3 
.mURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AEb  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  24,  1902. 
The  Pansy. 
There  are  three  classes,  1,  Selfs,  all  of  one  colour.  2,  Having 
yellow,  orangOj  sulphur,  or  straw-coloured  ground  with  margins 
of  rnaroon,  crimson,  chocolate,  bronze,  puce,  and  their  inter¬ 
mediate  tints.  3,  Having  a  white  ground,  with  margins  of 
purple,  blue,  mulberry,  and  tlieir  intermediate  tints. 
Characteristics  of  a  good  Pansy. — Many  have  written  upon 
the  characteristics  which  belong  to-  it  when  really  a  superior 
flower,  and  their  opinions  are  combined  in  the  following; — 1. 
Each  bloom  should  be  nearly  perfectly  circular,  flat,  and  very 
smooth  at  the  edge ;  every  notch,  or  unevenness,  being  a  blemish. 
2.  The  petals  should  be  thick,  and  of  a  rich  velvety  texture. 
3.  Whatever  maj",  be  the  colours,  the  principal,  or  ground  colour 
of  the  three  lower  petals,  should  be  alike;  whether  it  be  white, 
yellow,  straw  colour,  plain,  fringed,  or  blotched,  there  should  not 
in  these  three  petals  be  a  shade  difference  in  the  principal  colour ; 
and  the  white,  yellow,  or  straw  colour  should  be  pure.  4.  What¬ 
ever  may,  be  the  character  of  tlie  marks  or  darker  pencillings  on 
the  ground  colour,  they  should  be  bright,  dense,  distinct,  and 
retain  their  character,  without  running  or  flushing,  that  is  mixing 
wdth  the  ground  colour.  5.  The  two  upper  petals  should  be 
perfectly  uniform,  whether  dark  or  light,  or  fringed  or  blotched. 
The  two  petals  immediately  under  them  should  be  alike  ;  and  the 
lower  petal,  as  before  observed,  must  have  the  same  ground 
colour  and  character  as  the  two  above  it;  and  the  pencilling  or 
marking  of  the  eye  in  the  three  lower  petals  must  not  break 
tlH'ough  to  the  edges.  6.  If  flowers  are  equal  in  other  respects, 
the  larger,  if  not  the  coarser,  is  the  better;  but  no  flower  should 
be  shown  that  is  under  one  inch  and  a  half  across.  7.  Ragged  or 
notched  edges,  crumpled  petals,  indentures  on  the  petal,  indis¬ 
tinct  markings  or  pencillings,  and  flushed  or  run  colours,  are 
great  blemishes ;  but  if  a  bloom  has  one  ground  colour  to  the 
lower  petal  and  another  colour  to  the  side  ones,  or  if  it  has  two 
shades  of  ground  colour  at  all,  it  is  not  a  show  flower.  The  yellow’ 
within  the  eye  is  not  considered  ground  colour. 
A  suitable  situation  is  the  chief  point  in  its  cultivation ;  this 
should  be  one  sheltered  from  all  cutting  winds,  as  these  often  kill 
the  plants  by  twisting  them  about.  The  situation  should  be  open 
to  the  free  circulation  of  the  air,  and  exposed  to  the  influence  cf 
the  morning  sun,  but  protected  from  the  midday  sun ;  cool  and 
moist,  but  thoroughly  drained,  for  although  the  Pansy  requires 
considerable  moisture  during  the  blooming  season,  and  through 
the  sumiiier  months,  yet  it  is  very  impatient  of  superabundant 
moisture. 
The  soil  should  be  rich,  and  tolerably  light.  Decayed  Cucum¬ 
ber-bed  dung  is  better  than  any  other  manure,  and  tlie  soil  wdiich 
suits  best  is  a  light  hazel  loam,  thoroughly  mixed  with  a  good 
portion  of  decayed  turf  from  pasture  land,  by  frequently  stirring 
and  digging,  and  to  three  barrow-loads  of  this  soil  add  one  of  the 
Cucumber-bed  manure  tw’o  years  old.  Manure  water,  particularly 
guano  w’ater,  applied  during  the  blooming  season,  is  very 
beneficial. 
Those  who  intend  to  grow  the  Pansy  for  exhibition  should 
select  young  plants  well  established  from  cuttings  for  the  purpose. 
For  the  spring  exhibitions  in  May  and  June,  select>  plants  struck 
the  previous  autumn,  in  August  and  September;  and  for  the 
autumn  exhibitions  in  September,  select  plants  struck  early  in 
the  spring;  and  after  these  have  produced  their  blooms,  save 
them  for  store  plants,  to  produce  cuttings,  always  having  a  con¬ 
stant  succession  of  young  plants  for  the  purpose  of  blooming. 
