THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY 
of the aristocracy. At almost every Show throughout 
the length and breadth of the empire, it forms no in¬ 
considerable feature on the exhibition-stands. The 
improvement it has attained is so great, that its original 
prototype, the wild Viola tricolor of our dry, gravelly 
corn-fields, can scarcely be reconciled with its progeny. 
The wild flower is small and starry, with only three 
colours. The cultivated varieties have large, nearly 
round, smooth-edged blooms, with almost every colour 
of the rainbow, and richly shaded into the bargain. 
Its culture is easy, as the fact of the success of the 
most humble grower proves. All that it requires is a 
dry, rich, light soil, fully exposed to the benign influence 
of the sun and air. If the situation of the garden is 
low, the border or bed should be well drained, and raised 
six inches above the surface. A deep soil is not re¬ 
quired, for the roots spread chiefly”on the surface. 
To preserve the varieties in health, it is absolutely 
necessary to propagate them annually. The most 
common method of doing this is by cuttings. These 
should be taken off in June, or as early in July as 
possible. The cuttings should be young, with a hard 
bottom, for if gross and soft they are apt to damp off. 
The lower leaves should be trimmed off, and the cuttings 
inserted thickly in sandy soil, without any dung, under 
hand-lights or large bell-glasses. Shade from sun for a 
few weeks until growth is perceived, then gradually 
remove the shades, and give air every day, finally re¬ 
moving the glass. As soon as they are well rooted, 
prepare a bed to receive them, and plant them out nine 
inches apart. Very new choice sorts may be potted 
into small pots, and kept through the winter in a cold 
frame, and planted out early in spring. A very secure 
way of increasing any variety is by layers, exactly 
similar to that adopted in the propagation of the Car¬ 
nation. Take any rather long shoot, trim off the lower 
leaves, and cut half through the stem a sloping cut, 
bring the shoot down, and secure it to the ground with a 
hooked peg, and cover it half an inch with soil. It 
will quickly root, and make a strong, good plant. Such 
rooted layers are the best of all for pot culture, to be 
exhibited in pots, and no florists’ flower auswers better 
for that purpose, as such growers as Turner and Bragg 
have proved. 
The Pansy has been divided by florists into three 
classes, namely, Selfs, Yellow grounds, and White 
grounds. Every year adds to the number of varieties. 
The growers in Scotland have been lately very successful 
in obtaining improved varieties, and have formed a 
Society at Edinburgh for the express purpose of im¬ 
proving this favourite flower, an example that English 
growers would do wisely to imitate. 
To raise new improved varieties is the object of our 
Scotch neighbours. Hence prizes are offered for seed- 
liugs: such prizes seldom, if ever, enter into the ex¬ 
hibition-schedules of the Shows in England. This is 
to be regretted by all lovers of the Pansy. Perhaps, 
hereafter, this omission may be rectified. 
Twelve Selected New Varieties. 
SELES. 
1. Blade Prince (Hale).—Very dark, almost black, 
with a fine lemon eye, well formed, and above the 
medium size. 
2. Napoleon (Hale).—Dark,rich,purple maroon,largo 
| size, and good form. Extra fine. 
3. Magnum Bornim (Thomson). — Splendid yellow; 
I the best of its colour yet raised; a fine, large, bold 
flower. Would make an excellent bedder. 
YELLOW GROUNDS. 
4. Blazer (Thomson).—Richly margined with dark 
i maroon, white eye, dark spot on lower petal. 
GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.-July 8, 185G. 257 
5. Rifleman (Hale).—Broadly margined with purple, 
good eye, excellent form. Distinct and good. 
6. Lord John Russell (Turner).—Edged with crimson. 
A rich, well-formed variety. 
7. Mr. Thomson (Bragg).—A fine yellow ground, 
margined with rich bronze. 
WHITE GROUNDS. 
8. Constance (Turner).—Margined with deep blue, 
with a straw-coloured eye. Good. 
9. Hercules (Hunt).—Pure white ground, margined 
with rich purple. Well formed, and of good substance. 
10. Omnijlore. —A free-flowering variety, of medium 
size, edged with light purple. 
11. Victoria (Hale).—Pine, large, bold flower, edged 
with blue. Good form and substance. 
12. Miss Nightingale (Hale).—Fine form and sub¬ 
stance. A good variety, with margin of light purple. 
Price 3s. 6d. to 5s. each. 
Twelve Older Select Varieties. 
SELFS. 
1. Alba Magna (Thomson).—Pure white, good form. 
A large, bold flower. 
2. Blade Diamond (Turner).—Very rich dark crimson. 
Good eye and form. 
3. St. Andrew (Downie).—Dark maroon. A good, 
rich-coloured, well-formed flower. 
4. Sovereign (Dickson).—The finest golden yellow, 
with rich dark eye. 
YELLOW GROUNDS. 
o. British Queen (Dickson) —A clear straw colour, 
margined with purple. A good variety. 
G. Duke of Newcastle (Turner). — Golden yellow, 
margined with blue-purple. Extra fine. 
7. Great Britain (Parker).—A large, bold flower, 
golden yellow, margined with crimson. 
8. Sampson (Bragg).—Margined with rich maroon. 
A well-formed, good variety. 
WHITE GROUNDS. 
9. Constance (Turner).—Margined with blue, with a 
straw-coloured eye. Good form and constant. 
10. Lord Raglan (Campbell).—Pure white ground, 
margined with rich brown. Distinct and good. 
11. Minerva (Dickson).—Blue margin, with yellow 
eye, clear white ground. 
12. Royal Visit (Dickson).—Margined with purple; 
a largo flower. Good form aud constant. 
T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
HOME TIMBER TREES versus FOREIGN. 
Whatever may have been gained in a picturesque 
point of view by the introduction of forest trees from 
other climes to adorn our English scenery, it is certain 
that many of them will be short-lived compared with 
native species. The Spruce Fir rarely or never attains so 
great an age as the Scotch, while the Larch, in other re¬ 
spects a useful tree, is often shorter-lived than either; 
and I very much doubt if many of the species we are 
told tower upwards so many hundreds of feet will ever 
reach more than one-fifth of their maximum height in 
this country, ere they die off, or become a prey to some 
disease or other, having its origin in the altered state of 
their condition. 
This is not the case with our native trees in a general 
way, for they often attain a great ago, and size too, ere 
they fall a victim to that constitutional disease which 
carries off exotics. Certainly, there are some exceptions 
amongst foreign introductions, and it is to be hoped that j 
