1918. 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
13&7 
VIOLET CULTURE. 
Part I. 
The sweet violet, Viola odorata, is 
commercially as important a flower as 
there is on the market to-day. There are 
double and single varieties, and as the 
writer makes a specialty of the latter 
I shall restrict my few remarks to the 
single variety only. There are single 
violets white, yellow and pink in color, 
but it is not necessary to give any de¬ 
tails in regard to them, for the reason 
that there is practically no commercial 
demand for them; the only one worth 
mentioning is the well-known true violet 
color, which can be purchased in all 
flower stores from September to April 
inclusive. 
Soil. —There are violet growers who 
grow their plants under glass in Sum¬ 
mer, but the plan most generally used 
is the growing of them outside, the 
same as any garden crop. They will 
grow on almost any soil, but the best 
results are obtained on a relatively light 
soil; that is, one which contains a small 
amount of clay. A practical grower 
learns by experience how to judge a 
soil, mainly by its “feel” when picking 
up a handful. It should be remembered 
that violets like rich ground; that is, 
one with plenty of well-rotted manure 
in it. Chemical fertilizers are not to be 
thought of, except perhaps a little pure 
ground bone, but it must be “pure” and 
used very thinly. 
Propagating. —The violet may be 
propagated in a number of ways; the 
most common is to divide the crowns 
or old plants when they are through 
blooming in the Spring. The plants are 
simply lifted with a fork spade, the dirt 
shaken off the roots, and the side shoots 
or runners pulled apart. Care should 
be taken to choose only those which 
appear the stronger; this is almost simi¬ 
lar to making strawberry plants. The 
runners are held in the left hand with 
the hearts or top even, and when a dozen 
or so are held they are cut off even, 
leaves and roots, the length of the 
hand when closed. These runners or 
plants have of course roots, and they 
are ready to be planted in the field. 
Another method of propagation, but 
which can only be done under glass, is 
to take cuttings of the growing plants in 
February or March; that is, cut off the 
offshoots and after trimming the cut¬ 
tings are put in sand to root. This will 
require at least six to eight weeks to 
root properly. Unless experienced, this 
method should not be attempted on a 
large scale, as the cuttings are liable to 
damp off if given too much water. On 
the other hand, they will wilt and die 
if not given enough. There are other 
methods, but the two given are the prin¬ 
cipal ones; whichever is chosen, always 
be sure to have good, strong, healthy 
plants, free from disease or insects, to 
set out in the Spring, and with ordi¬ 
nary good cultivation success is assured 
until the flowering season begins in the 
Fall. 
Planting. — Planting in the field 
should be started as soon as possible 
before dry and hot weather starts, which 
too often happens before all the plants 
are set out. One can always tell which 
plants were set out first; they are the 
first to show that healthy green color 
which any grower loves so much to look 
at. Even if a few light frosts come 
along it will not hurt the plants at all, 
provided of course the runners were not 
kept too hot before planting. The dis¬ 
tance apart depends on the mode of 
cultivation which is to be followed; 
some use horse cultivator, others hand 
cultivator. I prefer the latter, as better 
work can be done, and plants set out 
closer, and nothing is more aggravating 
than to have a horse walk on a plant 
in the middle of the Summer and ruin 
it after taking care of it so long, as 
then it is too late to replant it. With 
a marker having the teeth set 14 inches 
apart it is drawn first one way and then 
the other over the field. This forms a 
checker-board; taking three rows at a 
time, the plants are set out with a 
dibble, much in the same manner as 
cabbage or tomatoes. I said above 14 
inches apart each way, as in the Fall 
when the weather has been favorable 
through the Summer the plants are so 
close together that one has to be care¬ 
ful in walking among them. A plant 
measuring 14 inches across the top is 
very common. The violet does not dif¬ 
fer from any growing crop in regard to 
cultivation; the more the hoe and cul¬ 
tivator are used the better plants will be 
the result. When the nights are getting 
cooler in late August and September is 
the time when the violet is making the 
most growth. Runners are sent out in 
every direction, and these should not be 
left on the plants, but either cut off with 
a sharp knife or scissors, or pulled off. 1 
When a quantity is grown the runners 
are generally pulled off, as it is the 
quickest way. This is done by pulling 
the runner sideways with a quick, sharp 
pull, at the same time holding the plant 
firm with the other hand. If the run¬ 
ners were left to grow this would give 
weak, straggly plants, and also the flow¬ 
ers would be smaller and shorter of 
stems. E. A. PERRY. 
Maryland. 
New York Farms. 
A. C. H.j Glenivood Springs, Colo .—What 
can 160 acres of good tillable land be 
bought for in New York State? Can Al¬ 
falfa be raised successfully and are there 
any so-called worn-out farms that can be 
bought reasonably? 
Ans. —“Good,” tillable land, with im¬ 
provements, can be purchased in this 
State at from $50 to $150 per acre. 
These figures are susceptible to as many 
variations as they would be in your own 
State, but, in the opinion of the writer, 
are as fair an approximation as can be 
made in a general statement. Alfalfa 
is grown successfully in many parts of 
the State, notably in that section rep¬ 
resented by the counties of Madison, 
Oneida, and Onondaga. It is also grown 
in more or less extensive areas in many 
other counties, but outside of the com¬ 
paratively few favored regions, is a dif¬ 
ficult crop to raise, and it is a question 
whether from a Colorado man’s view¬ 
point it would be considered a success. 
