WILD FLOWERS BLUE AND PURPLE 



sage and buttonhole nosegay. The odour of Violets 

 is one of the most popular known, and it is extensively 

 used in scenting soaps, perfumery, and other toilet 

 preparations. Candies, syrups, and cordials are 

 flavoured with it, and even glace or sugared Violets 

 are sold at the confectioners. Over sixty thousand 

 acres of flowers are regularly cultivated about the town 

 of Grasse, in France, purposely for the manufacture of 

 perfumery. Literally it is the "sweetest" spot in the 

 world, and tons upon tons of Violets are annually 

 gathered and spread upon frames of greased glass 

 which catch and retain the minute particles of precious 

 oil contained in the flowers an industry involving 

 hundreds of thousands of dollars. 



BIRD'S-FOOT VIOLET 



Viola pedata. Violet Family. 



There is no mistaking the identity of the Bird's- 

 foot Violet. It appears later than the Meadow Violet, 

 and its finely cut, dark green, thick-textured foliage, 

 and large, beardless-petalled flowers are positive 

 ear-marks of birthright. The leaf is deeply cut into 

 from five to eleven long, narrow parts, with the longer 

 middle ones having their ends notched with two or 

 three rounded lobes, while the others have tapering 

 points. When spread flat, the matured leaf is fan- 

 shaped, and some of the divisions are grouped or 

 separated from each other with a wider opening 

 a characteristic giving significance to its common name. 

 The plant grows in a loose tuft, with its leaves spread- 



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