•?"' 



V ,'ti:v,iii,'i'.i'.'fi.v,t','ii,>',v,'ut'r 



vm'.'l ,'( .>l'."'.M'A1'.<l,>«V»'.'»'.'l'i 



:=:'»,Wy»j' 



^^m^ 

 ^^aS 



M,r^'r7 



HlllK^Vtt) 



T' lniiia-nf>- I -jir'-Mrf 



PICKING PROFITS 



FROM PANSIES 



The time Is at hand to sow pansy seed for greenhouse cidture for cut 

 flowers. Always a profitable crop for a florist who has a cool house, they may 

 he made still more so hy special care, according to the directions here given 

 hy this noted pansy specialist. 



ULTIVATION of pansics 

 for cut flowers is ln'coin- 

 ing more and more profita 

 ble. Much of one's suc- 

 cess with them (lei)eu(ls 

 upon the selection of the 

 best varieties of seed for 

 this enterprise. I consider 

 the Masterpiece and tlie 

 blotched type among the 

 best to sow for this purpose in the 

 east, especially- for planting in the 

 greenhouse. If self colors are wanted, 

 select them from the Trimardeau type. 

 Pansies for cut flowers are a desir- 

 able crop to follow chrysanthemums. 

 They can be used, also, to fill any space 

 in the violet house. They should do 

 well with violets, as both flowers re- 

 quire the same treatment and tempera- 

 ture. 



Success Starts with Seed. 



Success in growing a good crop of 

 pansies depends largely on how the 

 seed is treated the first six or twelve 

 days, for if a pansy seed becomes dry 

 after once sprouting it is a dead seed. 

 If the seedlings are kept too close, they 

 will damp off. 



A coldframe is a good place in which 

 to sow pansy seed if the boards are 

 not full of fungi. Or one may use a 

 box, nine inches to a foot high, built 

 on good, fresh ground 

 that is a little sandy 

 and has been well 

 manured for a pre- 

 vious crop. The 

 ground should be well 

 dug, made fine and 

 given a good water- 

 ing a day or two be- 

 fore the seed is sown. 



The seed should be 

 sown not later than 

 the first week in July 

 for cut flowers to be 

 grown in greenhouse 

 or frames. One ounce 

 of seed will sow 

 about 300 to 350 feet 

 of drill, or eighty 

 square feet if sown 

 broadcast, and should 

 produce from 4,000 

 to 8,000 plants. Sow 

 the seed in drills 

 three inches apart, 

 one-sixteenth of an 

 inch deep. Cover the 

 seed with fresh sand, 

 or sandy soil, one- 

 sixteenth of an incli 

 deep. Pat down the 

 soil or roll it. Then 



By CHARLES FROST. 



give it a little water, using a fine rose. 

 Dust the surface witli sulphur or grape 

 dust to keep the damping-off fun- 

 gus from starting, i prefer the grape 

 dust. I have also used nitrate of soda, 

 twice a week, for the same purpose. 

 That has the additional value of stimu- 

 lating the plants to rapid growth. I 







.'• r,-n 





nT< 



^ ■ 





An Ounce of Pansy Seed Yields Large Returns. 



used the nitrate of soda in the follow- 

 ing j)roportions: One heaping teaspoon- 

 ful to three gallons of water, or nine 

 ounces to a 50-gallon barrel of water. 

 Cover the seed beds with boards or 

 shaded sashes. Allow some ventilation, 

 or they may get too hot, and pansy 

 seed will not sprout if kept much above 

 7.1 degrees. Or you may mulch them 

 with moss, hay or whatever you have 

 iiaudy. You must keep a good watch 

 .it'ter tlie fifth day, and take the cover- 

 iug off as soon as the seeds have 

 sprouted. Then cover the beds with the 

 thinnest of burlap, or muslin, tacked 

 (111 frames. I like burlap best, as it 

 i^ives the seedlings a little shade, pro- 

 tects them from insects, heavy rains 

 .•ind drying winds, and still lets in suf- 

 ticient light, air and rain. Water the 

 seedlings daily, if dry, until they are 

 large enough to plant out, which is 

 usually in five or six weeks from the 

 time of sowing the seed. 



Transplanting Seedlings. 



Transplant the seedlings, when they 

 are large enough, into good, rich ground, 

 four or five inclies apart each way. 

 Transplant plenty of plants, so as to 

 have ample to select from for the green- 

 house. In October select the healthiest 

 jilants with the best flowers to plant 

 in the greenhouse. Plant them seven 

 or eight inches apart 

 each way. The green- 

 house can be run 

 cool. Even a little 

 frost will do the 

 jilants no harm up to 

 .lanuary 1. Keep all 

 the buds i)icked off 

 until December 1. 

 You probably will not 

 cut many flowers dur- 

 ing midwinter, nor 

 will they have long 

 stems, but if you 

 have grown the plants 

 cool and kept them 

 free from aphis and 

 red spider, they will 

 flower abundantly to- 

 ward spring. Do not 

 make the mistake of 

 giving jiansies too 

 much water in the 

 dull inonths. Water- 

 ing is best done be- 

 fore noon, (iive the 

 plants ])lcnty of wa- 

 ter when they are 

 floweri7ig well. Aphis 

 and red spider are 

 likely to attack jian- 

 sies grown in the 



