SEPTEMBER 20, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



469 



New Primula, " The Duchess; " Color White, with Deep Rose Circle around Yellow Eye. 



CHINESE PRIMROSES. 



A large exhibit at the Drill H;il', 

 on January 9, afforded a foretas'e of 

 the display of Chinese Primulas 

 Messrs. Sutton & Sons have now in 

 bloom at Reading. It was a most in- 

 teresting collection of plants, and in 

 one or two instances particularly, va- 

 rieties possessing flowers of new 

 shades of color attracted much a't?n- 

 tion. Since then, however, we have 

 had the opportunity to inspect the 

 entire collection "at home," and it 

 would be very difiicult indeed to ad- 

 equately describe the lovely effect of 

 the thousands of plants grouped in 

 colors, in the many span-roofed 

 houses at the Portland Road Nursery. 



The Reading plants are grown for 

 the purpose of producing sse-ls, and 

 it has been found that small plants 

 in 5-inch pots, or even less, are best 

 suited to this purpose. Accordingly, 

 the seeds are not sown, we believe. 

 >mtil midsummer has been passed, and 

 if there are no "specimen" plants, 

 with numbers of flower-spikes, and 

 large foliage, they are little missed, 

 for in proportion the younger and 

 smaller ones flower just as freely and 

 strongly, and are each as perfect as 

 the imagination could desire. 



In the work of developing such 

 flowers as the primula, the processes 

 of selection, cultivation, and cross- 

 fertilization are all great factors. 

 Which is the most important matters 

 little; certain is it, that once cross- 

 fertilization is practiced, selection be- 

 comes essential. Both these processes 

 may be observed in operation at Read- 



ing; here a. flower has been fertilized 

 with pollen from a flower of a distinct 

 character, but possibly only in the 

 matter of color; there are a few plants 

 withdrawn from a well-known s'rain. 

 They have shown an improvement 

 over the rest of the same strain, and 

 it is from such that seeds may be ob- 

 tained to maintain the strain at its 

 present standard of quality, or possi- 

 bly raise it in a little degree above 

 any previous condition. 



Cultivation, the other factor in de- 

 velopment, is often helpful, but some- 

 times a little troublesome. To cu'.ti- 

 vation is due, to a very large extent, 

 the evolution of the semi-double type 

 from single-flowered varieties, and 

 the gain has been an Immense one; 

 but its influence in some directions, 

 for instance upon the "star" or "stel- 

 late" section, is to bring these free- 

 flowering, graceful-habited plants, 

 that recently have been accorded con- 

 siderable popular favor, more and 

 more into likeness to the florists' 

 type, and in order to preserve the 

 simple form it is necessary to resist 

 or neutralize the influence cultivation 

 would naturally exert upon it. Thus 

 is the work of maintaining and de- 

 veloping a collection of primulas pur- 

 sued. In one section or "strain," a 

 certain characteristic is encouraged; 

 in another lot of plants the same char- 

 acteristic is rigidly excluded. There 

 are thus endless balancing of influ- 

 ences, directing of twidencies, and 

 shaking up of possible latent forces. 



As we looked over the strains that 

 have been preserved for years, it was 

 noticeable that varieties are kept so 



true from seed that little difference 

 in shade of color even could be detect- 

 ed in the large batches of plants. 



Choice Fixed Varieties. 



Speaking now of single-flowered va- 

 rieties, there are Snowdrift. Pearl, 

 Purity, and Royal White; the first- 

 named is the earliest to bloom, and 

 has many gcod qualities, its puie 

 white flowers and fern-like foliage be- 

 ing very pretty. Pearl is rather later, 

 but is one of the best of growers, and 

 has been a favorite for nearly twenty 

 years. Royal White has dark fo iage, 

 and is therefore distinct from the oth- 

 ers of this color; its flowers are large 

 and beautifully fringed. Of varieties 

 producing flowers other than whits 

 there is an ever increasing number, 

 and in the known sorts the strain has 

 been improved by intensifying the 

 colors. Brilliant Rose was very notice- 

 able as being true, and in every re- 

 spect desirable. Crimson King also 

 is excellent; its fine flowers are un- 

 usually fimbriated, and there is a dark, 

 narrow circle around the center. A 

 fern-leaved form of this variety has 

 just been prepared for distribution. 

 Brilliant Ruby, which superseded the 

 old Ruby King, is a first rate red 

 flowered primula of dwarf habit, but 

 needs some little encouragement in 

 order to get the blooms thrown well 

 above the foliage. Then there are Read- 

 ing Pink, which flowers moderately 

 early; Gipsy Queen, one with bizarre- 

 lilie flowers, white splashed with rose; 

 Rosy Queen, a pretty variety, wi'h 

 fern foliage; Reading Scarlet, and oth- 

 ers in the single-flowered section, of 

 which we will only further allude to 

 those known as "blue " The best of 

 these is Reading Blue, having plain 

 foliage, and very fine flowers. One 

 known as Sutton's Blue has fern foli- 

 age, but is otherwise hardly so good; 

 and a new one obtained from crossing 

 the Reading Blue upon a white vari- 

 ety, is the Cambridge Blue — this is of 

 an exceedingly delicate tint, and with 

 the very light green foliage has a 

 somewhat aesthetic appearance. 

 "The semi-double varieties appeared 

 beautiful. They flower freely, are ca- 

 pable of reproduction by seed, and 

 though the flowers are not of the 

 same quality as the old double white, 

 they are nevertheless useful tor but- 

 tonholes and spray-making. There 

 are varieties all true to color in pink, 

 scarlet, carmine, white, crimson, blue, 

 salmon, and carnation flaked. The 

 carnation flaked semi-double is a very 

 popular variety, one of the strongest 

 growers, and an abundant bloomer. A 

 new stock of this has been obtained 

 by crossing again with Crimson King. 

 The flowers are spotted rather than 

 flaked, and the spotting is very free. 

 It is only recently that a salmon tint 

 has been produced by the doubles, and 

 we are not sure that it is ready for 

 distribution. But it will be very high- 



