PANSIES 459 



as the ones wanted for Spring. The object is to obtain a heavy, 

 well-branched plant by the middle of October. It usually takes 

 twelve weeks to obtain such a plant but much depends on weather 

 conditions. I have known hot, dry Summers when it was very diffi- 

 cult to grow on half decent plants; the heat was too much for them 

 and early ones just made a spindly stem and a few leaves and 

 flowers. Those years, seed sown in September produced by Decem- 

 ber far better plants than the first batch. As stated above, have the 

 plants wanted for indoor flowering in frames and protected so you 

 can get at them. 



As A CATCH CROP 



I know of a small grower who had planted a bench of Gar- 

 nations, variety white Enchantress which someone had recom- 

 mended to him as a great money-maker. The Carnations started out 

 all right but around Christmas something got into them, and they 

 kept getting worse until the man made up his mind to throw them 

 out. He happened to have a frame of Pansies plants which, due 

 partly to a favorable growing season, were in excellent condition. 

 He had to use a grub-hoe to lift them, but he did it and, after being 

 thawed out, they were planted twelve inches apart in the former 

 Carnation bench after another dose of manure had been added to 

 the soil. In three weeks those plants began to flower. The first 

 blooms were short-stemmed of no great account, but as the plants 

 became established, they started to prove a paying crop. Toward 

 Spring and around Easter he had the best flowers and would cut a 

 little foliage with them which made them still more desirable for 

 the retailer. When, the day after Easter, his Geraniums were ready 

 for the final shift, the bench of Pansies had all been cut so he used 

 the soil in the bench for the Geraniums. After bonemeal had been 

 added at the rate of a 7-in. potful to a barrowful of soil, the bench 

 was refilled with Geraniums. 



That tells the story and this man has had a bench of Pansies 

 ever since, only he plants or benches the stock right after the 'Mums 

 are through. You can plant such Pansies any time during the 

 Winter months, just so you always have a supply on hand to draw 

 from. If, for any reason, you should have no use for them, they 

 can be left outdoors and used in Spring. A mild Winter tempera- 

 ture of from 45 to 48 deg. suits Pansies best. 



IN PANS FOR EASTER 



If you have nice bushy plants in a frame with the colors separate 

 and want them to be in full bloom by Easter, lift them as carefully 

 as you can, that is, with plenty of soil around the roots, and plant 

 them on a sunny bench about five weeks before they are wanted. 

 If Easter falls on a late date four weeks is enough. When the 



