April  3,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
291 
Notes  on  Violets, 
I  intimated  in  my  previous  note  that  my  object  in  vmiting 
■  these  notes  was  to  enumerate  some  of  the  difficulties  or  dis¬ 
appointments  met  witli  in  the  cultivation  of  Violets.  There  are 
some  who  cultivate  their  Violets  in  the  proper  manner — transfer 
them  to  frames  in  the  autumn,  and  expect  them  to  have  flowers 
all  through  the  winter  and  spring.  They  are  disappointed,  how¬ 
ever,  to  find  that  during  the  months  of  December  and  January 
very  few  are  forthcoming.  Tlie  state  of  the  weather  will,  of 
■  course,  have  something  to  do  with  it. 
As  a  rule,  flow^ers  are  produced  iiretty  freely  up  to  the  middle 
or  end  of  November.  But  during  the  very  short,  dark  days  it  is 
hardly  to  be  expected  that  Violets,  any  more  than  other  hardy 
plants,  can  eximnd  their  flowers.  In  favoured  localities,  or 
during  unusually  mild  weather,  the  case  may  be  different.  I 
mention  this  because  I  have  often  been  asked  why  Violets  do 
not  flower  all  through  the  winter.  Violets  are  impatient  of 
forcing,  and  if  .subject  to  too  much  heat  will  develop  foliage  at 
the  expense  of  flowers.  To  obtain  the  best  results  it  is  necessary 
to  have  the  plants  in  a  light  greenhouse  and  near  to  the  gla.ss 
as  possible.  Sufficient  heat  must  be  afforded  to  maintain  a 
temperature  of  45deg  to  50deg,  with  abundance  of  air,  unless  it 
is  very  cold  or  foggy. 
The  Violet  does  not  appear  to  have  as  many  enemies  as  some 
plants  we  cultivate.  In  some  localities  and  soils  red  spider  caiises 
much  injury  during  the  summer  and  autumn  months,  and  is 
Avorst  during  a  very  hot  season.  Damping  the  lalants  overhead 
every  afternoon  or  evening  will  act  as  a  preventive,  but  it  often 
becomes  necessary  to  adopt  more  stringent  measures — spraying 
Avith  some  approved  insecticide,  or  dusting  Avith  soot  and  sulphur 
mixed.  When  the  leaves  begin  to  tAirn  yelloAV  it  denotes  the 
presence  of  the  enemy,  and  remedial  measures  should  be  taken 
at  once.  The  old  adage  holds  good  here,  “  A  stitch  in  time  saAms 
nine.” 
Some  writers  say  that  this  pest  is  the  greatest  enemy  the 
Violet  plant  has.  My  ovAn  experience  is  rather  different,  and 
judging  by  Avhat  one  reads,  especially  in  the  correspondence 
columns  of  the  gardening  periodicals,  Avhat  is  known  as  the 
“damping  disease”  (Puccinia  Violte)  appears  to  be  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  the  cultivation  of  this  favourite  floAver.  In  some 
instances  it  appears  to  be  due  more  to  local  influences,  and  then 
is  more  difficult  to  deal  with.  This  disease  has  been  very  destruc¬ 
tive  here ;  for  several  years  Ave  could  get  no  floAvers  after 
November.  The  plants  Avould  commence  going  .off  about  that 
time,  and  some  seasons  haAm  died  outright.  The  frames  liaA’e 
been  stood  in  different  parts  of  the  garden — all  to  no  purpose. 
Different  kinds  of  soil  have  been  tried,  lumps  of  lime  put  in 
amongst  the  plants,  lime  and  sulphur  mixed  dusted  over  them, 
charcoal  streAvn  in  between  and  around  the  clumps. 
All  this,  however,  Avas  not  sufficient  to  stop  it,  so  other 
methods  had  to  be  given  a  trial.  I  might,  perhaps,  say,  that 
fresh  stock  had  been  procured  time  after  time  from  different 
sources,  and  Avhere  the  disease  never  made  its  appearance. 
