THE CULTURE OF THE CHINESE PRIMROSE. 



467 



as it is as much trouble to grow a bad seed- 

 ling variety as a good one. During the 

 months of April and May the seed plants 

 will be gradually ripening their seed ; and 

 and it is a good plan to look over the plants 

 each day when the pods appear ripe, so 

 that they maj' be gathered just before 

 bursting. About the first of July sow your 

 seeds in a seed pan [broad, flat flower pot,] 

 well drained. A little moss should be 

 placed in the drainage, and the remainder 

 of the pan filled with light sandy soil, well 

 sifted ; place the pan where it will be 

 shaded during the middle of the day. In 

 two weeks your seedlings will make their 

 appearance. When large enough to take 

 hold of them, prick the young plants into 

 other pans one inch apart. As soon as the 

 plants appear to be well established and 

 rooted, put them singly into three inch pots; 

 putting them, as soon as they begin to grow, 

 out of doors, in a partially shaded place, 

 where they may remain until the pots ap- 

 pear to be well filled with roots. Then get 

 some five inch pots. Let the hole in the 

 bottom be well drained Avith broken crocks 

 or pieces of charcoal. The best soil for the 

 plants to grow in, is a light rich sandy loam. 

 In potting, do not set the plants deep, but 

 keep them well up in the pots, so that the 

 water will drain well off' the stems ; as, 

 otherwise, they are apt to damp off'. 



About the beginning of October, take in 



some of your plants for early blooming, 

 leaving the others out ; for they take no 

 harm from a slight frost. As soon as the 

 weather is severe, place the plants that 

 you wish for late blooming in a frame or 

 cold room, where they will require little 

 protection except from sharp frost. When 

 your early blooming plants are past their 

 prime, let the late ones take their place, 

 always remembering to set aside some of 

 your choicest plants, to save seed from for 

 the ensuing winter's blooming. My rea- 

 sons for recommending one year old plants 

 in preference to older ones are these : that 

 they require less trouble, bloom more free- 

 ly, and are much stronger and finer than 

 old plants, (unless you pot the latter into 

 larger pots than is convenient for window 

 culture.) By following these few simple 

 hints, any lady may have her parlor win- 

 dows constantly gay, during the winter 

 months, with one of the prettiest and most 

 satisfactory of all winter blooming plants, 

 at little expense or trouble. Respectfully, 

 your constant reader. S. B. 



Near Philadelphia, Feb. 24, 1S43. 



[The Fringed Chinese Primroses, of more 

 recent introduction than those with plain 

 flowers, are exceedingly pretty, grow easily 

 from seed, as our correspondent has pointed 

 out, and are well worthy the attention of 

 those who wish a few perpetual blooming, 

 parlor flowers. Ed,] 



The Fruits of Scripture. — General Dear- 

 born, formerly president of the Masssa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, makes the 

 following statement in the Transactions of 

 that Society : — " Although so many trees, 

 shrubs, and herbaceous plants, are men- 

 tioned in the Old and New Testaments, 

 neither the pear nor apple is named ; for 



it has been conclusively established by 

 Dr. Harris, in his Natural History of the 

 Bible, that the tree and fruit described by 

 Joel, and in the books of the Canticles, 

 Proverbs, and Leviticus, was the citron, 

 and not the apple, as the Hebrew word 

 has been rendered in the English trans- 

 lations." 



