ON florists' flowers. 



69 



and carefully watched. Thrips are also very troublesome, but 

 each blossom can be tied up in a muslin bag to prevent its being 

 injured by these lively pests of the Dahlia-grower. 



The Pansy ( Viola tricolor). 



One of the most charming of garden flowers, and an undoubted 

 native of Britain, is the Pansy ; but what a difference between 

 the tiny wildling of cultivated ground in England and the lovely 

 flowers of our gardens ! Shakespeare gives it its true English 

 name of Pansy. Who does not know the remarks of poor 

 demented Ophelia ? " There's rosemary, that's for remembrance ; 

 pray love, remember : and there is pansies, that's for thoughts." 

 Spenser writes of the " pretie pawnee," and Ben Jonson — 

 " tuneful Ben " — also alludes to it as " The panzie this ; O, that's 

 for lovers' thoughts but the sweet flower so much in lovers' 

 thoughts had not attained to a high state of excellence if we 

 are to judge by . the examples figured in the " Floricultural 

 Cabinet," so late as the year 1832 and onwards. The im- 

 provement in the flower was, however, very rapid during the 

 next quarter of a century, as the coloured plates of it from 

 1850 in "The Florist" abundantly testify. About that time the 

 Belgian, or Fancy Pansy, was introduced. Previous to that we 

 cultivated the Show Pansy, as it was termed, divided then, 

 as it is now, into three sections, White-Ground, Yellow- 

 Ground, and Selfs ; and the old-fashioned florists for years would 

 not look at a Fancy Pansy. Now, the Fancies, like the Japanese 

 Chrysanthemums, have taken the lead as garden flowers. Fig. 37 

 represents a Fancy Pansy, and Fig. 38 a Rayed Viola. The 

 two illustrations are given side by side, as amateurs frequently 

 confuse Pansies with Violas. 



Cultivation. — The Pansy is a flower requmng but little 

 attention, even to grow it to perfection ; but then the attention 

 that it needs is not always bestowed upon it. As it is easy to 

 cultivate, so also is it propagated without any difficulty. To obtain 

 new kinds seed must be saved from the best varieties, and be 

 sown in July. The plants will be strong enough to put out where 

 they are to flower in October ; the soil ought to be prepared if 

 possible three months previously, by trenching the ground at least 

 1 5 in. deep, if the nature of the soil will admit of such a depth. 

 If the ground is heavy, cow-manure should be used ; and a good 

 dressing of it should be given. A layer may be placed in 

 the bottom of the trench, and another about 5in. or 6in. below 



