March 5 , 1892. 
423 
The gardening world. 
FIiORICOLiTORE. 
The Florists’ Laced Pink. 
The winter we have just passed through has had any¬ 
thing but a favourable effect upon Pinks planted in 
beds last autumn, and the great variation in the 
weather in this part of the country during the last 
two months has proved most prejudicial to all out¬ 
door florists’ varieties of plants, and the unusual wet 
state the ground has been in for so many weeks, 
has found full employment for the worms ! In my 
Pink beds nearly every plant has been raised three 
parts out of the ground, and scores of strong plants 
broken clean off through the stems! No time 
should now be lost in going carefully over the beds, 
and the plants which have been disturbed or raised 
from the ground by the frost and worms should be 
replaced and pressed firmly in the ground, and the 
surface of the soil between the plants should be 
turned over 2 in. or 3 in. deep with a small fine¬ 
pronged border fork. The plants should then be 
top-dressed with some old horse or cow manure to 
the extent of from iin. to 2 in. deep according to its 
strength or richness, care being taken to place the 
manure as closely to the stems of the plants as 
possible, which will prevent them being further dis¬ 
turbed or injured by the usual March winds. 
Many growers prefer top-dressing with liquid 
manures or soot water during the months of March 
and April ; it is, however, necessary to exercise great 
caution in the use of liquid manures for such pur¬ 
poses, especially soot-water, or the plants will suffer 
by the applications being too strong and which 
effect will show itself by the points of the foliage or 
grass appearing burnt or withered up. The object 
of the top-dressing is to stimulate the growth and 
produce high colouring and perfect lacing. Im¬ 
mediately the plants begin to throw up their bloom¬ 
ing stems, suitable sticks should be applied to each 
stem, to which they should be neatly tied as the 
stems increase in growth, but not tied too tightly, or 
the stems will grow crookedly. Regular watering 
in dry weather is very essential. 
Perhaps these few remarks may be appreciated by 
amateurs who have not had great experience in the 
cultivation of the Florists’ Laced Pinks .—James 
Thurstan, Cardiff , Feb. 27, 1892. 
The Carnation. 
As the season advances, so does the interest in the 
Carnation appear to revive. The receipt of the 
National Carnation and Picotee Societys’ appeal also 
seemed to give one the order to advance, not that the 
advances made by the society or its managers show 
any great amount of originality. If imitation is the 
sincerest form of flattery, truly must our old leader 
feel flattered over this appeal. If I remember 
rightly Mr. Dodwell offered on the formation of the 
southern section of “ the National ” to give the sub¬ 
scribers some portion of his stock of seed, in order to 
encourage amateurs to cultivate seedlings, and 
subscribe to the society. When he established the 
Carnation Union he offered to subscribers the value 
of their subscriptions in plants from his surplus 
stock; and subsequently he issued his invaluable 
work, The Carnation and Picotee. Thus we have a 
precedent for the movement now made by " the 
National,” but whether the bait will prove as 
attractive in drawing increased subscriptions re¬ 
mains to be seen. 
I do not agree with the objection raised by ” A 
Midland Florist ” in your last as regards the publica¬ 
tion of another calendar or cultivators’ guide. I 
think there may still be something to be said on the 
subject, and if it may be true in most cases that in 
the multitude of counsellors there is wisdom, so it 
may prove with regard to directions for cultivating 
the Carnation. I may be perfectly satisfied with 
what I find in Hogg or Dodwell, but others may not, 
and in any case we cannot have too much of the 
experience of skilled growers. What, however, we 
amateurs want more than the details which may 
lead to success, is a good paper on failures. It 
would be more valuable than a dozen articles by 
professors of perfection, if some one who has failures 
—how few acknowledge them ?—would tell us how 
they failed. I have been a cultivator of Carnations 
and other things for many years, and annually raise 
an immense number of seedlings, but still failures 
are abundant with me. Why— Ed.] However, I 
go on sowing and reaping a rich harvest of flowers 
every year. 
