THE ?l/aERICp BDTPIST. 



Vol. IV. 



BINGHAMTON, N. Y., APRIL, 1903. 



No. 4. 



VIOLETS. 



BY PROF. W. W. BAILEY, 



lOLETS have ever been among the best loved plants. 



^ The literature of all northern nations, at least, is suf- 

 ftised with them. The Greeks admired them, and to the 

 gods gave the title, "violet-eyed." It is their simplicity, 

 their modest unassertiveness, that appeals to the heart of 

 humanity. We, indeed, admire the gaudy poppy, but it 

 never suggests such fond recollections of youth, of home, 

 of fatherland. Everywhere the exile takes his violets. 

 The very pansies, whose bright faces fill our spring urns 

 or gardens, are violets, glorified and robed in purple and 

 gold. Their size and beaLity is due to the gardener's art. 

 The wild pansy is a very insignificant flower. 



The deliciously scented violet, which in the early days 

 of spring, one finds in lawns and elsewhere, is the Viola 

 odorata of the old world. It is perfectly hardy here but 

 does not seem aggressive. Our own common blue violet 

 often contends for the same field. It blooms later. None 

 of our natives possess the sweet perfume of the foreign 

 species, though often, when massed, they emit a certain 

 odor. 



The earliest of our wild species to put in an appear- 

 ance is the arrows-leaved, whose foliage, by the way, is 

 very variable. The petals are bearded and the spur short 

 and thick. This is the hollowed out petal that we find in 

 every violet, and which contains the nectar sought by in- 

 sects. They are, as it were, led to it by converging pen- 

 ciled lines, the meaning of which was first conjectured by 

 Sprengel back in the end of the last century. Our dainty 

 little white violet (F/o/a blanda), shows them well. This 



