THE PANSY. 
245 
do not disturb the fibres. This should be 
done with a hand-fork ; then lay heaps of the 
dressing between all the rows, and level it 
down among the plants, so as to be a good 
half inch in thickness. This will wash 
down among the roots with the gentle rains 
that fall at this season, and will greatly in- 
crease the size of the blooms. The first exhi- 
bitions that can take place are at the Auricula 
shows. These are from the 20th of April to 
the first week in May ; therefore, except for 
appearance in the garden or for seeding, no 
blooms need be encouraged at present. The 
plants in blooming pots will require attention, 
plenty of air, and liberal watering. Continue 
taking cuttings of those you desire to propa- 
gate, and striking them in pots, under glasses 
that touch the soil all round, so as to exclude 
air ; the plants in small pots may be also 
planted out in beds, for the very life of Pansy- 
growing is to keep up successive beds, how- 
ever small they may be. The most trouble- 
some part of the culture is that of keeping up 
the protection of litter all the winter, when 
there is a danger of frost ; and this is neglected 
by many growers, who think it not worth the 
trouble. Seed may be sown. 
April. — This month is a busy one. The 
practice of last month holds good all through, 
and especially the protection at night. It is this 
which gives plants in large pots, and kept in 
frames, such an advantage over out-of-door 
beds. Not one in twenty will take the trouble 
to protect the beds, and the plants suffer in 
consequence. The flowers are almost sure to 
be hare-lipped, because, when the flower is 
opening, that very portion is the first exposed, 
and is almost sure to be checked, and the in- 
dentation iu the bottom petal is a certain con- 
sequence, because that has received a blight, 
while the more protected parts continue grow- 
ing; and thus many varieties not naturally 
hare-lipped, as it has been called, become so. 
Now is a good time to sow the main crop of 
seedlings ; but if you have saved some good 
seed carefully, and your principal lot is from 
the general collection, grow them away from 
all others ; you are not so likely to get good 
ones from a thousand of the general picking 
as you are from a single selected and encou- 
raged pod. The seed may now be sown in 
the open air, in a bed free from large stones, 
unless it be very choice, and if so there ought 
not to be a seed lost, for it is as likely to prove 
a good one as any other ; that which has been 
saved with due regard to the quality of the 
flowers it has been taken from, deserves 
sowing in pots or pans, every seed being 
covered by sifting the mould over it. Those 
in pots are now rapidly advancing, and will 
give some portion of (lowers by the end of the 
month ; but all flowers should be picked oil' as 
soon as possible, until you begin to want them 
to stand for use. Take cuttings as usual, 
wherever they can be spared ; pot off or plant 
out those ready struck ; and all those in small 
pots, not wanted for sending away, should be 
at once put out, or shifted into blooming-pots, 
as they will be taking harm if confined in the 
roots at this growing time. 
Mat. — This month is perhaps the best in 
the year for showing, and the flowers come 
out in perfection. The Pansy now begins to 
brighten up the garden ; and when you intend 
them to keep up their brightness by quantity 
of flowers, instead of showing, all you have to 
do is to water in dry weather all over the 
ground, between the rows rather than at the 
base of the plants themselves. The ground 
should be literally soaked, before the sun is 
up, or after it is down ; the latter is the better, 
because the plant is then feeding all night. 
The blooms should be removed as they decay, 
and no seed-pods be allowed to perfect them- 
selves or swell, as that lessens the flowers, and 
soon throws the plant out of bloom. This 
cannot be too strictly attended to. On the 
other hand, if any fine flower strikes you as 
better than usual, tie a piece of bast-matting 
round it, and save the seed ; but let not other 
pods perfect themselves on the same plant, 
and, generally speaking, it is worth while to 
take off the blooms if there be too many ; or if 
two or three other flowers come in fine cha- 
racter, it may be better to let three or four 
pods come on. The side shoots should now 
be taken in preference to any other cuttings, 
and they will strike very freely under a hand- 
glass in the common border, shaded a little by a 
transparent cloth, or by a common newspaper, 
from the heat of the sun. The cuttings, that 
is, any that may be wanted beyond what the 
side shoots supply, may be taken from the 
largest shoots ; they may not strike so freely, 
but they will strike in good time, if you shade, 
them from the hottest sun, and keep them 
well watered. Pork in the top-dressing, and 
smooth the surface, so that waterings and 
gentle rains may wash it in, and nourish the 
now spreading roots. Blooms intended for 
show must be protected from too much sun, 
and from heavy rains ; the tops of the frames 
should be taken quite off those blooming in 
pots, at all times when the weather is mild 
enough, and be only put on to keep off heavy 
rains by the glass, and the sun, by shading. 
Plant out fresh beds. 
June. — The Pansy is now in the height of 
bloom, and if attention be not paid to the 
directions for removing fading flowers and 
preventing seed-pods from swelling, they will 
be out of bloom almost as soon as they are in. 
Occasional waterings will be found necessary, 
unless it be a rainy season ; and as rain, par- 
