78 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



In their natural habitats in Britain, Violets bloom from 

 about March to May, but it is possible to extend the season 

 a little at both ends by cultivating them in various aspects 

 out-of-doors. It is not, however, for this reason alone that 

 Violets are cultivated in gardens, but also because cultivated 

 flowers are superior in size to those gathered from the 

 hedgerow or sparse plantation, whilst the varieties in them- 

 selves are of better quality than the wild type. A more 

 artificial form of cultivation is practised in order to obtain 

 the flowers in winter and spring. This forcing is usually 

 carried out in frames, and, in districts free from the pre- 

 judicial atmospheric conditions of large towns, it is done 

 with comparative ease and gratifying success, provided the 

 few rules of procedure are thoroughly understood and 

 rigidly observed. On the contrary, if the cultivation is 

 careless or haphazard, failure is more certain to follow 

 in Violet culture in frames than in many other depart- 

 ments of gardening. 



The great bulk of the flowers on sale in the markets 

 during winter are imported from Italy and France, but 

 after Christmas the supplies are augmented by home-grown 

 blooms from outdoor plants in the warmer counties, but 

 only a very few frame-forced Violets ever appear in the 

 markets. Every one is familiar with the general manner 

 in which the flowers are bunched for the market, but the 

 bunches vary in the different markets. What is termed 



