VIOLET. The botanical characters aro given in the NAT. HIST. Div., under VIOLA; but there are many varieties. There are hardly any species of violet that do not deserve cultivation on account of their beauty ; but the varieties of odorata, the sweet-scented species, and tricolor (PaNsr), are the chief favourites. They are all readily raised by seeds, or by parting the roots. The annuals may be sown on the open border or on rockwork ; the perennials, on a mixture of loam, peat, and plenty of scud. The shrubby kinds are best propagated by cuttings, and the herbaceous by dividing the roots. The Neapolitan violet, which is white, is somewhat more difficult to raise in this country. The best way is, in May, after they have done flowering, to sift some light soil over the plants to the depth of a couple of inches, in order to promote the production of runners, but leaving as =eh of the foliage as possible exposed to the air. In about six weeks the runners have formed roots. Then take up the old plants and select the best runners. These are to be planted in a bed formed of two
parts of turfy loam and one part of leaf mould, placed so as to be shaded by trees, but well exposed to the air. A trench is to be made by removing the soil to a depth of about four inches, which is to be filled up to a level with leaf mould, over which the removed soil is to be placed. Upon this the runners are to be planted, at distances of about four inches, the rows being at least seven inches apart. They are then to be well watered, and the watering repeated frequently during the summer months. In September they will have become strong enough to be removed, with good bulbs at their roots, and may be transplanted to frames under glass, well watered and shaded from the sun, for about a week, when they will have rooted well again, and may be freely exposed to the alr. By October they will be in bloom, and will continue flowering till May.