Violet Culture 
THERE are violet y;ro\vers who grow their plants 
under glass in summer, but the plan most gener- 
ally used is the growing of them outside, the same 
as any garden crop. They will grow on almost any soil, 
but the best results are obtained on a relatively light soil ; 
that is, one which contains a small amount of clay. A 
practical grower learns by experience how to judge a 
soil, mainly by its "feel" when picking up a handful. It 
should be remembered that violets like rich ground : 
that is, one with plenty of well-rotted manure in it. 
Chemical fertilizers are not to be thought of, exce])t 
perhaps a little pure ground bone, but it must be "])ure" 
and used very thinly. 
The violet may be propagated in a number of ways ; 
the most common is to divide the crowns or old plants 
when they are through blooming in the sjiring. The 
plants are simply lifted, the dirt shaken off the roots, 
and the side shoots or rimners pulled apart. Care should 
be taken to choose only those which appear the stronger. 
The runners are held in the left hand with the hearts or 
top even, and when a dozen or so are held they are cut 
off even, leaves and roots, the length of the hand when 
closed. These are ready to be planted in the field. An- 
other method of propagation, but which can only be 
done under glass, is to take cuttings of the growing 
plants in February or March ; that is, cut off the oft'- 
shoots and after trimming the cuttings are ]nit in sand 
to root. This will require at least six to eight weeks to 
root properly. There are other methods, Init the two 
given are the principal ones. 
Planting in the field should 1)e started as soon as pos- 
sible before dry and hot weather starts, which too often 
happens before all the plants are set out. One can 
always tell which plants were set out first : they are the 
first to show that healthy green color which any grower 
loves so much to look at. Even if a few light frosts come 
along, it will not hurt the plants at all, provided, of 
course, the runners were not kept too hot before plant- 
ing. The violet does not differ from any growing crop 
in regard to cultivation : the more the hoe and cultivator 
are used, the better ]:)lants will be the result. When the 
nights are getting cooler in late August and Septemb?" 
is the time when the violet is making the most growtn. 
Runners are sent out in every direction, and these should 
not be left on the plants, but cut or pulled oft". If the 
runners were left to grow, this would give weak, straggly 
plants, and the flowers would be small and short of stems 
Single violet plants should be left outside until they 
have had a few frosts, or if preferable they can be 
housed sooner, and the frames or greenhouses, as the 
case may be, opened during two or three nights when 
it is freezing. This freezing-out process checks the leaf 
growth on the plants to the benefit of the flowers ; in 
other words, if the plants were not frozen, they would 
give a tremendous crop of leaves and the flowers would 
be very few. Better results are obtained with solid beds 
than raised benches. When the beds are ready to be 
planted, the plants are dug out, care being taken to leave 
as much dirt on the roots as possible, as then with a 
judicious amount of water the plants do not show the 
transplanting to any great extent ; in fact, they keep right 
on blooming as if they had never been disturbed. 
The violet is unlike the rose or carnation as regards 
heat ; it must be kept cool, and any attempt to force it will 
result in overgrowth of leaves and blasting of the flowers. 
Of course, temperature changes a good deal, but every 
effort should be made to keep the night temperature as 
near 40 degrees as possible, with a day temperature of 
between 55 and 60 in bright weather. The violet is a 
lover of fresh air, and ventilation should be carefully at- 
tended to. The same care given in the houses must be 
observed where frames are used. Plants in a frame will 
burn up on a bright day unless air is properly given, so 
watch the thermometer and give air when the plants need 
it. For the night, if indications point to severe weather, 
the frames should be protected with mats, straw, pine 
needles or whatever one has handy on the place. If the 
temperature in the frames should get to the freezing 
point, do not be alarmed, no harm will result. I had a 
few frames which got frozen one night quite hard. Early 
next morning I took the sashes off and with a fine spray 
of water, thawed out the plants as well as the flowers 
with the result that 75 per cent of the latter were saved 
and picked that same afternoon. 
Violets properly grown, are always sweet, but the 
delicious odor may be lost through improper handling. 
Throughout the entire work of i)icking, bunching and 
shipping every precaution must be taken to keep the 
flowers away from all foreign odors. 
Violets can be left outside all winter provided the suit- 
able variety is used. There is nothing so beautiful as a 
bed ; they are the last flowers to be killed by frost in 
the fall and the first to bloom in the spring. They bloom 
in the fall until very severe weather sets in, when they 
can be jjrotected by spreading straw or leaves, hay or 
cornfodder over the beds ; then when the spring days 
.nrrive, the covering is taken off and the violets start to 
bloom again. The sight must be seen to be appreciated. 
A. B. Perry. 
IN THE G.'KRDEN OF EDEN. 
(i!|W(f'\ 
Eve — Vou must eat this, Adam. 
Adam — Not on your life, when I can sell them at ten dollars 
a dozen. 
94 
