PANSIES, VIOLAS, SWEET VIOLETS 275 



the market gardeners grow them by the thousand for 

 spring planting. The plants are sold through florists' 

 shops and off costermongers' barrows. The cheapest 

 plan of all is to raise plants from seed at home. Some 

 dealers supply seed as cheap as id. a packet, and 

 specialists offer it as low as 6d. The following strains 

 of seed can be bought amongst others : (i) Exhibition 

 Fancy; (2) Bedding Fancy; (3) Masterpiece ; (4) Pea- 

 cock; (5) Odier's Blotched or Spotted; (6) Bedding, 

 in separate colours and in mixture ; (7) Show ; (8) 

 Trimardeau ; (9) Bugnot's veined ; (10) Cassier's. Nos. 

 5, 8, 9, 10 are Continental strains. Probably No. 2 

 (Bedding Fancy) would suit the amateur as well as 

 any, but No. 4 (Peacock) is a richly coloured strain. 

 Masterpiece has curled flowers. Whichever is chosen 

 the seed may be sown in boxes of sandy soil in March, 

 and put in a frame or on a greenhouse shelf. Heat 

 is not absolutely necessary, but it is an advantage if 

 the garden soil is poor and dry, because stronger plants 

 can be got by a given time. If the seed is sown in 

 February, and the plants hardened in a cold frame, they 

 will be ready to plant early in May. Another plan of 

 securing early plants is to raise the seedlings without 

 artificial heat in July, winter them in an unheated frame, 

 and plant them in April. However, in most cases it 

 suffices to sow without heat in March, and plants so 

 raised will be in bloom in July if treated well. 



Soil. The Pansy chooses cool places as a wilding, 

 and possibly one reason why it does well in Scotland 

 is that it enjoys the cool, moist climate. This affords 

 a hint to the cultivator. He may grow it in the full 

 sun, but he should not plant it in dry, sandy soil. If 

 the soil of the garden is of that character he should 

 add loam and decayed manure liberally, and he should 



