Vol. LXIV. No. 2875. 
NEW YORK, MARCH 4, 1905. 
81 PER YEAR. 
not I? Just here the thought came to me—“The Michi¬ 
gan Agricultural College is at my very door, and there 
r can get the information I so much need.” I went 
to the College, and Prof. Gunson, who has charge of 
the greenhouses, very patiently listened to and an¬ 
swered the many questions which I put to him so 
effectually, for one thing I 
had learned from my Win¬ 
ter’s experience, if nothing 
else, and that was how to 
ask questions. This was the 
first of many trips to the 
College. I always found 
Prof. Gunson ready and 
willing to answer my eager 
queries. He told me how 
difficult was my undertaking, 
and I must not expect suc¬ 
cess at first; that I was more 
likely than not to fail the 
first year; that I could not 
keep my hands soft and 
white, and that I would have 
to give up many things in 
the way of social pleasures. 
But when he found I was 
determined, he gave me all 
the assistance he could, and, 
in fact, it was here that I 
received much of the knowl¬ 
edge that else I must have 
paid dearly for. 
THE PLANTS AND 
THE HOUSE.—In the 
Spring I bought 1,000 sand- 
rooted violet cuttings, and 
set them in the field early in 
May. These did very well 
indeed, until July, when the 
dreaded Violet spot visited 
them, and, between a spray¬ 
ing of poorly-prepared Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture and the spot 
itself, nearly 300 plants were 
lost. There were still 
enough, however, to plant in 
the house I had planned to 
build. This house was 14 
by 40 feet, and was built 
largely of second-hand ma¬ 
terial, which I had been get¬ 
ting together since I had de¬ 
cided to erect a greenhouse. 
From one person I bought 
sash enough for the whole 
roof; from another hot 
water pipe sufficient to heat 
the house; from a contrac¬ 
tor some plank used in mor¬ 
tar beds, which only in¬ 
creased their value to me. 
I also bought a car heater 
from one of the railroad 
companies, which did excel¬ 
lent work in heating. The 
house all completed cost 
$137.34. 
THE FIRST WINTER. 
—After the violets were in 
the house I was more than 
anxious to see the first blooms. I did not have to 
wait long, for before September ended I sent my 
first violets to Chicago. It was not all a simple mat¬ 
ter from then on. No, indeed! I had to learn by 
experience how to bunch and pack in an attractive 
manner, how to protect from frost, and many, many 
other things. In fact, it was a Winter of experiences. 
VIOLET RAISING FOR WOMEN . 
A Michigan Grower's Experience. 
A MODEST START.—I tell the story of my own 
work, not because I believe it to be one of the most 
desirable occupations for women, but rather to demon¬ 
strate the truth that many 
women might improve their 
present condition by earning 
their livelihood from the cul¬ 
tivation of the soil, or other 
work with nature. By so 
doing, they would find that 
they not only would improve 
in physical health by breath¬ 
ing the fresh air and living 
in closer touch with nature, 
but in many cases the finan¬ 
cial recompense would be 
more satisfactory. In the 
Spring of 1^5 my father 
bought 10 acres just outside 
the city of Lansing, and we 
moved there the first of May. 
Just before I left for our 
new home a friend said to 
me, when I described to her 
the place we had recently 
purchased: 
“If I owned a place like 
that, do you know what I 
would do?” 
“No,” I eplied, “what 
would you do?” 
“I should grow English 
violets,” she said, and added, 
"I know of a lady near the 
city of B-, who made 
herself wealthy by the cul¬ 
ture of violets.” 
It seemed best on many 
accounts that I should ar¬ 
range to be at home with 
my parents, and yet I felt I 
must be doing something for 
myself. Therefore, the sug¬ 
gestion made by my friend, 
corresponding as it did with 
my desire to be at home, was 
in my mind much of the 
time during the following 
Summer, and I read all of 
the literature I could find on 
the culture of this modest 
little flower. Perhaps it 
would be well to state here 
that I never, previous to this 
time, had shown any marked 
interest in the cultivation of 
plants. I was born on a 
farm in western New York, 
and spent my early years 
there. As soon as I was old 
enough I was sent away to 
school, and had only Sum¬ 
mers on the farm. My books' 
occupied my thoughts to the 
exclusion of any close ac¬ 
quaintance with the mys¬ 
teries of the farm and the study of nature. 
THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE HELPS.—But 
to return to the subject. In the Fall of 1895 I deter¬ 
mined to attempt the culture of violets in a com¬ 
mercial way. I might pass over my first year’s experi¬ 
ence, but as this is a true story I think I’ll begin at 
the beginning. In September I bought 100 plants, and 
after making a compost according to the most “ap¬ 
proved formula,” I planted them in flats (shallow 
boxes), and placed them in a vacant room in our 
home. I tended them with the most persevering care, 
but alas, not until the plants were taken out of doors 
in the Spring was I rewarded with a single bloom. 
VIOLET CULTURE IN MICHIGAN. Fig. 63. 
EXTERIOR OF VIOLET HOUSE. Fig. 64. 
After having read the wonderful stories of violet 
profits, my disappointment can readily be imagined; 
and, what was worse still, my scheme was constantly 
appearing less plausible to my father, whose co-opera¬ 
tion I so much desired. However, I was not ready to 
give it up. I had decided to grow violets. Others had 
succeeded in growing thetn } therefore why should 
