200 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ St p 1 ember 8, 1887. 
overcome it is only fair to assume that we may in future 
grow Violas with a full measure of success even in 
southern counties. The cultural details which I shall 
presently briefly give are for the most part intended to 
meet the wants of those who experience difficulty in 
growing them successfully, and here I may remark that 
few plants are more beautiful than Violas when well 
grown, and few which present a more miserable and 
wretched appearance when only half cultivated. 
The particulars of my culture, then, is briefly this. 
Firstly, bastard trench the ground and dig in wet green 
cow manure abundantly—this is the only secret in this 
direction. The whole of my beds were turned up about 
20 inches deep, working in as much manure as I could. 
In one of my beds, consequent upon a hint thrown out 
by Mr. Baxter of Daldowie last year, I worked in a 
quantity of ground lime, the result of which I will here¬ 
after note. This was hardly Mr. Baxter’s advice, for if 
memory serves me aright that gentleman advised lime 
water to be given to any plants which might exhibit 
signs of going off. I viewed this hint carefully, for I had 
a good list of plants going off suddenly and without 
warning, and was anxious to find something to prevent it 
if possible, but instead of giving lime water to diseased 
Violas I preferred to try a preventive of the disease. I 
not only worked in much lime in digging, hut scat¬ 
tered some over the rough surface and had it raked in. 
I selected my weakly varieties and such as had exhibited a 
tendency to dying off in this unaccountable manner to be 
the occupants of this bed, and I am happy to say the 
result is successful beyond my expectations, and especially 
so when we consider the great drought of this Jubilee 
year. I thank Mr. Baxter for his hint about lime, even if 
I have not closely followed him in his mode of applica¬ 
tion. 
Last autumn in planting I renewed an old practice 
of mine of planting in deep drills, and which I shall con¬ 
tinue in all future plantings. Its benefits are twofold; 
first, it enables the operator to earth up his plants and 
so induce them to form tufts of young shoots about their 
base, and secondly, in the summer waterings the water is 
conveyed directly to the roots of the plants. But me- 
thinks I hear voices saying, “ Of what use is such doctrine 
as this to owners of small gardens where the beds have 
raised centres?” I furnish the answer and say, Not the 
slightest. But there is no law compelling any person to 
have his or her flower beds raised in the centre, so that 
instead of being 9 inches or a foot high let the bed be 
level, and if situate upon the grass let it be 2 inches 
below the turf— i.e., the surface of the bed prior to plant¬ 
ing. By adopting this method you will be paving the 
road to success with one of the most pleasing and 
attractive, as well as varied and profuse flowering groups 
among bedding plants. The advantage of planting Violas 
in sunken beds instead of raised beds will, I think, be 
obvious, and especially does this apply to cases where 
the soil is light, stony, or resting on gravelly subsoils. 
There is a wealth of beauty among these plants only 
at present known to a few, and no group of hardy plants 
is deserving of more general culture. As there is much 
difference in the general habit and constitution of these 
plants it may not be out of place to detail briefly a few 
facts respecting them, placing the varieties in order of 
merit and in their respective colours. 
WHITE-FLOWERED VARIETIES. 
Countess of Hopetoun .—Without hesitation I give this the first 
place. Flowers large, well-formed, and handsome ; a pure milk- 
vhite self ; very dwarf and compact ; good constitution ; free and 
continuous bloomer ; blooms retaining their original size to the 
last. On an almost equal footing I place Lady Polwarth. 
Pilrig Parle. —This is a good second ; fine constitution ; free 
and profuse bloomer ; maintaining all its original popularity. 
Jeffrey ana. —Remarkable for its early flowering, its freedom 
and general good habit. It is dwarf ; the flowers lose size with 
time. 
Mrs. Gray. —I would fain have given this a better position 
among whites. It is wonderfully free-flowering and fragrant; 
enduring constitution ; somewhat loose habit ; the flowers almost, 
always splashed with lilac blue. 
Champion. —The champion of the whites in size ; but only 
useful as a spring bedder, for which purpose it is grand. 
YELLOWS. 
Ardwell Gem. —My continued experience of this compels me to- 
give this the first place. Colour, light canary ; splendid both m 
form of flowers and constitution ; a wonderfully free and con¬ 
tinuous bloomer ; dwarf ; flowers supported on long stalks, and 
every bloom perfect. It has kept the same character throughout,, 
and always covered with flowers. 
Bullion. —Golden ; a good bedder and free bloomer ; good 
constitution ; the thin SQmewhat straggling habit leaving abundant, 
room for improvement. 
Brilliant I place next, not on account of its superior form, for 
this it lacks, but for its long-continued flowering ; it occupies the- 
lime bed, and has flowered continually since February last. 
Golden Queen of Spring. —This is one of the greatest successes 
in the lime bed, and hitherto a precarious doer ; but I have not 
lost a plant this year. The constitution is much improved, and 
the flowering continuous, though at present the flowers are much 
reduced in size. It is a dwarf in habit; a gold canary coloured 
self. 
LAVENDER. 
Elegans is a very good representative in this section ; very 
free and continuous ; good habit and constitution. 
LILAC. 
Queen of Lilacs here stands alone and is a grand plant in all 
respects ; free, dwarf, early, continuous, and of good consitution. 
PURPLE CRIMSON. 
Queen of Purples. —A grand variety, dwarf, compact, and very 
free to the last. 
Cliveden Purple compacta. —A compact form of that well-known 
variety, robust habit and very free. 
DARK VIOLET BLUE. 
Archie Grant. —A magnificent variety of splendid habit and 
constitution, very profuse, and having richly coloured flowers. 
Holyrood. —A grand variety, especially well suited for summer 
and autumn blooming. 
VIOLET PURPLE. 
Mrs. Charles Turner. —This is another unique member, and cer¬ 
tainly a grand and telling Viola all round. Sturdy, dwarf habit, 
excellent constitution, very free and a continuous bloomer. It is 
also remarkable for its distinct colour. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Yorlc and Lancaster. —A fancy Viola, the flowers being lighter 
in summer than in spring. I had this from Mr. Baxter last year 
with a wonderful recommendation, but it has proved identical with 
one which I had from Mr. Dean as Columbine. It is a very pretty 
plant and an effective bedder, and a fairly good constitution. 
Daivn of Day I also had from Daldowie. It is an exquisite 
shade of ccerulean blue on a white ground, the latter being netted 
and veined with the former in a remarkable manner. A grand 
grower. 
Skylarlc, also from Mr. Baxter, is a grand stamp for consti¬ 
tution and dwarf habit, in which particulars it is excellent. It 
lacks freedom, however, and is not constant. It is white, and in 
spring has a charming Picotee edge of sky blue ; this vanishes, 
however, in a week or two. 
Countess of Kintore, with its purple steel blue and white flowers, 
is very good and a universal favourite. No doubt it will long 
remain so, unless a dwarfer habited variety in the same way comes 
before it. 
Lora Darnlcy. —This is a grand variety, but a complete failure 
with me. It only did poorly last year, and it failed with me some 
three years ago very similarly, and I do not think I shall try it 
again. 
The foregoing are my observations during the present 
year. They are given with a view of assisting those who 
