OUR PANSIES. 
We take great pains to grow good Pansy seed. We not only aim to secure large flowers, but 
in addition to this, plants with a hardy constitution, that will endure our severe winters, and hot,, 
dry summers. The latter we have found the most 
difficult, though even in this respect we have been 
encouraged with wonderful success. We have scores 
of complimentary letters from enthusiastic Pansy 
growers, and dried specimens, almost without num¬ 
ber, and from every part of the country, and none 
that we have measured less than two inches in diam¬ 
eter, and the largest nearly three inches. Those who 
have not measured a Pansy will have little idea how 
large this is, so we have had an engraving made of 
one exactly two and a-half inches in diameter, and 
another of two inches. By reference to a note from 
Columbia River, Washington Territory, which will 
be found on another page, it will be seen that a lady 
of that place has beaten us all, and grown one three 
inches in diameter, while two and a-half inches, the 
size of our largest engraving, was quite an ordinary affair. To Rob¬ 
ert Chapman, of Duluth, Minn., we are indebted for a beautiful, 
large, light colored, well formed flower, and to Katie S. Holmes, of 
Harisburg, Penn., for a very pretty double flower, which we hope will 
prove constant, accompanying the following very interesting note: 
Mr. Vick : — T 
have, this sum¬ 
mer, had quite a 
number of beauti¬ 
ful Pansies, raised from seed purchased from you. 
They have proved very interesting indeed. I was 
surprised one morning to find among them what 
looked to me like a double Pansy blossom. T had 
never seen such a thing before, and as I believe 
there is none mentioned in your catalogue, I con¬ 
cluded to send it to you. Most of the flowers on the 
plant from which this was taken, do not seem to 
come to perfection. But the appearance of such 
blossoms may be no unusual occurrence, and if so 
excuse me for troubling you with what seemed to 
me strange and interesting. We had also other 
flowers whose seed was obtained from you, and our 
success was very satisfactory. They were a source 
of much pleasure to us.— K. S. H. 
It is not often we see a tendency in the 
Pansy to become double. A few years ago 
an English florist discovered a plant bearing 
double flowers, and in surprise exclaimed, 
“ Good gracious !” and that became the 
name of the flower. It did not become 
very popular, and we do not know that it is now in cultivation, as we have not heard of it in 
several years. 
Pansies in the South.— A lady of Norwood, Virginia, inclosed in a note, of which the 
following is a copy, several Pansies of fair but not large size : 
Mr. Vick : — I enclose you specimens of my Pansies. The seeds I purchased of you two years ago. I am very 
fond of them, and give them much attention, but do not know if they arc as large as they ought to be.—A. I. S. 
The Pansy will never do quite as well South, as in a cool, moist climate. We have been 
endeavoring to grow Pansy seed for some years that would do well in a hot, dry climate, and not 
without some success. Our seed is far better in this respect than any that can be obtained from 
Europe, and it will also germinate much more freely. 
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