planted in the frames 

 in the fall, but the sashes are not used on them till about six weeks before 