The  propogation  of  the  Pansy  is  very  easy.  The  young  side 
shoots  are  to  be  most  preferred  for  cuttings,  as  the  old  hollow 
stems  seldom  strike  freely,  and  do  not  grow  so  strong.  For 
spring  blooming,  take  off  a  sufficient  quantity  of  these  side  shoots 
in  August  or  tbe  beginning  of  September,  and  for  autumn 
blooming  in  April  and  May  ;  these  insert  either  under  handglasses, 
or  in  pots  placed  in  a  cool  frame  in  some  good  light  compost, 
mixed  with  a  good  quantity  of  silver  sand,  taking  care  to  keep 
them  moderately  moist,  and  shading  them  from  hot  sun. 
Varieties. 
The  following  dozen  varieties  of  exhibition  Fancy  Pansies  are 
recommended  by  Mr.  William  Sydenham,  the  Tamworth  grower, 
as  being  the  best :  — 
Col.  M.  R.  G.  Buchanan  (1896).^ — Immense  dense  rich  dark 
brown  blotches,  margins  amber,  top  petals  shot  violet  and  amber. 
Councillor  Waters  (1899). — Immense  blue  blotches,  edged 
creamy  white  and  heliotrope  ;  upper  petals  heavily  splashed  with 
dark  heliotrope. 
David  Gold  IMackay. — Fine  deep  plum  blotches,  laced  rosy 
crimson  and  edged  white;  upper  petals  rosy  ci'imson ;  an  extra 
strong  grower,  large  and  fine. 
Mavourneen  (1899). — Dense  violet  blotches,  edged  lemon  and 
magenta;  upper  petals  lemon  with  purple  pencilling,  heavily 
banded  with  magenta. 
Miss  Neil  (1899). — Large,  circular  velvety  blotches,  edged 
white  with  distinct  lacing  of  bright  crimson. 
Neil  Mackay  (1898). — Circular  dark  blotches,  edged  golden 
yellow  ;  top  petals  yellow,  flaked  with  bright  crimson. 
Robert  C.  Allan  (1898). — Dense  plum  blotches,  edged  crimson 
and  sometimes  tinged  white  ;  upper  petals  crimson,  tipped  white. 
Tamworth  Herald  (1896). — Very  similar  to  “  Marmion  ”  in  the 
summer,  but  early  in  the  season  a  much  richer  and  more  distinct 
flower.  “Marmion  ”  has  dense  violet  blotches,  laced  with  rosy 
white ;  upper  petals  lavender,  shaded  rose  and  white. 
Tamworth  Yellow.— Pale  yellow  self,  deep  black,  well-formed 
blotches.  This  Pansy  is  much  admired,  and  has  obtained  a  First 
Class  Certificatei.  It  is  strongly  recommended  as  the  best 
summer  flowering  variety  extant';  the  sun  does  not  destroy  the 
colour. 
Tom  Watters  (1897). — Dense  glossy  blotches  of  such  colour  as 
would  be  produced  by  puiqjle  on  a  red  ground,  the  red  showing  in 
a  glowing  circle  round  the  blotch;  lacing,  rich  yellow;  top  petals 
banded  with  light  maroon,  shot  with  red. 
Victoria  (1898). — Very  perfect  purple  blotches,  edged  white. 
William  Terry  (1902). — Seal  brown  velvety  blotches,  edged 
deep  yellow.  This  is  one  of  the  finest  Pansies  ever  sent  out, 
with  ideal  markings,  and  the  flower  perfect  for  exhibition. 
The  following  are  also  very  fine  sorts :  —Alice  Bidwell :  Blue 
purple  blotches  on  a  white  ground.  Archie  McNeil :  Pale  yellow 
self,  large  circular  blotches.  Attraction  (1898) :  Chocolate 
blotches,  edge  chrome  and  shaded  crimson;  top  petals  chrome, 
heavily  veined  vdth  rosy  purple.  Cleopatra  Large  velvety  dark 
blotch,  edged  white.  D.  B.  Crane,  (1900);  Grand  dark  blotches 
on  yellow  ground.  Emila  Court  (1898) ;  Violet  purple  blotches, 
edged  deep  rose  and  white.  Fred  Male  ;  Dark  chocolate  blotches, 
edged  yellow,  upper  petals  yellow  and  rose,  a  most  constant 
flower.  Joe  Beringer  (1899) ;  Deep  violet  blotches,  with  an  outer 
edge  of  rosy  lilac  on  white  ground,  upper  petals  banded  ricJl  violet. 
