150 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  15,  1895, 
makes  it  very  attractive.  This  is  soft  rosy  purple,  and  the  flowers 
glisten  as  if  covered  with  hoar  frost. 
The  earliest  flowers  appear  in  August,  and  they  last  a  consider¬ 
able  time  in  full  beauty,  successional  plants  carrying  on  a  display 
until  well  into  November.  The  racemes  spring  from  the  base  of 
the  pseudo-bulbs,  and  have  the  appearance  of  being  larger  than 
they  really  are  owing  to  the  flowers  being  all  produced  along  one 
side.  It  makes  a  bright  and  pretty  show  during  some  of  the 
dullest  months  of  the  year  for  Orchids. — H.  R.  R. 
PROFITABLE  EMPLOYMENT  OF  GL4SS  STRUCTURES 
IN  WINTER. 
(Silver  Medal  Essay  by  Mr.  R.  MORROW,  12,  Com  Street,  Leominster.) 
(^Concluded  from i)a<je  126.) 
V/hebe  or  what  is  the  flower  that  can  commaad  more  respect  or  yield 
more  pleasure  than  the  Violet?  Its  fragrance  gives  it  a  welcome  every¬ 
where.  It  finds  a  place  in  the  buttonhole,  in  wreath,  in  bouquet,  and 
in  vase,  while  in  the  sick  room  its  presence  is  a  pleasure.  It  is  a  flower 
for  the  poor  as  well  as  for  the  rich.  What  is  important,  too,  is  that  it 
is  easy  to  grow,  and  no  trouble  and  expense  are  involved  in  bringing  it 
to  perfection.  It  preserves  its  freshness  and  fragrance  long  after 
it  has  been  picked  ;  it  is  but  little  affected  by  travel,  and  it  can  be  had 
in  bloom  from  the  end  of  October  until  the  end  of  February.  The 
larger  the  growth,  the  larger  seems  the  demand. 
No  flower  has  been  more  neglected  by  the  gardener,  while  no  flower 
has  a  larger  circle  of  friends  among  the  public.  Its  cultivation  is  easy. 
It  will  stand  the  severest  weather,  and  protected  with  a  little  care  it 
may  be  preserved  out  of  doors  through  the  winter  months.  I  have  in 
mind,  however,  a  culture  which  seeks,  as  with  the  Chrysanthemum, 
perfection.  Are  the  exquisite  flowers  of  the  Violet — emblems  of 
constancy  and  purity — inferior  to  any  ? 
Speaking  as  a  gardener,  I  find  Marie  Louise  the  best  all  round  for  a 
crop.  Young  offshoots  must  be  selected,  and  these  allowed  to  grow  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year — the  earlier  the  better — say'  the  end  of 
February.  The  next  thing  is  to  root  them  in  pots,  pans,  or  boxes,  what¬ 
ever  is  most  convenient,  in  a  cold  frame  ;  they  must  be  kept  shaded  from 
the  sun  for  a  week  or  so,  and  by  April  they  will  be  well  rooted.  An 
open  piece  where  the  sun  has  great  power  must  be  found,  so  that  the 
crowns  may  ripen,  a  matter  of  great  importance.  Trench  the  ground, 
add  plenty  of  manure  with  leaf  soil,  which  will  help  to  make  balls  to 
the  roots.  • 
When  the  time  comes  for  lifting  them  they  must  be  planted  out  singly, 
about  10  or  12  inches  apart,  and  if  dry  beneath  they  must  be  watered 
until  fairly  started.  Through  the  summer  it  is  advisable  to  keep  hoe¬ 
ing  lightly  between  the  plants  to  keep  the  weeds  down,  all  runners  and 
offshoots  being  cut  away  from  the  crown,  and  in  very  hot  and  dry 
weather  it  would  be  well  to  syringe  in  the  evening  to  keep  down  the  red 
spider.  I  would  give  no  chemic.al  manure  at  this  stage  ;  at  any  rate,  of 
a  kind  likely  to  cause  rank  growth,  and  by  September  there  ought  to  be 
good  clumps  fit  for  or  7-inch  pots.  I  put  mine  in  GLibch  pots,  lift 
with  as  much  earth  as  will  go  in  comfortsbly,  have  ready  a  mixture 
of  two  parts  loam,  one  part  of  leaf  mould,  and  one  of  decayed  manure, 
such  as  that  used  in  a  Mushroom  bed,  and  a  sprinkle  of  silver  sand  with 
a  good  dash  of  chemical  manure,  1  then  place  the  plant  in  some  shady 
place  on  boards  or  ashes  to  keep  the  worms  out,  and  syringe  in  dry 
weather,  keeping  them  from  flagging  for  about  a  week  or  so.  When 
they  have  recovered  I  bring  the  plants  out  and  place  them  in  the  sun. 
There  ought  then  to  be  flowers,  which  will  be  ready  to  do  their  duty 
when  called  on. 
