276 ANNUAL, REPORT OP THE Off. Doc. 



are extra strong we have sometimes made the last potting in seven- 

 inch pots with flue results. 



The soil used for the last two pottings consists of two parts light 

 fibry loam, one part leaf mould, one part decomposed cow manure, 

 and one part sharp sand. 1 have added to this for the last four years 

 one-fourth Yadoo. The whole compost I pulverized by chopping up 

 with the spade; by this I retain all the fibre, which is a valuable part 

 of the mixture. A frame with a north aspect I consider the best 

 place for them during the summer. In this they can be conveniently 

 shaded during bright sunshine and afterwards have full exposure 

 to the light and air and have the advantage of the benficial and in- 

 vigorating effects of the night dew. Bury the pots to the rims in 

 ashes or any other material that will keep the roots cool. Towards 

 the end of September they may be removed to the greenhouse and 

 placed near the glass. The foliage is damped once a day in fine 

 weather with the hose or syringe and grown in a night temperature 

 of from 45 to 50 degrees during winter. When they fill the pots 

 with roots we give liquid waterings once every 10 days of a mix- 

 ture of English soot, sheep manure and cow manure. We vary this 

 occasionally with sprinklings of bone or Thompson's manure. With 

 a view of giving room to the free development of the trusses, I peg 

 down the leaves and leave the centre open. 



The Primula is generally infested during summer with thrip and 

 green fly on the leaves. Fumigations with tobacco or dipping the 

 plants in a solution of lemon oil and water will destroy them. Small 

 grubs sometimes bore into the stem at the base of the plant, doing 

 much injur}'. A couple of pinches of slaked lime put on occasionally 

 will get rid of them. There are several fine strains of Primula. The 

 plants exhibited by me at our February meeting were of the Wil- 

 liams strain. This variety I have been growing for nearly thirty 

 years and I don't think that any of the newer kinds are superior for 

 exhibition purposes. 



TWELVE BEST HEKBACEOUS PLANTS FOR THE AMATEUR. 



By JAMES BOYD, Haverford, Pa. 



To name the "Twelve Best Herbaceous Plants for the Amateur" 

 is indeed a diflicult task for a true lover of flowers. It would be 

 much easier to name fifty, and in turning over in my mind the mer- 



