Show V I 1 I 1 r J air ra c md their c are md ld T T M 9 4 op white house conservatory where violets of unusual sue size color and beauty aro are raised A LIVING IN VIOLETS by t L M bennington two thousand dollars was the amount netted two young women last year who raised violets for the new york market the girls started in tour four years ago with a capital of less than 00 0 and about as little experience as girls who have lived in the country all their lives could have about any aing thing growing bleir tl cir first investment was 12 un glazed hotbed sashes 3 by 6 feet a at t 0 cents ants a sash they glazed them themselves at a cost ol 01 19 tl ey started their experiment in the tall fall and devoted their evenings to studying up varieties they de do term ned to choose the marie louise as it was of the double varieties most popular in the new york market and beside the lady hume campbell the only double variety suited for corn com mercial growing early in march they invested 10 in cuttings ot of the marle marie louise and be gan work in earnest following the advice ot of a success ful grower of violets they potted these cuttings in 2 inch pots in a mixture of one well rotted manure to three parts garden soil besides mixing thoroughly the soil was sifted to free it from lumps the pots were then set in a frame in the garden and covered with four of the sashes there were about a thousand pots in all but un fortunately the cuttings were very poor while waiting tor for the cuttings to root they built the frame into they were to be permanently set this frame was only a rough box 6 feet wide by 36 long 12 inches deep in the back and halt half as much in front the frame was placed in a fertile spot in the garden over the surface of the soil they spread well rotted stable manure to the depth of 3 or 4 inches it required all of their spare time tor for a month to get the soil to their satisfaction about the mid die dle of april they selected the largest cuttings for planting first leaving the small plants tor for the last knocking them carefully ou out t of the pots they set et them in the frame 8 inches apart in 1 6 inch rows they soon discovered that they had only cocin tor for about one half the cuttings the young women built another frame and set the last of their young plants the first summer there was the red spider to fight against july and au an gust found them very busy syringing the plants it was a difficult task as the stream must be kept down low enough to strike the leaves under neath and turn them completely over about the middle of september the plants began to bloom and although they kept the blossoms closely picked they did not attempt to sell them until the first week in october they al lowed the florist in their home town to have all their blossoms at the rate of 40 cents a hundred in october and 65 55 cents a hundred in november in october they built their first greenhouse it was 60 by 20 feet and helping with the work they managed to reduce the cost of the first estimate of 80 to 65 early in november the plants were lifted from the frame and set in beds in this greenhouse and so well was the work done that none of the plants stopped blooming at christmas nearly 4 blossoms were picked and were sold tor for ninety cents a hundred during may the young women began preparations for their second sea son by putting in a second thousand young plants to save the trouble and expense of moving them in the autumn they marked out beds as they would be when the new greenhouse was corn com and after setting up the posts of the house put out the violets the shades were stretched over these posts and aside from this and giving them water when rain failed tc come often enough they received almost no attention until september when the new house was completed the violets bloomed so profusely that the young women were advised to have their violet beds photographed and samples of their flowers sent with the pictures to some of the big florists in new york they did so with the result that one of the largest con cerns in new york sent one of its representatives to see the young worn wom en and arrangements were made to take all the blooms at the rate of 1 a hundred indred hi for all sent during novem br her 2 for december and 1 for jan uary nary and february and 75 cents tor for the me rest of the season the offer was accepted and the young women have continued to ship their blooms to this firm THE CULTURE OF CINER ARIAS by G GEOFRY in the culture of 0 the cineraria the oie one mistake so often made is that of 0 sowing the seed too soon ff the he plants thus raised more often than not make a rank growth this Is not in any sense desirable by sowing in may or june plants large enough for all decorative purposes can be had in after treat ment the aim should be to secure as hardy growth as possible cineraria Is one of the most useful and ornamental 0 of plants with flower of the richest and most brilliant col ors and shades and of the finest tex tures for succession it Is well to make sowings so aings cf the seed from may to sep but the main sowing in july the ciner cineraria arla Is a very fine plant for the conservatory and tor for house decoration the coloring of this plant endears it to growers there are th the 0 lovely and rare cornflower blue tints in profusion rich crimson and blood red in many varieties deep rose and shell pink and a wonderful bombina tion of pink and light blue shades there Is also a lovely single pure white variety that Is worth consider ing tor for your allwhite all white bed t 14 N 1 4 6 0 N A fine ecamp a of showing the wide range of color and shape petal |