There is a point in the management of the "The 
National” that greatly wants amendment; and that 
is thedateof its exhibitions which have hitherto been 
fixed so early in the season that the prize list is virtually 
closed against all but those who have means to 
shelter their plants in a late season. Unless the 
Society can fix a date according to the season and 
the conveniences of ordinary growers I do not see 
how a serious competition can at any time be 
expected. 
The schedule of the Midland Society is a revelation 
to us. A year ago this Society was but a dream, now 
it is a practical reality of the most gratifying kind, 
and shows what really can be accomplished in a short 
time with pluck and enterprise. The Birmingham 
schedule is far ahead of anything of the kind sent out 
before, and I hope will never again look back for the 
want of a forward policy.— William Wardill, Luton. 
CULTURE OF THE 
VIOLET.* 
The secret of success in the culture of Violets is 
mainly to be found in the treatment they receive 
during the summer months ; for, to allow them to 
grow in thick masses in beds, or in shady, secluded 
positions, will not produce the desired results. They 
may make free growth, and produce an abundance 
of leaves, which will only end in disappointment, 
but to get the best results each individual crown 
must be sufficiently exposed to light, sun, and air, to 
allow it to become plump and thoroughly matured 
by the autumn. The best of all positions I have 
found to grow them in, is undoubtedly a piece of 
ground, fully exposed, in the centre of the kitchen 
garden. A great point is to make a good start, and 
it is important also to prepare the ground properly 
and suitably for their reception. Whether the plants 
are to be left to bloom where they are grown, or be 
lifted and transferred to frames, pots, or other 
structures, it is necessary that they should have 
a moderately light, free, open soil, made firm before 
planting. I have invariably found that the greatest 
number of flowers are produced by plants grown on 
rather poor soil. Those grown on rich and deeply- 
dug loose soils make much larger foliage, and finer, 
but fewer flowers. Therefore to make a light soil suit¬ 
able for Violet culture, I would add lime and soot, and 
some decayed turfy soil, from an old pasture; or, 
failing this, roadside parings, which contain gritty 
material. Heavy, tenacious soils should have a 
light application of leaf soil, roadside parings, old 
potting soil, lime and soot, or indeed anything 
containing gritty material, to keep the soil porous. 
These ingredients should be forked into the soil, 
and be well incorporated, to the depth of from 4 in. 
to 6 in., as Violets are surface rooters, and do not 
descend deeply into the soil. 
I have found that the most suitable season for 
planting is during the latter part of March and 
April. I prefer the former month if plenty of bloom 
is required by the first week in August, inasmuch as 
Violets acutely feel the effects of dry, parching 
-weather later on, and it is, therefore, absolutely 
necessary that the plants get thoroughly established, 
and have good roothold, by the time they are liable 
to be subjected to a hot sun and a dry, parching 
atmosphere. Having chosen the position, the 
ground must be marked off for the reception of the 
plants, the large single and double varieties 12 in. 
from row to row, and gin. from plant to plant in the 
tows, for the large single and double varieties; and 
for the early Russian varieties, 9 in. each way in the 
tows will suffice. The plants are chosen from the 
strongest runners, and inserted in the rows with the 
help of a dibber. The most suitable time to per¬ 
form the operation of planting is when the weather 
is dull and showery, as then the plants quickly take 
hold of the soil in their new quarters. It is also a 
good plan, to get a start with young plants, to peg 
the runners down on the soil in the frames, so as to 
get them nicely rooted by the time the plants go out 
of flower, as they then grow away freely when 
planted out. 
Violets may also be raised from seed by carefully 
saving well-ripened seed-pods, but this method is 
not generally practised, except for raising new 
varieties. As the work of planting proceeds, the 
plants must receive a good watering to settle the 
soil round the roots. As soon as the work of plant¬ 
*Abstracted from a paper read by Mr. Ebbutt, gardener to 
the Rev. A. W. Hamilton-Gell, VVinslade, at the meeting of the 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ Association on February 17th. 
ing is finished a top dressing of partly decomposed 
leaves, or hot-bed manure, or spent mushroom bed 
manure, is very beneficial to the plants, as it arrests 
evaporation and keeps the ground cool about them. 