Now  the  Tomatoes  are  over  the  house  must  be  cleaned  out,  the  walls 
whitewashed,  and  if  necessary  the  woodwork  painted,  the  time  being 
more  convenient  than  in  the  spring.  If  the  woodwork  is  not  painted  it 
should  be  washed  with  softsoap  and  petroleum,  say  a  wineglass  to 
3  gallons  of  water.  Use  as  much  softsoap  as  will  give  a  good  lather,  in 
the  meantime  having  the  supports  for  shelves  made,  I  got  mine  from  a 
blacksmith,  quarter-inch  round  iron  rods,  taking  the  level  of  the  houses 
and  having  them  made  accordingly,  long  enough  to  keep  the  plants 
from  touching  the  glass  ;  the  eyes  of  the  supports  must  not  be  too  large, 
and  ought  not  to  slip  over  the  head  of  an  inch  serew.  I  have  iron  rods 
stretched  from  one  strong  bar  to  the  other  along  the  house,  aoout  2  feet 
from  the  top,  so  that  there  are  two  shelves,  and  they  at  the  same  time 
are  a  support  to  the  house  and  able  to  bear  the  weight  of  the  pots  on 
the  shelves. 
When  the  plants  are  placed  on  the  shelves  they  will  want  careful 
attention;  the  iem(e''ature  should  not  fall  much  below  50°  at  night. 
If  the  weather  keeps  fine  air  should  be  given,  as  the  Violets  do  not  like 
much  confinement.  The  watering  must  be  attended  to,  a  little  manure 
may  be  given,  say  once  a  week  for  the  first  month,  then  twice  a  week 
the  following  month,  and  a  little  stronger  or  more  often  afterwards. 
About  January  the  offshoots  might  be  allowed  to  grow,  so  as  to  obtain 
stock  for  the  next  year,  this  increasing  the  blooms.  If  red  spider  makes 
its  appearance  the  hot- water  pipes  should  be  painted  with  sulphur, 
mixed  up  like  thin  paint  with  water,  and  the  fumes  will  keep  the 
mischief  down.  The  same  thing  may  be  done  in  case  of  mildew.  When 
the  houses  are  wanted  the  Violets  may  be  planted  out  in  beds,  and  the 
flowers  picked  all  through  the  spring.  Room  can  be  afterwards 
made  for  other  things,  for  1  should  not  plant  Violets  in  the  same  beds 
every  year. 
What  has  been  my  experience  with  regard  to  the  profits  of  this 
cultivation  ?  My  houses  are  40  feet  long,  and  9  feet  wide.  I  have  five 
shelves  on  each  side,  or  ten  altogether.  I  can  place,  say,  forty  plants  on 
each  shelf,  and  have,  therefore,  400  plants,  each  of  which  on  an  average 
produces  200  blooms  from  October  till  February.  I  have  made  up  little 
bouquets  at  3d.,  4d.,  and  61.  each  net,  six,  eight,  and  fourteen  blooms 
in  the  bunch.  At  Covent  Garden  the  prices  for  Violets  are  2s.  6d.  and 
3s.  for  a  bunch  containing  at  the  outside  not  more  than  100  blooms  ; 
and  allowing  one-half  for  commission  the  value  of  each  pot  would  be 
3s.,  and  this  would  give  a  total  of  £60  for  one  house.  This  may  seem 
extraordinary,  but  I  have  counted  over  fifty  blooms  on  one  plant  at  one 
time,  and  I  am  sure  many  gardeners  who  have  given  themselves  to  this 
culture  will  agree  with  me  as  to  the  great  number  of  Violets  that  can  be 
produced  from  the  pot  work  which  I  have  described. 
The  cultivation  of  Rhubarb  now  claims  our  attention,  and  is  of 
equal  interest  from  a  business  point  of  view.  There  is  no  vegetable 
more  appreciated  in  the  spring  months ;  it  is  looked  forward  to  as  an 
enjoyable  dish  ;  it  can  be  turned  into  a  wholesome  jam  or  wine,  and  it 
is  used  for  medicinal  purposes.  The  demand  is  consequently  large,  and 
there  is  an  exceptional  scope  and  advantage  in  its  cultivation.  That 
cultivation,  moreover,  is  easy,  and  very  few  words  are  needed  to  explain 
why  I  have  associated  it  with  Violets.  My  reason  for  doing  so  is  simply 
that  Rhubarb  will  stand  the  drip  that  comes  from  the  Violets.  The 
culture  of  the  vegetable  is  so  simple  that  it  seems  like  a  waste  of  space 
to  enter  into  any  details. 
It  may  be  interesting,  however,  to  make  a  few  remarks  with  regard 
to  forcing  it  with  the  Violets.  Supposing  there  is  a  stock  of  plants 
ready  by  the  end  of  October,  a  good  piece  of  ground  may  be  selected, 
very  deeply  dug,  with  plenty  of  manure,  and  the  roots  placed  about 
3  feet  apart,  and  4  feet  between  the  rows.  Double  the  quantity  must 
be  planted,  so  that  half  may  be  forced  each  year.  The  best  varieties  are 
Victoria,  St.  Martin’s,  and  Linnaeus.  When  they  are  growing  in  the 
open  care  must  be  taken  not  to  allow  any  sticks  to  be  pulled  from  them, 
as  this  checks  the  growth  and  naturally  weakens  the  crowns.  Foliage 
is  what  is  wanted,  and  in  the  winter  a  good  mulching  of  manure  should 
be  given  to  those  intended  for  the  following  season. 
