April] heabt's-ease or pansy. 91 
be removed all round the plant, the shoots laid down in the 
hollow, and covered over with light rich compost. The 
shoots will root more freely if they get a gentle twist when 
laying them down. The best period for propagating by 
cuttings is about the middle of this month or September. 
Cuttings should be chosen from young shoots, about two or 
three inches long ; for when shoots are woody or hollow they 
will either not strike at all or produce unhealthy plants. A 
shaded but airy situation is preferable, and if the soil is of a 
light sandy nature, the better success will attend the opera- 
tion : the cuttings should be firmly inserted from one to two 
inches deep in the ground, and covered with a glass, or where 
that convenience is not at hand, they may be shaded during 
the day with oiled paper, or any similar substitutes. In pre- 
paring the cuttings, care ought to be taken to cut close to a 
joint, a rule which should be strictly attended to in making 
cuttings of every description. When they have fairly rooted 
and taken a growth, they can be removed in cloudy, moist 
weather, to their proper allotments. Seeds ought to be care- 
fully collected from the finer sorts, and sown as soon there- 
after as convenience will allow, as they deteriorate by long 
keeping. Many hundreds of named varieties are carefully 
cultivated in England. A select list sent contains only three 
hundred and seventy-four names. To attempt a general or 
even brief description of them in this work, would be consi- 
dered by many of our friends prolix and unnecessary; but 
the following criteria of a fine Pansy has just passed a select 
committee of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society : — 
" The chief object to be desired is symmetry of the flower. 
The petals should be large, broad, and flat, lying upon each 
other so as to form a circle, and pi-event anything like angles 
or intersections of this circular outline. The petals should 
be as nearly of a size as possible, the two top ones being the 
largest, but so covered with the two side ones as not to 
appear disproportioned. The top petals should not wave or 
bend back. The bottom petal should be broad and two- 
lobed, flat, and not curving inward; above an inch in breadth 
is a good size ; the colours should be clear, brilliant, and not 
changing. The eye should not be too large, and it is 
accounted finest when the pencilling is so arranged as to form 
a dark angular spot. 
" The flower-stalk should be long and stiff, rather than 
slender." 
