2 6 INTRODUCTION. 



people go into violet growing and fail than is the 

 case with the growing of any other crop under 

 glass. Time and time again we have seen men 

 start into the business with no experience and 

 nothing but the poorest kind of equipment and 

 succeed for the first two or three years in a truly 

 remarkable way. Then trouble comes in one 

 form or another and in two or three years more 

 the grower has passed out of the field. It requires 

 about five years to definitely determine what a 

 man with ordinary facilities can do in this matter. 

 Of course he will have his ups and downs and the 

 temptation will be strong at times to give up the 

 task and take up some other crop. Such moments 

 are his worst, for if he sticks to his one problem 

 and endeavors to profit by his experience he will 

 in the end succeed. 



Coming back to the question of how violets 

 are grown to-day, we find that those engaged in 

 the work may be divided into two groups, (i) 

 extensive or what may be called violet farmers, 

 and (2) intensive or violet growers proper. Of 

 course one will find numerous gradations, but for 

 practical purposes they may be classed under 

 the foregoing heads. Violet farming is often prac- 

 ticed in more or less remote country districts^ 

 where land and labor are cheap. Houses are 

 seldom used for such work, but frames are re- 

 sorted to, and the care of the plants is left to 

 boys sometimes colored, sometimes white over- 