There are no worn-out farms in the 
State, but there are many that so closely 
approach that condition, or are so un¬ 
desirable for other reasons, that they 
can be purchased for small sums, say 
from $15 to $35 per acre. They are not 
necessarily cheap at these prices, how¬ 
ever, though all of them can be vastly 
improved, and many of them made val¬ 
uable, by the expenditure of' sufficient 
time, money, and labor. m. b. d. 
The Landowner’s Share. 
B., Passaic Co., N. J .—My neighbor has 
about 15 acres of steep hillside land three 
miles from good market. The land has not 
been worked for about five years; it is cov¬ 
ered with grass. I think the hill is well 
adapted for peach trees. As I have adjoin¬ 
ing land for over 20 years and had good 
results with peaches. I wish to make a 
proposition to this man but would like to 
get your advice first. My plan was to 
plant the 5 acres with four to five foot 
trees, I to furnish all the labor and ex¬ 
pense for manure, spraying, etc., for a 
period of 10 years, giving him half of the 
trees and fruit for the use of the land. 
Would this offer be too liberal, as the hill¬ 
side is difficult to work? I would not raise 
anything for the market between trees. 
Ans. —We think your proposition too 
liberal. The usual plan in making such 
an arrangement is to let the land repre¬ 
sent one-third, the capital—including 
trees and fertilizer—another third, and 
the labor another. That is the basis for 
such work, and we do not see that the 
owner who provides nothing except the 
land should have more than one-third 
of the crop. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
STRENGTH 
Without Overloading The Stomach. 
The business man, especially, needs 
food in the morning that will not over¬ 
load the stomach, but give mental vigor 
for the day. 
Much depends on the start a man gets 
each day, as to how he may expect to 
accomplish the work on hand. 
He can’t be alert, with a heavy, fried- 
meat-and-potatoes breakfast requiring a 
lot of vital energy in digesting it. 
A Calif, business man tried to find 
some food combination that would not 
overload the stomach in the morning, 
but that would produce energy. 
He writes: 
“For years I was unable to find a 
breakfast food that had nutrition enough 
to sustain a business man without over¬ 
loading his stomach, causing indigestion 
and kindred ailments. 
“Being a very busy and also a very 
nervous man, I decided to give up break¬ 
fast altogether. But luckily I was in¬ 
duced to try Grape-Nuts. 
“Since that morning I have been a 
new man; can work without tiring, my 
head is clear and my nerves strong and 
quiet. 
“I find four teaspoonfuls of Grape- 
Nuts with one of sugar and a small 
quantity of cold milk, is delicious as 
the cereal part of the morning meal, and 
invigorates me for the day’s business.” 
Name given by Postum Co., Battle Creek, 
Mich. Read the little book, “The Road 
to Wellville,” in pkgs. 
“There’s a Reason.” 
Ever read the above letter? A new one 
appears from time to time. They are genu¬ 
ine, true, and full of human interest. 
if 
i 
Mi A 
ALL SEASON’S CROPS 
It makes no difference as to the variety of crop you wish to grow, 
there is a fertilizer among our formulae best adapted to its particular 
needs, for ours are all FERTILIZERS THAT FERTILIZE. 
WILCOX FERTILIZERS promptly start the seed, (hen lavishly 
nourish it until the harvest brings a bumper crop of large, well formed, 
prize winning produce. 
Write us and give us an idea about your soil conditions and the crops 
you wish to grow — we are practical farmers down here and leave nothing 
to guess work. Information gleaned from our field tests, covering a period 
of many years, is at your disposal. 
THE WILCOX FERTILIZER COMPANY - • MYSTIC, CONN. 
V 
HOW TO GROW 
ALFALFA 
ON YOUR FARM OR COUNTRY ESTATE 
It is now time to plan and prepare for the summer planting. You can grow Alfalfa on your 
farm ! But you must meet your particular soil conditions—therefore—we will without cost or ob¬ 
ligation give you expert advice on the selection of seed—seed bed preparation—planting—and 
care necessary to meet your requirements and secure a perfect stand with the aid of 
FARMOGERM INOCULATION 
Standard throughout the world 
Lot us tell you of the method of growing Vetch with your spring planting of Oats to increase the Oat crop 
and enrich the soil at the same time. Also how to secure the same results by growing Soy Beans or other le¬ 
gumes with your Corn. All spring sown clovers should be inoculated, and a little fertilizer applied now means 
more hay. Cow Peas and Soy Beans for Hay—as milk producers, cannot be excelled. This is practical inform¬ 
ation of valve to every farmer. 
TELL US TOUR PLANTING IDEAS FOR THE TEAR AND LET US HELP TOU PLAN IT ECONOM- 
ICALI.T AND EFFICIENTLY FOR SOIL ENRICHMENT AND GENERAL FARM IMPROVEMENT 
EARP-THOMAS FARMOGERM CO., Bloomfield, N. J.,U. S. A. 
Our New Book No. 5 4 Sent free 
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> „_ 
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Traverse City Michigan 
Acme 
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How about staying on top of the mud, in¬ 
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