TUFTED I'ANSlES. 



153 



varying tints were met with from time to time, and there seemed a fair 

 prospect of success attending their introduction. But the Violettas have 

 not achieved the distinction they deserve, which may possibly be due to 

 the impatience of growers who expected the plants to make the rapid and 

 vigorous growth that the ordinary types of the Viola invariably do. These 

 miniature-flowered kinds make comparatively slow growth, and to be seen 

 at their best should be left undisturbed for two or three years. Treated 

 in this way the plants are a distinct success. They then develop into 

 charming little tufts. At the moment, varieties of the 1 Violetta ' type are 

 not by any means numerous, and I have been careful to acquire stock of 

 all that can be got. Last season (1905) several crosses were made with the 

 object of increasing the number, and some 138 seedlings were raised late 

 in the autumn. These plants are just coming into flower, and although 

 there are many disappointments, the proportion of really good things is 

 most encouraging. "White flowers, of varying form and density, blue and 

 blush-coloured blossoms have already developed, and I am hoping before 

 the end of June to make a selection of other shades of colour. The 

 miniature-flowered kinds are essentially plants for the rock garden, as here 

 they are less likely to be interfered with, and in this w T ay develop into 

 tufts of a delightful character. The Viola Conference of 1894 laid down 

 some rules to define the ideal properties of the miniature type, as 

 follows : — 



First. Form. — The flowers may not be circular, as in the florist's 

 pansy, but narrow and more oval in form, and the petals smooth and of 

 good substance. 



Second. Colour. — The colour should be bright, clear, and striking, 

 whatever the shade. The eye should be bright gold or orange, and may 

 run into the lip on the under petal, but no central ray or marking is 

 admissible, and whether shaded, edged, or self-coloured, the colours 

 should be well contrasted. 



Third. Fragrance. — The flowers should be highly perfumed, which 

 property is one of the invaluable charms of this type. 



Fourth. Size. — Size, as a point of excellence in this type, deserves 

 consideration as we depart from the broad lines generally laid down for 

 florists' flowers, and consider the flowers should not be more than ~i\ 

 inches across as a maximum, and 1 inch across as a minimum. Flowers 

 ranging between these sizes will afford ample ground for admiration, and 

 will be more suitable for small glasses or the exhibition spray. 



Fifth. Habit. — The habit of the plants should be dwarf and pro- 

 cumbent, the foliage small and bright, the leaves close together, the 

 joints short, and the habit bushy, with flower-stalks of such length as will 

 bring all the flowers well together. 



Dr. Stuart, when writing of Violas generally some years ago, said : 

 " Most strains of tufted pansies are bred the wrong way, and in 

 consequence lack the fibrous tufty root which makes the Violetta strain 

 perennial." For this, he on many occasions emphasised the importance 

 of making V. cornuta the seed-bearing plant. He also said, " pollen from 

 V. cornuta applied to the pansy produced a common enough form of 

 bedding pansy." This probably accounts for so many of the varieties 

 raised by other persons possessing a poor or indifferent habit. 



