i88i.] THE CHINESE PRIMULA. 79 



rooting afresh, when they may be put as close to the glass as pos- 

 sible, shading them from direct sunshine, but allowing them all the 

 light they can bear. Air must be admitted on favourable occasions, 

 so as to keep the young plants dwarf and stocky. If in a nice 

 growing temperature, they will soon be ready to be placed in 2-inch 

 pots, which should be clean and liberally drained, as in all stages 

 Primulas dislike sour or stagnant soil about their roots. When the 

 young plants reach this stage, if a close frame can be given them where 

 gentle warmth can be maintained, so much the better. The frame 

 should be kept close until root-action commences and the plants have 

 taken to the new soil, when they can be gradually hardened and grown 

 under cooler conditions. The hardening process must be done care- 

 fully, or a check may be occasioned and the plants stand still for a long 

 time. They should be arranged as close to the glass as practicable, 

 over a moist cool bottom. As the season advances and all fear of frost 

 is past, they can be grown in cold frames with abundance of air ; and 

 when the nights become sufficiently warm, air can be left on all night. 



Potting should be attended to from time to time as the plants re- 

 quire it, until they are placed in 5- and 6-inch pots, which is large 

 enough for all ordinary purposes ; but if larger plants are required, 

 7-inch pots can be used. Care must be taken that the plants never 

 become pot-bound while in small pots, or rapid progress is considerably 

 impeded. When potting, the plants should be placed sufficiently low 

 in the pots to keep them firm at the collar. Many cultivators are care- 

 ful not to bury the collar when potting, for fear of the plants damping 

 off. They are in consequence tumbling in every direction if moved, 

 and liable to be injured unless small stakes are placed round them to 

 keep them upright and steady. There is no fear of the plants damp- 

 ing when deep potting is practised. Primulas delight in a light rich 

 soil composed of rich fibry loam, leaf -mould, a little well-prepared cow- 

 dung, and a small percentage of broken charcoal, with plenty of coarse 

 sand to keep the whole porous. 



Watering is an important item in growing Primulas, and the water- 

 pot should be used judiciously. They should never suffer for the want 

 of it, or be saturated : an intermediate state appears to suit them best. 

 For some time after the operation of potting, water should be very 

 carefully applied. Stimulants are necessary when the pots are well 

 filled with roots, and nothing acts quicker upon the plants than clear 

 soot- water. Primulas do not care for much water over their foliage, 

 and slight dewing only is necessary on very warm afternoons. 



The plants cannot endure strong sunshine, and must be shaded dur- 

 ing bright weather : at the same time the shading must not be so 

 heavy as to exclude light. They will do well in cold frames until the 

 approach of frost, and in any house during winter where frost is ex- 

 cluded. Shelves close to the glass are capital places for them. The 

 earliest batch can be allowed to come into bloom any time in early 



