ON florists' flowers. 



71 



slender growths (the thick, pithy, flowering growths are useless), 

 and have generally plenty of rootlets formed or forming at their 

 base. If they are carefully pulled out, a score or more of these 

 growths may be obtained from one plant. Dibble these rooted 

 slips out in rows, about 3in. asunder, in fine sandy soil, and 

 in the shady position on the north side of a wall or building : 

 no other artificial shading is necessary. They should be strong 

 enough to plant out where they are to flower about the end of 

 September or early in October ; and the same treatment is 

 necessary for named varieties as for the seedlings. 



Pansies are quite hardy, but even a hardy plant will not pass 

 well through the winter unless it is well established in the 

 ground ; and highly-bred Pansies may not be quite so hardy as 

 the wild plant. After planting, and if the growths are long, it 

 is better to peg them down, rather than to place sticks to the 

 plants. The ground should be kept free from weeds, and 

 the surface stirred occasionally if it becomes hardened by 

 rains. 



Wire worm is troublesome in new soil, and may be brought 

 in wMth the loam ; but it is seldom found in an old, cultivated 

 garden. Another troublesome pest is the Leather Jacket, which 

 burrows in the ground by day, and may be detected feeding 

 at night. Slugs are also found feeding on the blossoms, rather 

 than on the leaves. Growth goes on even in w^inter, when the 

 weather is mild ; and as the spring advances, it is of course 

 more rapid. Flowers are freely produced, but it will be found 

 that unless something is done, the successional blossoms rapidly 

 deteriorate. This they will not do to a great extent, if the poor 

 quality blossoms are cut off, and the ground is dressed with 

 2in. of a rich compost, say half manure and half loam. The 

 grow^ths should be pegged into this, and the plants will produce 

 blossoms again of the best quality. It is astonishing how 

 rapidly the roots of Pansies exhaust the soil to a considerable 

 depth. A second dressing should be applied if the plants 

 again show signs of distress. When Pansies are grown for 

 exhibition, the flowers should be kept removed from the plants 

 up to fourteen days of the date of exhibition, and the growths 

 must not be crowded. 



The Pansy succeeds so well in the open border that it might 

 seem superfluous to grow it under glass ; but it can be grown 

 in ordinary garden-frames to a very high state of perfection. 

 Indeed, the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society thought 



