IRISH GARDENING 



69 



Euitlier experiments were conducted, and 

 hundreds of seedlings were raised, but the 

 majorty was inferior to P. Unique. 



Among the crosses made was P. Unique and 

 P. Cockburniana, and one seedhng appeared 

 that was a great improxement upon all known 

 Primulas, at any rate so far as colour is con- 

 cerned. It was raised l)y Mr. Briscoe, and 

 named P. Excel- 

 sior. It was ex- 

 hibited at the 

 Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society 

 meeting on June 

 3. 1913, and was 

 honoured with an 

 Award of Merit. 



The colour is an 

 intense fiery 

 scarlet, and when 

 well grown the 

 flowers are 

 slightly larger 

 than P. Unique. 

 It is hardy and 

 perennial, and 

 will prove an 

 ideal subject for 

 the rock garden, 

 where it is moist, 

 but not wet, and 

 partial shade 

 exist. P. Excel- 

 sior is similar to 

 the parents in 

 habit, and the 

 fl(nver stems are 

 farinose. 



As most readers 

 are aware the 

 house of Veitch 

 is no more, and 

 of course the 

 stock of this 

 P r i m u I a wit h 

 other plants has 

 passed into 

 different hands. 



The herbaceous dc[)artuu'iu with the stock 

 of P. Excelsior was taken o\ci' by Mr. J. C. 

 Allgrove. who for maii,\' yeais had been in the 

 employ of Messrs. J. X'citcii &; Sons, Ltd. — 15. 



Magnolia salicifolia, 



ClosKK acquaintance with this .la|)aiu'sc Mag- 

 nolia increases its value in the estimation of those 

 fortunate enoiigh to possess a plant. The first 

 blossoms open a day or two in advance of the 



star-fiowered ^Magnolia, M. stellata, towai'ds the 

 end of March or the first half of April, according 

 to the season. 



The first plants to flower in this country were 

 imported to Kew from .Japan in 1906, blooming 

 five years later. Its nearest ally is M. Kobus, 

 also a .Japanese species. M. salicifolia is found 

 wild at an elevation of 1,700 feet to 1,500 feet in 

 the mountains of Xi])])on and the Kuisin district. 



Ttf( 



IS a small tree 1.") feet t' 



Calceolai 



\iM. 



20 feet high with a 

 trunk of 1 foot 

 girth. The slender 

 character of the 

 branches and 

 twigs, to gether 

 w i t h t h e t h i n 

 willow -like leaves, 

 readily disti n- 

 guishes the tree 

 from other Mag- 

 uolias. The 

 dainty i>ure white 

 1 lowers are borne 

 very freely on the 

 end.s of the lateral 

 g r o w t h s in 

 advanc-e of the 

 1 e av e s. \V h e n 

 fully expanded the 

 bio o m s are 3 

 inches to i inches 

 across. 



In a well -drained 

 light 1 o a m, to 

 which has been 

 added some peat 

 and leaf mould, 

 the growth of the 

 will o w-1 e a v e d 

 Magnolia is fairly 

 fast, one of the 

 o r i g i n a 1 1 y im- 

 ported trees being 

 now about !J feet 

 high. Flowei'ing 

 (»arly. a position 

 sheltered from 

 tVie east is desir- 

 able, there being 

 nothing so useful 

 as a belt of tall 

 hollies, yews, or 

 conifers to (jrotect 

 an<l show olT the 

 cxipiisitc beautv 

 of tlir Howers. 

 M. sa licifolia is 

 figured in the Bo- 

 tanical Magazine 

 tab. 8483. x\. O. 



Notice. 



Till-: trial of Tulips which is being continued this 

 vcar includes about 5,000 stocks. 8hould weatiier 

 conditions 1 rove noriual the early-llowermg 

 section will be at its best towarils the end of the 

 present month, and the other .sections dunng the 

 first fortnight in May. In order to facilitat.- the 

 inspection of the trial an interleaved index has 

 been prei)ared in i)aiuphlet iorm. Fellows ()f 

 the Society visiting Wisley uuiy obtam copies 

 of this index, free of charge, on a]. plication at 

 the office. 