It  is  the  usual  custom  to  put  Violets  in  frames  in  Avhich 
•Cucumbers  or  Melons  haA'e  been  groAvn  during  the  summer,  or 
to  make  small  beds  especially  for  them.  This  material  holds  the 
moisture,  and  perhaps  may  be  one  cause  of  the  damping  disease. 
For  the  last  tAvO'  or  three  years  avo  have  tried  a  different  plan. 
The  frames  are  stood  upon  bricks,  this  leaving  about  Sin  of  space 
above  the  ground  line,  so  that  the  air  can  circulate  underneath. 
They  are  then  filled  in  Avith  clinkers  from  the  fires  up  to  Avithin 
about  a  foot  from  the  top,  a  little  long  litter  is  spread  over,  to 
keep  the  soil  from  falling  amongst  them,  and  about  Gin  of  soil 
on  the  top. 
The  soil  used  at  this  time  Avas  made  more  porous  than  usually 
by  adding  lime  rubbish  in  the  form  of  small  lumps.  When  the 
plants  had  been  transferred  to  the  frames  a  fortnight  they  were 
sprayed  over  with  sulphide  of  potassium,  ^oz  to  Igal  of  rain 
water,  and  every  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  subsequently  until  fine 
Aveather  came  in  the  spring.  This  neAV  treatment  answered  very 
Avell,  for  although  the  disease  put  in  an  appearance  it  did  not 
■cause  much  injury,  and  Ave  had  a  nice  quantity  of  floAvers.  This 
was  three  years  ago  ;  the  next  year  the  same  treatment  Avas  given, 
Avith  better  re.sults.  Last  year  the  spraying  aaus  discontinued,  but 
vei’y  little  disease  Avas  apparent. 
Although  last  summer  was  so  very  hot  and  dry,  especially  in 
this  neighbourhoodj  our  plants  grew  into  the  finest  clumps  that 
Ave  ever  had.  Until  the  first  Aveek  in  February  the  plants  Avere 
clean,  Avhen  the  disease  appeared  rather  suddenly.  During  this 
Aveek  we  experienced  very  cold  east  winds,  and  it  almost  led  one 
to  think  this  might  be  the  cause.  There  has  not  been  very 
much  written  about  this  disease,  and  I  feel  sure  if  our  old  friend 
i\Ir.  G.  Abbey,  or  some  other  correspondent,  could  give  a  little 
more  information  on  the  subject,  it  Avould  be  Avelcomed  by  other 
i  readers  as  well  as  myself. — J.  S.  U.,  Yorks. 
■  (To  be  concluded.) 
Horticulture  In  Sheffield. 
The  programme  of  meetings  arranged  by  the  Sheffield  Floral 
and  Horticultural  Society  from  noAv  till  October  includes  essays 
on  Pelargoniums,  Calceolarias,  the  Fuchsia,  A'ines,  Dahlias,  and 
Chrysanthemums,  and  at  each  of  the  monthly  meetings  prizes  are 
offered  for  exhibits  of  plants.  The  meetings  are  held  at  Porter 
Cottage,  SharroAv  Vale.  The  secretary  is  Mr.  W.  LeAvendon, 
93,  Neill  Hoad,  Ecclesall  Hoad,  Sheffield. 
The  Southern  Counties  Carnation  Society. 
The  fourth  annual  report  (1901)  comes  to  us  from  the  hon. 
.secretary,  Mr.  Win.  Garton,  jun.,  York  Buildings,  Southampton. 
It  describes  a  prosperous  past  year,  the  exhibitions  being  Avell 
supported.  A  balance  of  £G8  3s.  2d.  remains  in  hand.  The  fifth 
annual  exhibition  Avill  be  held  in  Southampton  about  the  third 
week  in  July.  In  the  annual  report  there  are  a  number  of  letters 
from  authorities  on  Carnation  culture. 
Saie  of  Dwarf  Trees. 
