n. 



VIOLET 



The Violet, fniines, which ;ire ritht-r stationary 

 movable, are made of roui^h hoards, uiid are about "." 

 10 in. wide, of any desirt-d lenjj;tli. from 12 to 15 ir 

 hii^h in front and 18 to 20 in. hi;ch at the l)a(-k. Th 

 best location for the frames is a pirct.- of j^a-oun<l sloj 

 in,ii: to the south, with a wind-lircak oh' sum.-' kind 1o th 

 north and northwest to proicct tlirni durinj;- 

 the winter from the cold winds. 



Marketing is one of the most important fac- 

 tors connected with commercial \' ioh't-i;-rowin^- 

 and is seldom understood in all its details. 

 The p'ower should be tliorou,^hly familiar 

 with the many needs and rfiiuircnients of the 

 market and I>e able to supply thosf demands. 

 for upon Ills abitity to do this ib'pcnds l;ir,L:-ely 

 his success or failure from a liiiamdai stand- 

 point. Vicdets are prized (diirtiy for rhcir d-di- 

 eate perfume, and as this diniinislios in pr<ipor 

 tion to tlie Icniith ()f time tlu-y are i>ickiMl, the 

 best market, other thin,^-s beini;- equal, is the 

 one which requires the least possilde delay be- 

 tween pickiuii: the riowers and placing- them in 

 the hands of the customer. 



The crop may be disposed I'f at retail or 

 wholesale or through a commission merchant. 

 Each method has its advanra,i;fs and disadvan- 

 tai^es, and in deciding whndi om- to adopt tlje 

 grower must be guided by existing conditions. 

 He must in any event have a thoroiigh knowl- 

 edge of the requirements of the market as re- 

 gards quality of the flowers, size, shape and 

 arrangement of the bunch, and should at all 

 times exercise the utmost care in picking, packing and 

 shipping, so that the flowers may reach the customer 

 in the best and most attractive condition. The kind 

 of bunch varies from year to year, and each large city 

 is likely to have its own style. The various styles are 

 wonderfully exact in their requirements and great skill 

 is require<l to lumch the i3owers properly. 



Disea.st-'i. The cultivated Violets are su):'ject to a 



VIOLET 



1945 



:. is the most widespread and destructive kn')\vn in 

 «'rica. It attacks prin«di)ally the foliage, normally pro- 

 'ing definite circular whitish spots, frequent ly" with 

 centric rinirs, of a darker sha<lH,ver> often with'a liglit 



al portion resembl 



I'll II 1 1< 



hite 



ta 



stin^- of a 

 i>l<f.', Sijilin-hi vii 



/('', 



2691. Swanley ( ■'■ 



mimber of diseases, each of whi-di is characterized by 

 one or more distinct symptoms. The principal diseases 

 are as follows, their destrnctiveness being in the order 

 in which thev are discussed: 



Spot disease (AUervaria vlohr] .-T\)\^ disease, 

 also called the disease, leaf-spot, leaf-rust and small- 



House of Violets. 



etc., prodtice spots very similar in outline and apf)oar- 

 ance to those caused l)y A Itvrnarid viohi , iiut only 

 tinder conditions peculiarly favorafile to these fungi do 

 they cause au}^ serious loss. For recent information on 

 tliis disease, see"S]Mit l>isease of the Violet," Bull. 23, 

 Div. Veg. Physiolotry und Pathology, F. S. Dept. Agric. 



Koot rot [Thieh/ ria hii.'<iro!a.) . — Thif^ disease is very 

 troublesome and destructive in some localities espe- 

 cially to young plants that are transplanted during hot, 

 dry weather. It causes the browning or blackening of 

 the parts attacked and the final death of the plant. 



Wet rot (Bolryfis sp.). — ThiH fungus attacks leaves, 

 detioles, flower-stalks and tlow^ers, causing a wet or soft 

 rot. It is sometimes very destructive, especially with 

 large plants growing in a damp, stagnant atmosphere, 

 where there is insuthcient ventilation and light. 



Leaf-fading or yellowing. — This is induced liy a va- 

 riety of conditions, but as yet little that is definite has 

 been ascertained regarding its cause. 



Remedies. — It is difficult to exterminate any of the 

 diseases named after they once gain a foothold. How- 

 ever, they can be held in check and often entirely pre- 

 vented by selecting and propagating exclusively from 

 strong, vigorous, disease-resistant plants, and by keep- 

 ing them in the best possible growing condition. Care- 

 ful attention must be given to watering, cultivation and 

 ventilation, and the dead and dying leaves and all run- 

 ners shotild be destroyed as fast as they appear. 



A»ii)ial Uneniies. — Although Violets are attacked J)y 

 a number of insects and other animal enemies, oidy a 

 few do sufficient injury towarrant discussion here. 



Aphides (Aphis '? sp. and Bit opal osiphin}} vi"!n').— 

 Tliese pests are generally known as the green and the 

 black aphis or the green and the black fly. They cause 

 the young, growing parts to curl and twist, resulting 

 in a" stunted, ill-formed plant. They work their way 

 into tlie young, tmopened tlower-huds, and, thrusting 

 their bills through the overlapping petals, feed ou the 

 juice. Each puncture produces a greenish white Idotch 

 on the petal and the flower becomes dwarfed, distorted 

 and worthless for market. Aphides can be easily con- 

 trolled by fumigating with hydrocyanic aci<l ,i:as. and 

 this is the method of treatment which shotild conir into 

 general use. To each cubic foot of space in the house 

 or frame use .1.^ gram of 98 per cent cyanide of ]potash 

 for <louble varieties and .10 gram for singh- varieties. 

 Handle the cyanide an<l gas with utmost care, ;is ))oth 

 are very poisonous. Divide the total amount of cyainde 

 into as'manv e-pial ^larts as there are jars used, which 

 latter should be one fiu- every 50 to To hneal feet of a 

 Ikhisc 12 to 18 feet wide. Put each part into a 2-]ioniul 