As  soon  as  the  leaves  are  decayed  the  plants  will  be  ready  for 
removal  to  the  house.  Each  of  the  houses  has  a  space  of  3  fe^-t  on  each 
side,  where  a  quantity  of  plants  ought  to  be  put  together.  Of  course, 
much  will  depend  on  the  size,  but  the  first  thing  to  be  done  will  be  to 
get  abundance  of  short  horse  manure,  such  as  would  do  for  Mushrooms. 
As  this  retains  the  heat  well,  a  layer  should  be  placed  underneath,  the 
roots  then  being  packed  closely  together,  and  the  spaces  filled  up  with 
manuie.  This  treatment  will  give  a  gentle  heat,  enabling  the  plants  to 
start  into  growth,  and  when  thus  started  they  will  push  freely.  I  only 
give  one  good  watering  after  planting,  so  as  to  settle  the  manure  round 
the  roots.  That  will  be  enough,  as  the  drip  from  the  Violets  will  keep 
the  plants  from  getting  too  dry. 
By  Christmas,  or  early  in  January,  there  ought  to  be  a  good  row  of 
sticks  ready  for  the  eager  demand  which  will  certainly  be  made.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  if  as  much  again  was  grown,  and  sold  at  a  little 
lower  price,  there  would  be  no  lack  of  customers.  When  the  house  is 
wanted  the  roots  will  have  to  be  turned  out.  It  would  be  too  hard  to 
turn  them  out  into  their  summer  quarters,  as  the  weather  at  such  a 
time  is  often  unfavourable  ;  but  I  place  them  in  a  shed  in  a  heap  with 
some  dry  litter  over  them  until  April.  It  is  surprising  how  hardy 
Rhubarb  is,  and  what  hardship  it  will  endure. 
With  regard  to  the  profit  from  this  source  much  will  depend  on  the 
size  of  the  roots  and  their  condition.  If  they  are  good  roots  200  may  be 
put  on  each  side  of  the  house,  and  these  ought  to  produce  fiom  28.  to  3s. 
worth  of  sticks  each,  say  2j.,  the  rest  being  allowed  for  commission,  and 
that  would  mean  £20  per  house.  With  the  Violets  and  Rhubarb  com¬ 
bined  we  have  thus  £70  or  £80  per  house. 
I  have  thus  tried  to  explain  myself,  and  keep  to  the  object  of  the 
paper  as  near  as  possible.  I  daresay  this  essay  could  be  improved  ;  but 
I  have  looked  at  the  subject  from  a  practical,  and  not  a  theoretical, 
point  of  view.  Many  persons,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  refer  to  various 
other  matters,  such  as  keeping  bedding  Pelargoniums  placed  between 
the  pots  of  Violets,  and  sundry  other  things  that  the  grower  may  want  for 
his  summer’s  requirements.  He  can  put  out  shelves  under  those  for  the 
Violet ;  but  these  must  be  a  little  narrower  to  let  the  drip  fall  on  each 
side  of  them  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  plants.  If  “  A  Perplexed 
One”  procured  a  quantity  of  Pelargonium  cuttings  and  rooted  them  in 
store  pots,  that  is,  five  to  six  in  a  pot,  and  place  on  these  shelves,  they 
would  make  good  plants  in  February  or  March,  and  advertised  them  at 
6s.  to  63.  a  100  he  could  command  a  profit  that  would  pay  for  the  labour 
and  fuel.  On  this  piinciple  he  could  grow  over  20,000  Pelargoniums  in 
one  house,  and  that  in  itself  would  make  a  handsome  profit. 
There  is  always  a  great  demand  for  these,  and  they  require  so  little 
attention  in  the  winter,  simply  keeping  the  dead  leaves  off  and  watering 
very  sparingly.  Now,  as  regards  the  light  Pelargoniums  would  receive, 
there  is  a  good  space  between  each  shelf,  and  the  houses  running  north 
and  south  would  give  ample  light.  Of  course  the  shelf  over  the  Pelar¬ 
goniums  naturally  hurts  them,  but  in  the  winter,  in  their  dormant  state, 
they  would  keep  very  well. 
There  are  various  other  things  that  would  be  profitable,  as  the 
market  and  demand  at  present  stand.  The  market  ehbs  and  flows, 
every  year  brings  forth  its  fashion,  and  the  grower  has  to  forecast  all 
such  difficulties,  and  have  in  view  what  is  most  likely  to  be  profitable. 
When  we  look  over  the  various  articles  that  have  created  such  a  “  rage  ” 
for  a  time,  we  may  take,  for  instance,  the  Tomato.  This  has  been  in 
great  vogue  for  some  years  past,  and,  in  fact,  is  now.  But  look  at  the 
