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CULTURE OF THE GENUS VIOLA. 
planted in a light rich sandy soil, and covered with a hand-glass in a shady part of 
the greenhouse. The V. odorata and its varieties are well known, and appreciated 
in our gardens for the delightful fragrance they emit. The great point amongst 
gardeners is to have these throughout the winter ; for this purpose a double variety 
called the Neapolitan , is evidently the best. The old blue violets seldom force well, 
but the other may be had in perfection all through the winter with very little 
trouble. The culture may be stated as follows : — 
1. The first thing to be attended to, is to obtain as early a crop of runners for 
planting out as possible ; the growth of these may be much forwarded by sifting a 
little light soil, or vegetable mould, over the old plants, as soon as they have done 
dowering, and by watering them with a rose watering pot. 
2. When sufficiently rooted, which will be about the end of May, take them off 
the old plants, and prick them out in a bed of light loam, or loam and peat, without 
any manure. Make the bed in an airy but somewhat shaded situation, and place 
the plants in rows six inches apart, and four inches from plant to plant in the rows. 
Keep them perfectly free from weeds, and water them if necessary ; and by the 
end of J uly they will be ready to plant into the flowering beds. 
3. Make a bed for them to flower in as follows : — Take out the old soil six inches 
or more deep, and fill the opening with a mixture in the following proportions. 
One barrowful of light sandy and one barrowful of rotten cow-dung to every 
two barrow fuls of sandy peat. 
4. When the bed has properly settled, take up the plants on the nursery beds 
with good balls, and plant them in rows, six inches apart every way. 
5. They will now require no further attention than occasionally watering, and 
keeping them free from weeds. When the nights begin to be cold, place a frame 
over them, and put on the lights at night, and in very rough weather ; also 
preserve from the effects of frost by covering with mats, and they will be in flower 
in December, and will continue flowering till February. 
6. In some cases it may be wished to grow them in pots, for the windows* 
during winter ; for this purpose pot them in August, and, if convenient, set them 
in a hot-bed frame as they are wanted to come in flower ; but if this cannot be done, 
they will flower very well placed in the window of a warm room.. 
The Viola tricolor has now become a flower of much repute amongst florists, 
many of the varieties having remarkably large flowers of very brilliant colours. 
It is called Heart’s Ease , Pansy, and various other names, and is well known 
amongst our lady gardeners. Their mode of culture is as follows : — 
7. Always sow the seed within a month after being gathered, except it be 
gathered after September ; in which case it must not be sown till the following 
April, unless it be sown in pots or boxes. 
8. Make the bed, on which to sow the seed, of light sandy soil, in a shady situa- 
tion ; lay just as much finely sifted soil on the seeds as will cover them ; then gently 
pat it down with the back of a spade, to cause the soil and seed to adhere to each 
other a little. 
