100 
VIOLETS, THEIR CULTURE AND PROPERTIES. 
feet. They will soon flower, and when the 
flowering is over they should be removed, 
and others coming into bloom should be put 
in their places. In this culture the various 
sorts are all requisite, some because of their 
colours, others because of their seasons. Those 
in fact who pretend to grow violets should 
cultivate all the sweet varieties, for they will 
find that by following the directions we have 
given with all of them alike, they will never 
be without flowers of some kind or other. 
Besides, the various colours, with the difference 
of double and single, will at all times yield a 
pleasing variety, which in a conservatory is 
the main object, and all through the winter 
the violet is one of the most important though 
least imposing subjects. 
RAISING FROM SEED. 
There is no immediate object gained by 
raising the violet from seed, unless we pro- 
pose to raise new varieties ; in which case we 
should select single varieties with the largest 
flowers, and of different colours, and plant 
them together to save seed from. They re- 
quire watching as the seed-pods swell, and 
should be gathered before they split, or the 
seed would be lost. Sow the seed in pans or 
boxes in February or March, and place them 
in a cold frame ; or if the seed has been 
saved in large quantity, make up a four-foot 
bed of loam and dung, as if for a nursery bed, 
and sow the seed in March, sprinkling it very 
thinly over the whole space, and raking it in 
.well, so as to cover it completely, but not 
deep. When they come up, the principal at- 
tention required is to keep them clear of 
weeds ; and as they advance, if you have sown 
them too thickly, prepare another bed to 
remove the surplus into as soon as they are 
lai-ge enough to handle well for planting out. 
Then, first liberally watering the seed bed so 
that the soil may be completely softened, draw 
out the plants wherever they are too thick — 
for they ought not to be less than three 
inches apart — and plant out those you draw 
into the new bed three inches apart every 
way, water them in, and refresh them from 
time to time with water until they are fully 
established ; they will then only require 
moisture in very dry weather, when the 
ground would be parched up without it. 
The seedlings sown in pans are to be kept 
clear of weeds until they, or some of them, 
have grown large enough to plant out : make 
up a bed for their reception, and first having 
watered the pans or boxes, so as to soften the 
soil, carefully take out the largest and the 
strongest to plant out three inches apart in 
the bed, and leave the weakest in the pans or 
boxes to grow stronger, and when they have 
grown strong enough, plant out the rest in 
the same way. All the seedlings after plant- 
ing out must be kept very clear of weeds, and 
be occasionally watered until they come to 
flower. And now the cultivator is to be in- 
formed that there are several points to be 
noticed as to what constitutes a claim to be 
saved ; first, he may watch for the time of 
blooming, not that the first flower of a seed- 
ling will settle this, because it might turn out 
totally different as to season the second year. 
However, any one that comes at a different 
season from all the others may be marked for 
trying again, to see whether this difference is 
accidental or permanent. Next, he may watch 
for a different colour, because as the seed was 
saved from white and blue of different shades, 
he may find some partaking of both, or striped; 
any remarkable difference in that particular 
may entitle a seedling to be saved. Then, 
again, he may look for any remarkably large 
flower, because that would entitle a flower to 
consideration ; and independently of these, 
which are general features, we may now go 
to qualities which would make a florist value 
them, for he looks to perfection, and naturally 
asks himself what a violet ought to be to be 
as handsome as possible. We will here men- 
tion what would make them perfect if the 
points could be obtained. 
The flowers should be round, with a perfect 
outline, and slightly cupped. 
The petals should lie close at the edges, 
not showing the divisions, but lying close 
over each other. 
The petals should be thick and smooth at 
the edges, and the flowers as large as a shil- 
ling, and highly fragrant. 
The stems should be strong and straight, 
so as to stand out and keep the flowers above 
the foliage. 
The plant should be dwarf, short jointed, 
and compact, the foliage bright and even, and 
flowers abundant, and equally distributed over 
the plant. 
The double-flowering should be ranunculus 
formed, in preference to globular, and in all 
cases symmetrical. 
We may be told, as in fifty other cases, 
that it is impossible to attain these qualities. 
We will not admit this, but if it were so. it 
would not alter our decision. If it were im- 
possible to obtain all we have set down as 
necessary, it is quite certain we can get nearer 
than we have yet done; and the nearer we can 
approach perfection, the better a flower must 
be. For the fiftieth time we throw all the 
objections by, as we did those which wei'C 
made to the tulip being a portion of a hollow 
ball, or the pansy, cineraria and petunia 
being a circle, (and the very men who con- 
tended against us then, have since adopted 
our notions as their own,) — we care nothing if 
