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What makes a really good variety? 
Beautiful leaf-pattern, size and texture of 
flowers, single-crown habit. Just a whole lot 
of improvement can be made in the existing 
varieties. Ulery Greenhouses, in Ohio, have 
made tremendous strides in developing new 
and better violets. They have improved the 
Girl foliage, developed reds which don’t fade, 
a double that opens, and plants which don’t 
sucker all over the place. But, darn it, even 
Ulery hasn’t developed a Supreme or a Du- 
Pont that will ship. 
I got disgusted with my violets this spring 
and just put them outside under a bush and 
forgot about them for the summer. Discovered 
them a couple of weeks ago, dirty as all-get- 
out but just loaded with bloom. What hap- 
pened? 
A lot of violets get puttered to death in the 
house. Then, too, they get more light outside, 
even under a bush. If you don’t believe it’s 
brighter under a bush in your back yard than 
it is in your living room, try reading a news- 
paper in both places at 6 p. m. 
Something is chewing on my plants. It looks 
too big for a little bug. There are great big 
bites taken out of the leaves in the morning. 
Could it be beetles? 
No, ma’am. Most likely mice. Traps at the 
dime store. 
Do those little squirmy things in the saucer 
do any damage to violets? 
No. They are springtails. You might water 
with a nicotine sulphate solution for three or 
four weeks to get rid of them. Mix it as you 
would for spray. 
I want to cross a Pink Beauty with a Rose 
Purple. Does it make any difference which 
plant grows the seed pod? 
It is my understanding that experienced hy- 
bridizers set the seed on the stronger plant. 
In your case that would be the Rose Purple. 
Do you sell leaves? 
No, sorry. 
A leaf I rooted is blooming for the first time 
with only three petals on the flower. Do I 
have a new variety? 
Relax. The first flowers are always a little 
peculiar. 
Cordially, 
“Reuss 

