August 4 , 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
95 
As a raiser of Violas I can appreciate and recognise the merit due 
to Dr. Stuart. He has started with the Yiola in its simplest form, 
and by a careful mode of cross fertilisation has given us delightful 
flowers. Truly Nature is charming, but art rightly applied charms 
Nature. One cannot, on looking at the Doctor’s Yiolas, do other¬ 
wise than echo the sentiments of the poet on the Pansy :— 
“ Oh ! pensive Pansy, with your eye of gold, 
And damask face as bright as English Rose.” 
I am acquainted with numerous details regarding the intro¬ 
duction of these Yiolas, and the results of the crosses used I can 
trace in the flower by habit and slight peculiarities of a number of 
the varieties. The groundwork of the entire collection appears to 
me to be Dr. Stuart’s Violetta, a little gem of a flower which has 
been frequently noticed in this Journal. The history of Violetta 
is as follows The Doctor, previous to 1874, crossed Yiola cornuta 
with a bedding Pansy called Blue King. The most promising 
seedlings thus obtained were again crossed with a pinkish coloured 
Pansy, which the Doctor considered a suitable cross. Although 
the cross was effected with some difficulty owing to the bybridity 
already gained, the seedlings thus obtained seeded freely, and were 
sent to Chiswick for trial where they obtained six first-class 
certificates. 
The Doctor still was in the habit of sowing the seed broadcast 
and treating the plants as biennials, and thus Violetta was obtained 
in 1887. It had peculiarities all its own, which can be traced in the 
collection now grown at Chiswick. The principal peculiarities are 
dwarf habit of growth, leaves rounder in form, and darker in colour 
than other varieties, and the flowers borne on long footstalks. All 
the flowers have shell-shaped lower petals. The spur of the calyx 
is exceptionally long and of a different colour from the flowers, 
which have an almondy perfume. I am almost convinced that at 
some stage of the cross previous to the existence of Violetta Viola 
odorata must either accidentally or intentionally entered into the 
combination. 
Most of the varieties at Chiswick are in size of flower very 
similar to Violetta, but varying somewhat in colour. They are all 
charming, and as bedders cannot be surpassed. The principal 
colours are white and yellow seifs, but for competition and general 
uses I want something large in flower and chaste in colour, and 
this I find in the newer varieties ; also, they are all rayless, and 
are no doubt the result of crossing Violetta with such varieties as 
Countess of Hopetown, Virginalis, and other rayless or nearly 
rayless seifs. The best at Chiswick are Sylvia, creamy coloured 
self of fine quality, large in size, and the finest bedder in cultivation ; 
Sylvia’s Rival, a purer colour than Sylvia ; Flower of Spring, a 
handsome form of Sylvia ; Blue Gown, light blue self, very dwarf, 
and floriferous, light centre ; George Muirhead, a charming flower, 
large flowering, colour pale yellow ; Mrs. Primrose, light yellow 
upper petals, deeper shaded lower petals ; Sweet Lavender, pale 
blue with white eye, very fine ; Blush Queen, as the title indicates 
it is of a blush colour, and is without doubt the most charming 
A iola in existence ; Picotee, medium-sized flower with thin Picotee 
edges, very sweet. 
There are a number of others all large in flower and good in 
every w r ay, and their perfume is charmingly their own. They are 
in perfume truly summer Violets. With the exception of 
Violetta Dr. Stuart’s new Violas are not yet in commerce, but 
no doubt 1893 will see them catalogued and sent out by someone, 
and the sooner we have these charming varieties the better for us 
all, as they will all come to stay regardless of the fact that their 
progenitors were vagabonds and wanderers by field and fell.— 
Geo. M’Leod, F.R.H.S., Chingford. 
PINKS. 
This fine old florists’ flower and garden favourite is again 
coming to the front, and the recent exhibition of Pinks at the 
great Wolverhampton Show gave an opportunity of seeing some 
of the leading varieties in cultivation. But to see the Pink in its 
full glory one has to visit the garden of a leading cultivator, and so 
far as the Birmingham district is concerned Mr. A. R. Brown 
has at his garden in the Crompton Road, Handsworth, a very 
complete collection of the finest varieties ; certainly the finest 
collection in the Midlands, and he grows them exceedingly well. 
At the Wolverhampton Show he was to the front all along the 
lino, llis father, the late Mr. Brown, was a well-known florist 
and he raised some very fine Pinks. Amongst them that promising 
variety Amy, the subject of our illustration, was raised somo 
years since, though no pains were taken to increase the stock. 
It is now to bo sent out in the autumn, and Pink growers will 
hail with delight the acquisition of so grand a flower. It is the 
finest Pink of the present day, and will be eagerly sought after 
at five shillings a pair. 
I again this season saw the Handsworth Pinks in bloom and 
took the following notes :—Amy (Brown’s, fig 14), is very fine in 
breadth of petal, form, and marking, reddish purple lacing, opening 
red and changing to purple. It is a noble flower of excellent 
properties and a great acquisition. Lustre (Fellowes) is a large 
flower that requires care in dressing, with small centre petals. 
Bertram is not a refined flower although most useful in the back 
row of a stand, heavy red lacing, but not so good as Minerva 
(Fellowes). Minerva has a dark red lacing, a very fine flower, 
and one of the best grown. Empress of India is a superb flower 
with only one fault—it is thin compared with many others. It 
has a very fine petal, is rich in colour, and with another row 
of petals it would be a grand flower. As it is it is indispensable 
even in the smallest collections. Attractive (Hooper’s) is being 
FIG. 11— riNK, AMY. 
discarded at Handsworth. Blondin (Turner’s) is still a useful old 
sort of a bright colour, but it is now superseded by Ada Louise. 
Undine (Paul’s) is a pretty flower, but too small as proved here. 
Hooper’s Mrs. Barlow is a pretty variety, very pale in colour, 
with well-formed broad petals and a full flower; it requires 
shading. Hebe has a heavy dark red lacing which is not regular, 
but is useful as a back row flower. Ada Louise (Paul) reddish 
purple lacing, is a good useful back row flower. Paul’s Chastity, 
light, very purple lacing, is a small but refined flower, with a 
beautiful petal and first class in quality. Fellowes’ Rosy Morn, 
bright rosy purple, medium lacing, sometimes described as red, is a 
good full flower. John Love is an inferior Modesty. Of Modesty 
itself I must again say “ in every way it is a grand flower,” with 
light rosy purple lacing, a fine petal, and requires scarcely any 
dressing. 
Paxford’s No Plus Ultra, raised at Oxford, and I think sent out 
by Mr. Lakin, is a bright rosy purple with a superb petal, and very 
