586 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



impregnation has taken place, tlie flower will 

 fade in twenty-fonr or thirty-six hours; but if 

 not, the flower will remain in full beauty, in 

 which case the attempt must be repeated. This 

 should always be done in fine serene weather; 

 and care should be taken to defend the impreg- 

 nated flower from rain and mists. Plants raised 

 from seeds which have been crossed, always bear 

 the form of the mother, but take the colours of 

 the male parent. Fewer seeds are produced 

 by art than by nature alone; and the impreg- 

 nated flowers are less visited by beea than 

 others." 



The common sorts of pinks are planted in 

 borders, and the best qualities in beds; few, 

 except very rare sorts, are put into pots, for in 

 general they thrive best in the open ground. The 

 most appropriate soil is a fresh loam, dug about 

 two feet deep, flnely comminuted, and manured 

 with a stratum of cow dung two years old, 

 mixed with an equal proportion of earth. As 

 soon as the pipings are struck, and will bear 

 removal, they are to be planted on a bed of com- 

 mon garden mould, where, in a few weeks, it 

 will easily be discernible which are the strongest 

 plants to remove to the blooming bed. This 

 bed should be raised three or four inches above 

 the surrounding paths; and the plants placed in 

 it in August, or early in September, about nine 

 inches apart from each other. During winter, 

 if the frost is severe, a slight covering will be 

 necessary; and in the ensuing spring, weeding 

 and stirring up the surface of the bed, are all 

 that is necessary. A month before blowing, the 

 bed may be thinned if necessary, leaving all the 

 largest and strongest plants. In these plants all 

 the small lateral buds should be plucked off^, in 

 order to ensure a full blow of the central ones, 

 and these should not exceed eight or ten in 

 number. Strong healthy plants, not too large 

 or bushy, and consisting of a capital leading 

 stem in the centre, are the most likely to pro- 

 duce the best flowers. Those buds likely to 

 burst at the side of the calyx, should be tied 

 and supported, as described for the carnation; 

 and sticks should be put into the ground, to 

 which the large stems are to be tied for support. 

 Pinks transplanted in spring never show such 

 a fine blow as those transplanted in September. 

 They should be moved every two years. 



The Violet (viola). Natural family violaceie; 

 pcntandria, monofft/nia, of Linnasus. This is a 

 genus of pretty flowers, of which there are a 

 number of species, distinguished by their five- 

 petalledcorolla,generallyblue, purple, and white, 

 with these petals disposed somewhat in the 

 butterfly form. The leaves vary according to 

 the species, being heart-shaped in some, in others 

 ovate, sagittate, pedate, &c. Some are annual, 

 others perennial; and they are natives of Europe, 

 Asia, and America. 



Several species are indigenous in Britain, as 

 the sweet violet, the hairy, the marsh, the dog's 

 violet, and the pansy, or heart's-ease. Violets 

 were known to the ancients, and named after 

 lo, fabled to have been turned into a cow by 

 Jupiter. The ancient physicians employed the 

 roots and leaves in medicine; but in modern 

 practice the flower only is occasionally employed 

 as a test of acids, and for imparting a pleasing 

 colour to tinctures. As garden flowers, the 

 violet and pansy are much prized both for their 

 beauty and the gi-ateful flavour of the odorous 

 species. 



The Sweet Violet (v. odorataj. This is a 

 favourite flower from its delicious fragrance, and 

 the early period at which it appears. It is a 

 native of England, and every part of Europe, 

 growing in a loamy soil in woods and thickets, 

 and on warm banks. Desfontaines saw it fre- 

 quently in Barbary, in the palm groves about 

 Tassa and Cossar, the blue and white growing 

 promiscuously, and flowering in winter. Has- 

 selquist found it in Palestine, Thunberg, in Japan, 

 and Laureiro, in Cliina, near Canton. 



It is a perennial creeping plant; the leaves are 

 cordate and smooth; while the hairy violet (i). 

 hirsuta), which nearly resembles it, has the leaves 

 and footstalk hairy; the latter also is inodorous. 

 The petals of the sweet violet are either blue, 

 purple, or white. The double kinds most 

 esteemed are the purple and the Neapolitan 

 variety, called the single Russian, which com- 

 mence to flower in autumn in the open air, and 

 continue so even during the frost of winter. 



The sweet violet grows best in a loamy soil, 

 and may either be planted in beds in warm situ- 

 ations, in the open ground, or under glass frames. 

 The Neapolitan is well adapted for forcing in 

 pots. The violet is frequently alluded to by the 

 ancient poets as a remedy for the cure of wounds, 

 and was used for this pui'pose by the Greeks and 

 Arabians. 



The Pansy, or Heart's-ease (v. tricolor). This 

 name was originally confined to the viola tricolor; 

 but it is now extended to other species, as the 

 lutca, grandijlora, amcena, and the hybrids, pro- 

 duced by mingling these species together. The 

 tricolor is an annual, with stalks from four to 

 six inches in height; the leaves variously shaped, 

 being ovate, or elliptical, according to position, 

 and with compound stipules. The petals are 

 variously coloured. In the wild species the two 

 uppermost are generally purple or red, and the 

 others variegated, with a yellow ground. 



The cultivated varieties are at least a hundred. 

 The prevailing colours are purple and violet, 

 each with many shades. They are in flower 

 from the beginning of June till July; the mid- 

 summer heat interrupts their blooming for some 

 time; but after the middle of August they com- 

 mence again, and continue with a perpetual 



