1868 . ] 
VIOLA COKNUTA AND VIOLA LUTEA. 
77 
these I plant about half or two-thirds of the portion of ground, allotted to 
Kale. The remaining part is planted with cuttings of the roots, which 
make good plants in one season, hut not so useful for very early forcing. 
These cuttings are made in the autumn at the time of potting, when the 
largest and best pieces of root are selected from the trimmings, cut into 
4-inch lengths, and bound, in one heap, to the depth of 6 or 8 inches in any 
convenient spot in the kitchen garden, where they remain until planting 
time. Some time during the winter months I have the ground deeply 
trenched, and very liberally supplied with manure, and it is forked over 
again before planting. 
Oakley Park , Suffolk. W. Robins. 
VIOLA CORNUTA AND VIOLA LUTEA. 
0 say that no flower garden would be complete without Viola cornuta, 
(Rpj) would not be overrating its merits. Indeed, its colour is quite 
indispensable in large mixed masses, and its combinations with most 
egp of the silver-edged Pelargoniums are truly charming, it being a colour 
that seems to light up and enliven the whole mass of colouring 
which surrounds it. While many speak in high praise of this Viola, 
Others complain of its not lasting in flower sufficiently long through the 
season to be of much value for autumn flower-garden decoration. Now 
although this is a very old plant, yet, comparatively speaking, it is quite 
new to the present generation of gardeners, and therefore it is not to be 
expected that its culture should be perfectly understood by every one. 
As a rule all Violas are gross feeders, and therefore should be planted 
on good ground, plenty of good rotten manure being used, otherwise they 
exhaust themselves before the autumn ; but if planted at the proper season, 
and the ground properly prepared, they will bloom most profusely until 
November; indeed, I have seen them as fine in October as in June. I 
prefer striking from cuttings to dividing the plants ; and if they are not 
planted too early, they will not fail to be in beauty during the whole of 
the flower-garden season. 
The mixture of Viola cornuta with Mangles’ Pelargonium, Sensation 
Chrysanthemum, or Beaton’s Variegated Nosegay Pelargonium, &c., was 
universally admired here last season. Of the latter, a leading article in 
the Gardeners' Chronicle of November 2nd, states that several beds, con¬ 
sisting of an equal mixture of Viola cornuta Purple Queen and Beaton’s 
Variegated Nosegay Pelargonium, afforded one of the most charming 
combinations of colour ever seen. 
Viola lutea, for which we are indebted to Mr. Tyerman, of the Liver¬ 
pool Botanic Gardens, is a little gem, flowering most profusely both early 
in spring and late in the autumn. It is a great acquisition to the flower 
