178 THE GARDENER. [April 



goniums. Here, too, the Primulas were very fine and distinct. Some, with fern- 

 leaved foliage, had very rich shades of dark carmine. There was also a very 

 pretty and pleasing shade of dove-colour to he seen, quite charming in its way. 

 Among these very pretty striped flowers could be seen a marked improvement in 

 the points of size and quality, and some had broad flakes of bright carmine. 

 Newer types were represented by dark carmine flowers, dashed with violet ; 

 pink, flaked with rose, and having a large lemon eye, with a pale ring round 

 it ; pale fleshy carmine, very handsome ; a purple-ground flower, prettily striped 

 and splashed with white, borne on a fern-leaved plant with red leaf-stalks, per- 

 haps one of the greatest novelties yet raised ; a good puce-coloured flower on a 

 plant having green leaf-stalks tinged with red ; and two others having the flower 

 suffused with lavender, and margined with white, and a white ring round the eye. 

 To any one interested in the Primula, a visit to these nurseries just now would in- 

 deed be a treat. The Bevois Valley Nursery is about half an acre in extent ; that 

 at Bevois Mount from 3 to 4 acres. 



MY POTATO TRIALS. 



With the opening of the month of March I commence my planting 

 operations, and thus lay the foundation for the season's trials of this 

 noble esculent. Where the Potato-fancier essays to gather together 

 for his pleasure, and possibly his profit, a large collection of Potatoes, 

 he will find one of the most difficult things he has to do consists in the 

 gathering together from all parts of the country, cpuantities, more or less, 

 of all the best-known kinds, without the possession of which his trials 

 would be imperfect and his experiences uncertain. The Potato con- 

 noisseur has now become almost a horticultural necessity. His duty 

 (if his work and labours be recognised as such) consists in sitting in 

 judgment on the productions of others, and in testing them by known 

 and approved kinds. He should have no trade bias, and should strive 

 only to put prominent the good things in his collection, come from 

 whence they may, remitting the indifferent ones to the fate they deserve 

 — that of well-merited oblivion. To such an one a really good Potato 

 is an art-treasure, over the possession of which he gloats, and he is 

 proud of it; but from whence it came, what matters it 1 There it is, 

 and the world shall know that it exists, and so be made available for 

 its use in due time. I do not, however, assume to myself the posses- 

 sion of all that disinterestedness that may be said to characterise the 

 true connoisseur. Nevertheless, I hope and purpose, as far as in me 

 lies, to give in time to come the most fair and honourable testimony I 

 can bear to the relative merits or demerits of all the kind of Potatoes 

 that have been from various sources committed to my care for trial 

 during the present season. I shall start this year with over a hundred 