Not only is the top dressing beneficial in the way 
referred to, but it prevents the washing of the soil 
from subsequent waterings, which must be frequent 
during dry weather ; it also keeps the plants clean 
during heavy rains, and it also prevents, in a 
measure, the attacks of red spider, the worst enemy 
the Violet has to contend with. Only a few days’ 
dryness at the roots, with a fierce burning sun, will 
suffice to bring on an attack of spider, and then it is 
questionable if it can be got rid of again that season. 
This is shown by yellow patches in the leaves, but 
the great point is to try and prevent its appearance, 
and this may be done, in a general way, by keeping 
the plants free from weeds, frequently stirring the 
surface of the soil, and a daily routine of sprinkling 
and thoroughly watering the plants during dry 
weather. The Violet revels in an abundance of 
water during growth, with a frequent application of 
weak manure water to keep the plants growing. 
Most varieties produce runners during growth, and 
the plants rru;t be carefully denuded of these from 
time to time as they show themselves. There is not 
a doubt that growing Violets inside enclosed garden 
walls is attended with muck more difficulty than 
where they can be more freely exposed, bs in field 
culture, for then the plants can enjoy a far greater 
amount of air and the fresh summer breezes than 
those cultivated within the confined precincts of a 
walled enclosure. 
Growing Violets at the foot of walls is attended 
with more or less uncertainty according to the sea¬ 
sons. Generally, if Violets are planted at the foot 
of sunny walls (which is the best position for them 
during autumn and winter), and remain there the 
whole year round, they will be rendered useless by 
the attacks of red spider. I would much rather grow 
the plants in an exposed position, and transfer them 
to the foot of walls during the latter part of August, 
and shelter them during inclement weather with reed 
or straw mats, which would amply repay the grower. 
Wherever choice double Violets are grown, and 
these are the only varieties we grow in frames, it is 
of the highest importance that the position of the 
frames should be such as to secure every ray of sun¬ 
shine during early autumn and winter, and as these 
double varieties show unmistakably indifferent cul¬ 
ture, the blooms will lack that beautiful symmetry 
and doubleness that they otherwise possess. More¬ 
over, it is very easy to produce an abundance of 
bloom during the spring months, which is the Violet 
season, but it is from August to February that 
Violets are so highly esteemed. It then requires tact, 
and ability, and energy on the part of the grower to 
produce them. In mild winters, double Violets will 
give a few pickings if garden frames are placed over 
them where they are grown, and the frames sur¬ 
rounded with hot manure and leaves about two feet 
wide, and be carefully ventilate!. 
If cultivated on hot-beds, the beds are best made 
up by the first week in September, as then it gives 
the plants time to get re-established before ccld 
nights approach. The hot-bed is best made up of 
prepared manure and leaves, about half of each sort, 
the leaves being a great help in retaining the heat in 
the bed. which can be made up to any desired height. 
Linings will have to be frequently resorted to from 
time to time to keep up the necessary temperature. 
Although this is a very old practice still some of the 
finest blooms of double Violets may be obtained by 
this method, the blooms being bright and well 
coloured, but not the large quantity of bloom can be 
gathered as by forcing them under more natural con¬ 
ditions in a pit properly heated. 
The following are the varieties I have grown, viz. 
Single varieties :—The Blue and White Russian ; 
these are early and very sweet scented, but unfortu¬ 
nately produce very short stems to the flowers, which 
is not desirable. Wellsiana, large blue ; this I con¬ 
sider to be the best variety for all purposes, being a 
most profuse bloomer, and not so strong a grower a« 
the Giant or the Czar, but far superior for private or 
market use. Double varieties :—Neapolitan, colour 
pale lavender ; a very fine old variety still one of the 
very best ; very sweet and delicately scented, but 
rather a tender variety, and requires a lighter soil 
than the other doubles; it is very susceptible to 
damp. Comte de Brazza, double white; the best 
white in this class ; it requires good culture, other- 
