108 CARE OF PLANTS. 



are present, nevertheless, and will develop and 

 do serious injury later. There is this to be said, 

 however, that choosing between the methods 

 of division after blooming time and propagat- 

 ing in the fall, we would prefer the latter, because 

 we believe that better results will follow. Finally, 

 in using the fall-rooted plants there is always 

 the danger of the plants getting too big. It 

 is as bad to have a plant too big as it is to have 

 it too small, and if set too early or started too early 

 the growth will become so heavy in hot weather 

 that it will be found impossible to keep down 

 diseases and insects. If a grower has everything 

 at his disposal in the way of houses and facilities 

 for handling the young plants it would probably be 

 well to propagate some of the stock in the fall, 

 but if he has to put up with the ordinary facilities 

 he had better leave fall cuttings alone. Fall prop- 

 agating really means a special house for the 

 proper care and handling of the young plants 

 through a period of six or eight months a hand- 

 ling so that they will not grow too much or too 

 little (problems that are beyond the reach of most 

 men). We have now described the mere act of 

 propagating or increasing the number of plants 

 and have next to consider the most important 

 question connected with violet growing, namely, 

 the selection of stock with a view of increasing 

 vigor and productiveness. 