A  number  of  Japanese  dwarf  trees,  and  a  collection  of 
miniature  British  and  foreign  Avoodland  scenes,  belonging  to 
Mrs.  Ernest  Hart,  Avere  recently  offered  at  auction  by  Messrs. 
Knight,  Frank,  and  Hutley,  Conduit  Street,  London.  Several 
dwarf  Cedars  sold  at  good  prices.  One,  which  Avas  catalogued  as 
100  years  old,  Avith  thick  tAvisted  trunk  and  well-balanced 
branches,  fetched  £20.  A  second,  also  100  years  old,  and 
measuring  22in  in  height,  Avas  sold  for  £14  14s.  The  demand  for 
miniatures  Avas  less  brisk  ;  the  prices  obtained  ranged  from  £6  6s. 
to  £3  3s.  Several  lots  were  purchased  on  behalf  of  Royalty. 
Shakespeare  and  Crocuses. 
Apropos  of  the  remark  the  other  day  (says  the  “  Daily 
Chronicle  ”)  as  to  the  absence  of  all  mention  of  the  Crocus  in 
Shakespeare,  a  correspondent  says  that  it  is  knoAvn  for  a  fact 
that  this  spring  flower  did  exi.st  in  England  in  Shakespeare’s 
time,  because  Gerard, \a  contemporary  of  his,  describes  it.  “  That 
pleasant  plant,”  he  says  of  the  Crocus,  “  was  sent  unto  me  from 
Hobinus,  of  Paris,  that  painful  and  most  curious  searcher  of 
simples  ”  ;  and  he  describes  it  elseAvhere  as  having  “  flowers  of  a 
most  perfect  shining  yelloAV  colour,  seemmg  afar  off  to  be  a  hot 
gloAving  coal  of  fire.”  Of  course,  if  Shakespeare  had  been  Bacon, 
he  might  have  read  the  science  jottings  of  his  day. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
The  next  fruit  and  flower  show  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  Avill  be  held  on  Tuesday,  April  8,  in  the  Drill  Hall, 
Buckingham  Gate,  Westminster,  1  to  5  p.m.  A  lecture  on  “The 
Construction  of  Pergolas,  and  on  Plants  for  Them,  and  for 
Verandahs,”  Avill  be  given  by  Miss  Gertrude  Jekyll,  V.M.H.,  at 
three  o’clock.  At  a  general  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  held  on  Tuesday,  March  25,  fifty-two.  new  Fellows  were 
elected,  amongst  them  being  Sir  Edmund  Hay  Currie,  Sir  George 
Meyrick,  Bart.,  the  Dowager  Lady  Pelly,  Lady  Jessel,  Hon. 
Mrs.  M.  Glyn,  Major  N.  Pochin,  and  Major  A.  J.  Saunders, 
making  a  total  of  357  elected  since  the  beginning  of  the  present 
year. 
Border  Rstate  Changes  Hands. 
In  Messrs.  Dowell’s  auction  rooms,  Edinburgh,  recently,  the 
estate  of  Sydenham,  and  other  properties  near  Kelso,  belonging 
to  Sir  John  Dickson-Poynder,  Avere  put  up  for  sale  by  public 
roup.  The  estate  of  Sydenham,  with  mansion-house  thereon,  and 
including  the  farm  of  Sydenham,  extending  to  about  146J  acres, 
Avas  put  up  at  the  price  of  £10,000,  and  AA'as  sold  at  that  figure  to 
Sir  Richard  Waldie  Griffith.  The  rental  of  the  estate  is  £337, 
and  the  public  burdens  £32.  Sydenham  lies  Avell  into  Sir  Richard’s 
Hondersyde  estate,  and  Avill  make  a  desirable  addition  thereto. 
No  offer  Avas  made  for  the  other  lots,  including  the  farm  of 
Kaimknowe,  the  house  and  lands  at  Sydenham  Cottage,  and 
various  fields  and  feu-duties  in  Kelso. 