John  Taylor;  Blue  blotches,  broad  white  margin,  top  petals  pure 
w'hite.  Lord  Roberts  (1901) ;  Large  dense  prune  blotches,  margins 
deep  carmine,  &c.  Mrs.  Nadin  (1900) ;  Dense  mulberry  blotches 
belted  pure  white,  top  petals  purple ;  one  of  the  best  in  existence 
for  exhibition.  Mrs.  Robert-  Stuart ;  Bright  yellow  self  with 
dense  dark  blotches.  Mary  Sydenham  (1900) ;  Rich  ruby  purple 
blotches,  edged  white;  top  petals  same  colour  as  the  blotches, 
with  narrow  white  edge. 
Literate. 
“Thompson’s  Gardeners’  As4stant.”  * 
This  fifth  volume  of  the  series  is  devoted  to  details  of  the  cul¬ 
ture  of  fruits.  All  the  dwarf  and  bush  fniits  are  exhaustively 
treated,  and  special  chapters  are  provided  for  The  Orchard  House, 
The  Vine,  Pineapple,  Cherry,  Apricot,  Melon,  Cucumber,  and 
Tomato. 
The  article  on  the  Vine  is  embracive,  and  must  satisfy  all 
users  of  this  standard  work.  The  varieties  are  discussed  sepa¬ 
rately  and  at  some  length,  their  merits  or  failings  being  noticed 
and  commented  upon.  The  common  synonyms  are  tabulated,  and 
numerous  illustrations  are  furnished.  So,  too,  the  Cherry  is  the 
subject  of  a  very  complete  essay  which  treats  of  the  origin,  classi¬ 
fication,  culture,  varieties,  and  diseases  of  this  increasingly 
popular  fruit.  A  coloured  plate  of  three  varieties  of  Cherry  is 
provided,  but  it  would  have  been  infinitely  better  had  the  pub¬ 
lishers  not  reduced  the  size  of  the  fruits.  We  notice  half  a 
column  of  text  devoted  to  the  forcing  of  Raspberries,  and  won¬ 
dered  who  would  attempt  the  forcing  of  this  fruit!  The  list  of 
Strawberries  is  a  record  one,  and  valuable. 
Apropos  of  the  Vine  article,  there  is  a  very  effective  illustra¬ 
tion  of  the  Marquis  of  Bute’s  outdoor  vineyard  on  the  Castell 
Coch  estate,  in  South  Wales.  Lists  of  hardy  Vines  are  provided, 
and  instruction  also  in  outdoor  culture.  The  chapter  on  miscel¬ 
laneous  hardy  fruits  adds  considerably  to  the  completeness  and 
standing  of  the  publication  ;  and  under  this  section  details  are 
given  on  Almonds,  Chestnuts,  Hazel-nuts,  Walnuts,  Quince, 
Medlar,  Date  Plum,  Mulberry,  Bramble,  Loganberry,  Wineberry, 
Cranberry,  Blaeberiyq  Berberry,  and  Elder.  A  dozen  of  the 
best  varieties  of  the  Date  Plum  (Diospyros  Kaki)  are  being  tried 
at  Kew,  and  it  is  possible  that  this  luscious  Japanese  fruit  may 
become  popular  for  glass  culture  in  this  countiy.  It  flowers  and 
fruits  readily.  The  Banana  and  Orange  and  Lemon,  whose  cul¬ 
ture  respectively  is  most  successful  in  suitable  structures  at  home 
here,  are  not  omitted  from  the  “  Gardener’s  Assistant,”  and  for  all 
who  love  a  better  quality  of  fruit  than  can  be  bought  in  the  shops 
the  home-grown  products  will  still  be  required. 
The  information  on  fruit  preserving  (i.e.,  in  bottles,  Ac.)  is 
complete  and  up-to-date,  like  the  chapter  on  packing  fruits  for 
road  or  rail  and  on  “  Storing.”  A  chapter  on  “  Cold  Storage  ” 
completes  a  thoroughly  useful  volume.  There  are  four  coloured 
plates  and  numerous  half-tone  illustrations  and  engravings 
throughout  the  pages.  Undoubtedly  the  series  is  the  standard 
publication  detailing  the  practice  of  gardening,  and  as  such  it  is 
to  be  commended  to  all,  the  country  gentlemen,  the  well-to-do 
amateurs,  and  emphatically  the  professional  gardeners. 
*'  ‘•Thompson’s  Ganleiier.s’  Assistanr.”  New  edition,  edited  by  \V.  Watson. 
Pivisi -nal  vo‘.  5,  price  8s.  The  Gresham  Publi.siiini;  Co.,  34,  Southampton 
Street,  Strand. 
