20 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
be south or south-west, for whilst it is quite possible for Violets to 
get too much sun in summer, it is impossible to give them more than 
enough in winter. 
The compost should contain some leaf soil and sand, and if any 
thoroughly rotten stable manure be available, a small quantity may 
be added to the other ingredients, the chief element, of course, being 
good ordinary loam. Plant the Violets firmly, and so arrange the soil 
that the top leaves will almost touch the glass. 
The distances will vary from 9 or 10 inches for the doubles to 12 
or 14 inches for the singles. 
They may be kept tolerably close for a day or two, until the roots 
begin to move, then the more air they receive the better they will 
thrive. The chief use of the lights is to keep off the excessive rains. 
Too much water in winter will do Violets more harm than a 
little frost, and the only protection required in an English climate 
can be obtained by spreading Russian mats over the lights on the 
coldest nights. 
During the winter months remove all yellow and decaying leaves, 
and keep everything sweet and clean, stirring up the surface 
occasionally, and top-dressing the beds now and then with a mixture 
of soot and fine soil. When compelled to water, let it be done on a 
mild morning, and do not wet the leaves more than is necessary. 
With regard to the hardiness of Violets, the more highly developed 
varieties are less hardy than the old sorts. The ' California' and 
' Luxonne ' family are hardier than the ' Princess of Wales ' and ' La 
France ' group. ' Noelie ' is very hardy, and very useful for cold 
localities. The doubles of odorata type, such as ' Belle de Chatenay ' 
and ' Bertha Barron/ are much hardier than the Parma doubles. 
I very much question whether Loudon was right in suggesting 
that the Neapolitan and Parma Violets are varieties of odorata. 
Neapolitan doubles sometimes go single, and the whole character of 
the Neapolitan family is distinct from the hardy single Violets of our 
early recollections. 
Varieties. 
I suppose I could give you a hundred names and descriptions; 
but is it wise in these days, when we are eliminating all unnecessary 
things ? 
The following, as far as I know, are the best sorts yet raised. 
Singles. 
' La France.' A giant Violet, compact in habit, and of rich deep 
colour. 
' Princess of Wales.' Longer in stem than 'La France,' but not 
quite so rich in colour. 
' Noelie.' A good hardy Violet, which flowers freely about 
Christmas with very little assistance. 
