Our time to pick violets was when the first one was found. Sometime around the end of February we started looking for violets. Best places were in the woods that had been controlled or purpose burned over. Usually the burns were done in the first months of each year so as to control the underbrush or have tender grasses for the free-range livestock that was part of our world.
Circa 1946/47 the open range laws for livestock put citizen on notice to fence up the cows/hogs/goats etc. The years before, stock ranging about kept our woods trampled of excess underbrush and snakes. Having them under f...